Sofia Coppola Flips the Elvis and Priscilla Story on Its Head With New Movie Priscilla

On November 3rd, 2023, director Sofia Coppola released a stunning new film, Priscilla, which chronicles the life of Priscilla Presley in her own words. The movie is based on the best-selling autobiographical book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley–wife of the famous star. Not only was the movie’s source material written by Presley herself, but Coppola included her in the production of the movie to make sure it was a true testament to her life and relationship with Elvis. 

Although the film is about Priscilla Presley’s life, it focuses on her relationship with Elvis from when she met him at 14, to their divorce. The nature of their famous relationship was quite controversial as Elvis was ten years her senior. When they entered their relationship, she was still a minor. Coppola doesn’t shy away from this uncomfortable and illegal age gap, making it explicitly clear the power dynamics at play. There are several moments in the film where Elvis is quite literally towering over Priscilla, or calls her “little girl”; it’s meant to make audiences uncomfortable with the nature of their relationship, and it does. 

The performances delivered by lead actors Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi as Priscilla and Elvis respectively are absolutely phenomenal. Spaeny started the film with an understated portrayal of a Priscilla who was consumed by her relationship with Elvis, but this performance changes throughout the film as Spaeny transforms into the confident, self-assured woman that Priscilla Presley is today. Priscilla doesn’t have much dialogue in the film, but Spaeny shines through with her well-articulated facial expressions that perfectly convey to audiences Priscilla’s inner feelings and emotions about what’s happening. You can see the excitement and wonder on her face in the casino scene with Elvis, the uncertainty when she first arrives at Graceland, and the rage when she confronts him about his suspected infidelity. 

Elordi also delivers perfectly. He offers a human, nuanced, and complicated portrayal of the star that has yet to be seen in the media. In contrast with Elvis, a film released mid last year, Elordi doesn’t play a caricature of Elvis–he plays him through the eyes of Priscilla. His Elvis is larger than life, but not campy like Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis. Coppola doesn’t shy away from the darker side of Elvis, and his toxicity towards Priscilla is not left out from the film. But, Coppola acknowledges that he is human. And, as a human, he has good parts to him. Priscilla includes both the good and bad about Elvis. It’s a human portrayal of a larger than life character that we know.

Just like the performances, the rest of the film is absolutely breathtaking. The sets, costumes, and soundtrack are just gorgeous. The costumes look incredibly high quality and were one of my favorite parts of the film. Priscilla and Elvis had such an iconic wardrobe, and Stacey Battat’s costumes do not disappoint. Highlights include her Chanel wedding dress (of course) and her dusty blue, off-the-shoulder casino dress. 

The soundtrack was absolutely period appropriate and on-par with other Coppola soundtracks. It’s filled with vintage, time-era appropriate music that adds to the atmospheric quality of the film. And, I think I lost my mind when "Crimson and Clover" came on during the film. The sets perfectly capture the mystical quality of Graceland and add so much to the film.