It’s 1959 and Elvis is in his prime, he meets a young girl and as their relationship develops and they fall even more madly in love with each other you start to wonder, is what they present themselves as really what they are like behind closed doors? On Oct. 27 the movie Priscilla was released, and director Sophia Coppola based it on Priscilla Presley’s book Elvis and Me. Starring Cailee Spaney as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis, it explores the ups and downs of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship, and Priscilla finally gets to share her side of the story.
Spaney did such an amazing job as Priscilla she had the look down on every minor detail and the way she was able to act with just her facial expressions was phenomenal.
The chemistry between Elordi and Spaney was unmatched. They look so lovely together and truly capture the essence of Priscilla and Elvis’s relationship. The audience got to experience what it was like for Priscilla to be in the shadow of Elvis.
Last year, Austin Butler took on the role of Elvis Presley in Elvis and people were excited to compare Butler and Elordi in their performances. I enjoyed the Elvis movie as well, but in my opinion, Elordi played Elvis much better than Butler. It just felt to me as if Butler was forcing the adaptation too much and it came more naturally to Elordi. I think the same with Olivia DeJonge who played Priscilla in Elvis. I think she did a wonderful job but I enjoyed watching Spaney and how beautifully she delivered on this role.
Even the real Priscilla was impressed and made it known. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Spaney expresses her gratitude towards Priscilla and how grateful she is to have the privilege to play her. She mentions that at the premiere, Priscilla looked over to her with tears in her eyes telling her what an amazing job she had done.
The movie certainly emphasizes how Elvis would control what Pricilla did, from how she looked to what she wore. For most of the time Elvis is away, she is locked up in the house with nothing to do. When she wants to get a job, Elvis manipulates her by giving her an ultimatum: him or a job, not both.
It really shocked me to watch a specific scene where Elvis asks Priscilla how she felt about a song he made and she answers by saying she thought it needed something more, which results in Elvis throwing a chair at the wall inches away from her head. Every time Elvis and Priscilla get into an argument it escalates so quickly to the point of Elvis hurting her or trying to kick her out, but within a few seconds he would instantly switch up and start profusely apologizing.
I can see why some people could get upset about the release of this movie. Some say it paints Elvis in a bad light and that Priscilla is betraying him by telling her story. But others like me would argue that just because Elvis was such a big celebrity and was loved by the nation that doesn’t make him exempt from criticism for doing bad things.
This movie just reminds viewers they are never getting the full story and not everything is as it is presented to you. This movie was very eye-opening and Priscilla is so brave to be able to share her story. It is one full of young love, heartbreak, manipulation, and fame.
