Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: PRISCILLA [Red Sea International Film Festival 2023 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia]
After the context of "Elvis" from Baz Luhrmann last year, the irony of "Priscilla" coming out a year later is definitely interesting. The former was completely embraced by the Presley estate of which Priscilla is part of the proceeds. And yet this film, written and directed by Sofia Coppola, based on Priscilla's memoir, takes a completely different spin showing the oddness of Presley as well. The context that Presley himself groomed Priscilla after meeting her in Germany where he was serving (as a result of the draft) when she was in high school is of course intrinsic to the Presley mythology. "Elvis" as a movie skimmed over this a bit but didn't ignore it completely. And yet seeing the path through Cailee Spaeny's eyes as Priscilla is interesting. Having talked to Spaeny when she first started out in "Pacific Rim: Uprising", it is interesting seeing her tackle the spychology here. Priscilla and her parents knew that there was something inevitably and iniially wrong here but as a schoolgirl being pursued by the biggest heartthrob in the world likely was a singular experience. Elvis could have any girl he wanted and yet he wanted her for some specific reason which he shouldn't have.
The hang up here was something deeper and psychologically wrong with the star. The aspect of control and separation is explored in depth. Priscilla loved the attention of course but that can only go so far especially when after they married, Elvis sequestered her from ecverything else, even after the birth of Lisa Marie. Interestingly enough, you can see even after everything he did in terms of stealing her childhood in a way and then almost imprisoning her, Priscilla still loved him though she knew she had to leave him. The comcept of control especially with Colonel Tom Parker (who is a ghostly but unseen presence) looms as Spaeny as Priscilla watches Elvis talking on the phone at Graceland. Another point that is given but not explained is how everyone in the Presley household including friends, bandmates and family just let this go on and happen. Spaeny captures the innocence and the hurt despite the fact that the trajectory literally just happens to Priscilla.
There is almost nothing she could do per se when he set that gaze and intent with her considering the star he was. Jacob Elordi, also recently in the effective "Saltburn" and known initially for "Euphoria", gives Elvis an edge with a dark side and yet also embodies the swagger, emotional ping pong and eccenticities that shaped him. Coppola does some interesting things since she did not have control of the Presely catalogue for use obviously. A piano rendering in the baclground of a montage of "Love Me Tender" really makes the world work as well as the coda song of Dolly Parton's rendition of "I Will Always Love You". There is also some exceptional art design,especially in Graceland as well as Elvis and Priscilla's first trip to Vegas together. These sequences were obviously done on an independent budget for this outing but the intimacy of the story does rely on the right details. The film needs to make it feel like one is in the world, and it does accomplish that. B
By Tim Wassberg
