Picture this: you’re a young American girl in the 1960s, and life is perfect. You spend your time in lavish locations with one of the biggest stars on Earth, and since money is buying happiness, surely everything is perfect. What could ever go wrong when life looks like this? Well, in the case of Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” the lives of the rich and famous are not as picture-perfect as they may seem.
Despite constant comparisons, anger from relatives, and harsh reviews from film critics, “Priscilla” was able to find its footing in the theaters comfortably. The intrigue of this biopic differed depending on who was asked. Some were truly interested in seeing Priscilla Presley’s perspective while others wanted to determine the winner of the ongoing “Elvis Showdown” between Austin Butler and Jacob Elordi. As the fair and respectable film critics we are, we wanted to assess the film for its most important characteristics: cinematography, acting quality, and entertainment factor.
It is safe to say that director Sofia Coppola was the perfect pick to create this film. Although no strangers to Hollywood’s successful directors, we were pleasantly surprised to encounter such a human retelling from Coppola. Her style shows Priscilla’s world as being quite euphoric when the good times roll, using joyful music and explosive colors to depict this perfectly. As the story starts to spiral into relationship strife between Elvis and Priscilla, Coppola chooses to have sharp cuts after more somber scenes. The joyful music contrasted with the sharp and serious cuts mirror the idea that she simply wanted to cherish the good moments rather than dwell on the bad ones. The cinematic decisions made by Coppola largely reflect Priscilla Presley’s emotional turmoil within her marriage, which gave viewers an unseen perspective that we enjoyed thoroughly.
In addition to Coppola’s excellent guidance, the choice of actors for “Priscilla” heavily contributed to the experience. Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi, who played Priscilla and Elvis Presley respectively, both found strong voices in their roles in the film. We enjoyed the fact that neither actor’s skills overpowered the other, and the sheer talent exuded by either Spaeny or Elordi was enough to keep us interested for the full two hours. As we are respectable film critics and all, we cannot comment on the true winner of the “Elvis Showdown,” but our interests were particularly piqued by Elordi. His approach to the role of “The King” was much more subdued which allowed for Spaeny to take center stage in her fantastic portrayal of Priscilla. Although we loved the drama brought on by Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis, Elordi truly contributed to the magic of the film and allowed Spaeny to shine.
On top of the graceful balance between either actor, we would like to officially declare that the watching experience was akin to watching a documentary of the couple. With Elordi adopting the signature low Elvis voice and the smirk that swept the nation’s heart, he captured the essence of The King of Rock and Roll. Spaeny matched his success and imitated the makeup of Priscilla Presley to a T. The incredibly accurate recreation is a result of Coppola and the contributing artists behind the scenes.
Priscilla has proven itself as a cinematic gem that dazzles as it follows the lives of Elvis and Priscilla Presley and the ups and downs of their time together. From a German army base to Graceland, the film captivated us with its celebration of individuality and the transformative power of self-discovery. Sofia Coppola managed to craft a cinematic journey that follows the audience long after the credits rolled.
