‘Priscilla’ movie review

American teenage girls daydreamed about Elvis Presley.  Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’ tells how one teenager’s fantasy became a surreal reality.  Cailee Spaeny captures the dreaminess of Priscilla Beaulieu.  It turned out not to be a fairytale romance.  It was a troubled marriage. This is a slow-burn film.  Coppola’s technical style perfectly captures the feel of the 1960s.   It is based on Priscilla’s 1985 memoir, “Elvis and Me.”  If you’re expecting Elvis to gyrate his hips to his songs, that’s not the story here.  It is a story tailor-made for Coppola.  She excels at telling stories about women growing up in the orbit of powerful men.  Spaeny’s performance makes ‘Priscilla’ worth your time.

We see a young 14-year-old (9^th grader) Priscilla (Spaeny) studying and sipping on a soda at the local diner on an airbase in West Germany.  On the jukebox is playing Frankie Avalon’s “Venus.”  Coppola is meticulous in detail as the audience is given a nostalgic ride back in time.  When an Army entertainment booker sees Priscilla, he invites her to a party at Elvis’ house.  After getting permission from her father, she’s sitting on Elvis’ couch.  She immediately catches his eye and there is an immediate attraction between them.  They are both homesick and lonely for the States. Elvis was 24 years old when they first met.

They begin dating and stay in touch with each other when Elvis goes back to the States.  The long-distance relationship is hard for her especially when she sees Elvis romantically involved with his female co-stars.  Eventually, Priscilla moves to Graceland to finish high school.  The scenes of her walking the hallways are scandalous to the other students.  Priscilla and Elvis eventually marry in 1967 and have a baby, Lisa Marie.  They eventually divorce in 1973.  This is where the film shows us how isolated Priscilla was at the mansion.  Elvis controlled everything in her life.  He chose the darker hair style.  He only wanted her to wear solid dress colors.  She could not have her friends over the mansion.  That was forbidden.  She was treated like a porcelain doll.  Her role was to wait for Elvis to come back home from a movie shoot or concert tour.  He always had his entourage there so their private time was limited.

I like how Coppola does not focus too much on Elvis’ decline.  Yes, it shows the uppers and sleeping pills on his night stand.  Yes, it is obvious he cheated on her.  Priscilla has respect for the pop icon.  She shows how difficult it was to have a relationship with one of the most famous singers in history.  In a sense, Elvis was a victim of his own fame and so was Priscilla.  Sure, she had nice clothes, fancy cars and jewelry.  The only thing she couldn’t completely have was Elvis.  Spaney’s performance shows how she grows into her own person.  She creates her own life from Elvis.  It’s a fascinating character study of a woman that makes concessions to stay with Elvis until she realizes she needs to regain control of her life.

Coppola’s film is skillfully restrained.  It is the rise and fall of Priscilla and Elvis’ relationship.  It is told like a dream, a fairytale that slowly turns into a claustrophobic nightmare.  ‘Priscilla’ is anchored by an exquisite performance by Cailee Spaeny.  This film should catapult her career.  I would like to see this actress in other projects.