Priscilla: a complex, eye-opening film 

Priscilla shifts the spotlight off Elvis and finally reveals the truth behind their complicated relationship.

The Priscilla film takes its audience through the complex relationship between Elvis and Priscilla Presley. The film is an accurate representation of said relationship, based on Priscilla’s own account, being a fourteen year old in ninth grade meeting a twenty-four year old.

The film currently sits at box office with $20 million in the United States. Although, it has an average rating on Google for 2.3 stars, majority being one star reviews. 

The height difference between Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny is just evidently inaccurate. Elvis was only eight inches taller than Priscilla, a short distance compared to the actors’ foot and four inch difference. I guess, for the state of the movie, it makes sense to show Elvis as towering over Priscilla, both physically and mentally. 

On the flipside, people say this movie takes the Hollywood cinematic cliches off the story, unlike the Elvis movie released in 2022, starring Austin Butler. Being directed by Baz Lurhman, it had an obviously bold style with his iconic uses of colors and lighting, resembling his earlier works, Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Moulin Rouge (2001), to capture certain scenes set in Elvis’ time at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Also there was no portrayal of a kind Elvis. The whole movie, the relationship is shown as abusive and Elvis himself as overbearing. If somebody watched this movie without knowing anything about Elvis, they would be confused as to why anyone ever liked Elvis due to his negative portrayal. According to this movie, Elvis is just a man who cheats, controls women, does drugs, and loses his temper often. 

The end consists of Priscilla leaving Elvis. Through the movie, Elvis became borderline aggressive in his relationship with Priscilla. In a scene where Elvis took Priscilla shopping, he tells her to basically change her look by dyeing her hair black and wearing more eye makeup. He also was deciding everything she bought, saying that solid colors look better. The one dress she actually liked, he had to mention that prints distract from her features. 

Overall, this movie is pretty entertaining visually, but I just wish they would have used a little more accuracy in their interpretation of Elvis. I know it’s called Priscilla, but a little more on Elvis would have been nice. This film was definitely made in the current time of feminist, anti-male ideals gaining popularity.