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Where & Where: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA. November 7, 2023 4:20 PM
Last year, Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" brought the King of Rock & Roll's story to life in a kinetic, colorfully bombastic drama which went on to earn big box-office, eight Oscar nominations and made a star out of Austin Butler who delivered a dazzling performance as Presley. Priscilla Beaulieu, Presley's wife of six years, mother of his only child and longtime love since she was a teenager, appears in "Elvis" yet their romance is regulated into a minor subplot while the film largely focuses on the fraught relationship between Presley and his controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
With "Priscilla", Sofia Coppola's captivating adaptation of Presley's 1985 memoir, "Elvis & Me", explores her version of events, capturing the loving, bewildering and highly traumatizing moments of her life involved with the "King". In 1959, a fourteen year old Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) was living with her parents (Ari Cohen, Dagmara Domińczyk) in West Germany while her father was stationed there for the US Air Force. This was when she would meet Presley (Jacob Elordi) who is also stationed in Germany while serving in the army. Forced to put his blazing hot career on hold after being drafted, the twenty-four year old musician becomes infatuated with the young girl, leaving her parents unclear (and Priscilla herself) on what Presley really wants from their daughter. After convincing them that his intentions were purely honorable, Elvis began to see Priscilla, surprisingly unchaperoned. And Presley kept his word, stealing a few kisses and putting the brakes on when it began to get too heavy, and the relationship remained chaste.
Presley is soon discharged and returns to his career, promising to keep in touch with Priscilla. They would initially exchange letters but as time went on, his correspondence would become less frequent and soon stopped altogether. It would be two years later before Presley would contact Priscilla again, requesting her parents to allow her to visit Graceland, his home in Memphis. Once again reassuring them that their teenage daughter would be in safe hands, surrounded by his family, they reluctantly agree to let Priscilla fly to Tennessee alone.
This is when Priscilla would begin to see the wild, chaotic world that Presley was living in, filled with a rowdy crew of hanger-ons along with their jaded ladies who catered to his every whim and all night parties fueled by booze and amphetamines. Quietly observing her surroundings, this young teenager is easily fascinated and impressed with Presley's lavish lifestyle. Seven years after they first met, Priscilla marries Presley in Las Vegas, with her now transformed into a feminized, mirror image of the rock-n-roller.
"Priscilla" could seem like a companion piece to Luhrmann's extravaganza yet Coppola's bio-pic is far removed from "Elvis". Modestly scaled and emotionally grounded, Coppola explores a love story that seemed to be doomed for failure from the beginning. Presley's beloved mother, Gladys who he shared an unusually close relationship, had passed away a year before meeting Priscilla. And this deep sense of loss seemed to shape his views on women: some were available strictly for carnal desires while others are supposed to be just nurturing mothers and wives. And the two did not meet. After Priscilla gave birth to their daughter, Lisa Marie, Presley would make excuses not to touch her in an intimate way, leaving her confused and frustrated.
Coppola has made her film career focusing on female protagonists, usually young women, in search of their own identity and value in society while trying to lift the heavy shadow of the baffled men in their lives. With her reflective screenplay, she manages to keep the focus on the inner turmoil that Presley struggles with despite the hovering presence of the larger-than-life singer. The visual approach is subtle as cinematographer, Philippe Le Sourd begins with a warm and dreamy atmosphere as seen through the childlike eyes of Priscilla before a dramatic shift that is brighter and more garish as she enters into the real-life of Presley's inner orbit.
Spaeny (who won the Best Actress Award for her role at the Venice Film Festival) is extraordinary as she advances from a precocious, lovestruck teen fully convinced she can handle a mature romance with one of the most popular and desirable men on the planet to a less enamored young woman no longer willing to endure his erratic behavior and endless womanizing. And as for our Elvis, the Australian Elodi offers another well-crafted version of Presley, perfectly capturing the essence of the King, right down to his distinctive mumbling, Southern drawl.
