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| Images courtesy of A24 |
Priscilla Presley’s controversial 1985 memoir Elvis and
Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N’
Roll became one of the defining textbooks on the history of being married
to Elvis Presley. Though there have been
numerous Elvis biopics in the past including Elvis by John Carpenter
with Kurt Russell in the role as well as a 1988 two-part ABC miniseries
adaptation of Elvis and Me directed by Larry Peerce starring Susan
Walters as the titular Priscilla Presley.
With Baz Luhrmann’s recent gargantuan hyperkinetic Elvis biopic
with Austin Butler, it was only a matter of time before the powers that be
reignited interest in all things Elvis related, leading to a more formal
big-screen adaptation of Elvis and Me filtered through the prism of
female writer-director Sofia Coppola’s own feminine brand of epicurean hedonism
with the Cailee Spaeny starring Priscilla now in theatrical release from
A24.
While clearly a biopic chronicling Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny
in a Volpi Cup winner for Best Actress) and the complex, tumultuous and often
solitary coexistence with her husband, rock legend Elvis Presley (Jacob
Elordi), make no mistake this is writer-director Sofia Coppola’s film chronicling
the isolation, fast lane rock star lifestyle and stages of womanhood ala The
Virgin Suicides or Marie Antoinette replete with anachronistic uses
of modern electro music and elliptical, understated editing. Though Elvis sings sometimes at group gatherings
or on stage, the film avoids using his music or commenting on his stage
presence. Rather it perceives everything
through the limitations of Priscilla’s sheltered perspective who gradually
begins to fight for her own identity and understanding of the gravity of the
situation she is in.
The polar opposite film of Baz Luhrmann’s flashy, kaleidoscopic
vision, opting instead for modest soft quiet occasionally punctuated by Elvis
singing or Priscilla raising her voice to her husband, Priscilla is
notable for having a more reserved but no less visual aesthete lensed beautifully
by recurring Coppola collaborator Philippe Le Sourd of The Beguiled and On
the Rocks. The subtle electronic
score by Phoenix and Sons of Raphael is understated and even when things do get
noisy the volume levels remain conspicuously low.
The reason to see the film more than anything
is for Cailee Spaeny’s breakout performance as Priscilla Presley who conveys
onscreen her mixed feelings that percolate over the course of the movie. Soft natured with a sense of longing about
her face as she is dragged from one social excursion to the next, booked on
overnight flights in and out of the state who only becomes irate when the
affairs start happening, Spaeny’s performance is sure to garner an Oscar
nomination at the height of Awards season. Also strong in an understated performance is Jacob Elordi who doesn't quite look like Elvis but sounds a lot like him from the way he speaks to the occasional times he sings.
Both a companion piece and antidote of sorts to Luhrmann’s Elvis
and a continuation of the themes of female longing and oppression generated
by Sofia Coppola’s ever-expanding oeuvre, Priscilla while functioning as
a historical drama is something of a mood piece. The attention to details while important over
time become secondary to the overall tone and feeling Coppola is trying to
convey through her protagonist. Spaeny’s
performance is great and Coppola’s choice to get involved in historical drama
again offers a healthy alternative to the excesses of the Luhrmann effort in
favor of something a bit quieter with more room to reflect on the lives being
lived. Not the definitive word on Elvis
Presley but for Priscilla herself, it winds up being something of a
catharsis.
--Andrew Kotwicki
