Exploring Priscilla Presley: Insights from Sofia Coppola’s Film

When it comes to the King, we rarely get a glimpse into the life of his esteemed partner, Priscilla. 👑

It’s been 18 months since Baz Luhrmann‘s Elvis (2022), an over-the-top depiction of Elvis Presley told from the perspective of his two-decade manager, Tom “Colonel” Parker – a perspective I thought was entirely the wrong narrative.

When it comes to writer/director Sofia Coppola, I’ve always felt conflicted with whether or not I like her movies, and Priscilla had me on high alert. While charmed by her surface level debut of The Virgin Suicides (1999), followed by her award-winning Lost in Translation (2003) a few years later, I understand Sofia’s method of subtle storytelling.

Within the last decade (granted I never saw On the Rocks), I’ve been unimpressed with Sofia’s work, if not entirely bored, with movies like The Beguiled, The Bling Ring, and Somewhere.

Needless to say, I had very low expectations for Priscilla, but much to my surprise, this mood piece completely grabbed me.

Priscilla is a 2023 American biographical drama written, directed, and produced by Sofia Coppola, based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley (who serves as an executive producer) and Sandra Harmon. It follows the life of Priscilla (played by Cailee Spaeny) and her complicated romantic relationship with Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi).

When asked what made her want to adapt Priscilla’s memoir for her next feature film, Coppola responded in an interview, “I’ve had her memoir for years and remember reading it a long time ago. I was just so interested in Priscilla’s story and her perspective on what it all felt like to grow up as a teenager in Graceland. She was going through all the stages of young womanhood in such an amplified world—kind of similar to Marie Antoinette.”

Elvis Presley Enterprises declined both their approval for Sofia Coppola’s film and their permission to use Elvis Presley’s songs in the film. Coppola took to creative alternatives, including contemporary music by her husband’s band, Phoenix, and cover versions of songs from the film’s era.

A month before filming began, Lisa Marie Presley reached out to director Sofia Coppola with concerns about the “shockingly vengeful and contemptuous” script. “My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative,” she wrote. “As his daughter, I don’t read this and see any of my father in this character.” She went on to tell Coppola she would speak out against the film after its release. “I will be forced to be in a position where I will have to openly say how I feel about the film and go against you, my mother, and this film publicly.” Presley died four months later.

In a 2023 interview with Vogue, Sofia Coppola spoke about her approach to depicting Priscilla Presley and Elvis Presley’s relationship: “I think it would’ve been easy to make a much darker movie, especially because seeing something unfold onscreen can be so much more visceral than reading it. But I didn’t want the darker side of their relationship to completely overshadow the film, so it was a matter of trying to show the reality. It was important to Priscilla that it was still her love story and to show Elvis as a real human being instead of some two-dimensional villain. I just wanted to show her point of view and leave it to the audience to come to their own conclusions about this relationship. But it was a matter of finding some balance because I don’t want the film to seem like it’s condoning certain things, but I also wanna portray Priscilla’s experience as she says it was. It was important to me for her to feel good about the film, and that it felt truthful to her experience and how she told it.”

With an outstanding performance from (a somewhat) newcomer, Cailee Spaeny, and a surprisingly great performance from Euphoria graduate, Jacob Elordi, it was hard for me not to stay hooked.

Like most of Sofia’s work, this is a mood piece focused on the feels instead of the action and entertainment. Some are arguing that the movie fails to provide a closer look at the real-life Priscilla, providing an already-known portrayal of Elvis. What viewers found worse is that it portrays Elvis in such a negative light – drug addiction and its obvious ills, that we already knew about.

It’s a subtle portrayal of a larger-than-life supporting character, with very gloomy undertones. But, in the most Sofia fashion, she nails the period aspect from the costumes, makeup, atmosphere, vibe. Sofia always nails the mood, but sometimes fails to provide the substance audiences yearn for.

Priscilla is a more intimate, quiet glimpse into the world we knew little about, and for me, Sofia’s influence shines more in this film than in the last decade of her movies. If you enjoyed Baz Luhrman’s portrayal of the King, the glitzy and loud telling of Elvis, this may not be for you.