Coppola has created another fine feature film, thoughtful and poignant, yet "Priscilla" reveals something that may or may not have been intentional. Despite Presley's best efforts of wistfully presenting her story as a tragic romance, it is also a disturbing account of neglect and abuse. It's shocking that Elvis Presley was allowed, with her parents' blessing, to groom this young child into his ideal version of a woman only to essentially discard her emotionally once he had made her a mother. This only adds another more troubling layer to an already complicated history of one of the most significant cultural figures of the last century.
With "Priscilla", Sofia Coppola's captivating adaptation of Presley's 1985 memoir, "Elvis & Me", explores her version of events, capturing the loving, bewildering and highly traumatizing moments of her life involved with the "King". In 1959, a fourteen year old Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) was living with her parents (Ari Cohen, Dagmara Domińczyk) in West Germany while her father was stationed there for the US Air Force. This was when she would meet Presley (Jacob Elordi) who is also stationed in Germany while serving in the army. Forced to put his blazing hot career on hold after being drafted, the twenty-four year old musician becomes infatuated with the young girl, leaving her parents unclear (and Priscilla herself) on what Presley really wants from their daughter. After convincing them that his intentions were purely honorable, Elvis began to see Priscilla, surprisingly unchaperoned. And Presley kept his word, stealing a few kisses and putting the brakes on when it began to get too heavy, and the relationship remained chaste.
Presley is soon discharged and returns to his career, promising to keep in touch with Priscilla. They would initially exchange letters but as time went on, his correspondence would become less frequent and soon stopped altogether. It would be two years later before Presley would contact Priscilla again, requesting her parents to allow her to visit Graceland, his home in Memphis. Once again reassuring them that their teenage daughter would be in safe hands, surrounded by his family, they reluctantly agree to let Priscilla fly to Tennessee alone.
This is when Priscilla would begin to see the wild, chaotic world that Presley was living in, filled with a rowdy crew of hanger-ons along with their jaded ladies who catered to his every whim and all night parties fueled by booze and amphetamines. Quietly observing her surroundings, this young teenager is easily fascinated and impressed with Presley's lavish lifestyle. Seven years after they first met, Priscilla marries Presley in Las Vegas, with her now transformed into a feminized, mirror image of the rock-n-roller.
"Priscilla" could seem like a companion piece to Luhrmann's extravaganza yet Coppola's bio-pic is far removed from "Elvis". Modestly scaled and emotionally grounded, Coppola explores a love story that seemed to be doomed for failure from the beginning. Presley's beloved mother, Gladys who he shared an unusually close relationship, had passed away a year before meeting Priscilla. And this deep sense of loss seemed to shape his views on women: some were available strictly for carnal desires while others are supposed to be just nurturing mothers and wives. And the two did not meet. After Priscilla gave birth to their daughter, Lisa Marie, Presley would make excuses not to touch her in an intimate way, leaving her confused and frustrated.
Coppola has made her film career focusing on female protagonists, usually young women, in search of their own identity and value in society while trying to lift the heavy shadow of the baffled men in their lives. With her reflective screenplay, she manages to keep the focus on the inner turmoil that Presley struggles with despite the hovering presence of the larger-than-life singer. The visual approach is subtle as cinematographer, Philippe Le Sourd begins with a warm and dreamy atmosphere as seen through the childlike eyes of Priscilla before a dramatic shift that is brighter and more garish as she enters into the real-life of Presley's inner orbit.
Spaeny (who won the Best Actress Award for her role at the Venice Film Festival) is extraordinary as she advances from a precocious, lovestruck teen fully convinced she can handle a mature romance with one of the most popular and desirable men on the planet to a less enamored young woman no longer willing to endure his erratic behavior and endless womanizing. And as for our Elvis, the Australian Elodi offers another well-crafted version of Presley, perfectly capturing the essence of the King, right down to his distinctive mumbling, Southern drawl.
Coppola has created another fine feature film, thoughtful and poignant, yet "Priscilla" reveals something that may or may not have been intentional. Despite Presley's best efforts of wistfully presenting her story as a tragic romance, it is also a disturbing account of neglect and abuse. It's shocking that Elvis Presley was allowed, with her parents' blessing, to groom this young child into his ideal version of a woman only to essentially discard her emotionally once he had made her a mother. This only adds another more troubling layer to an already complicated history of one of the most significant cultural figures of the last century.
