Priscilla

 

Priscilla is a Romance, Drama, and Biopic about the life of Priscilla and Elvis Presley from the perspective of Priscilla. Originally, I was like why are they making another movie that is so similar to the Elvis biopic that was released just last year, but honestly, I think this is such an important and interesting movie. I don’t think you can watch Elvis without watching this movie.



In contrast, Elvis feels like a much bigger budget film and it really glorifies Elvis while still touching on his faults, marriage and drug problems. I found that the Elvis movie really made Priscilla look just really happy all the time and always there to whatever he needs from her, and never doing anything for herself. At the same time, Elvis was not about her the same way Priscilla isn't about him. In Elvis, they really didn't show the full extent of the verbal and sometimes physical abuse towards Pricilla. In Priscilla, she is obviously the main character and the portrayal is so differently and so beautifully done. Cailee Spaeny does an amazing job in this role. Since I obviously loved the Elvis movie it was shocking to watch what felt like the other side of the story. It's a unique perspective on the same timeline. I woukd have liked to see more about her life after he died and what she has done since then. 



I will say I have a different view of Elvis after watching this movie, but overall between the two films the one thing I take away is that they were both so troubled and had so much pressure on them to be perfect, and he really was not perfect. I liked that they focused a lot on their time in Germany. I thought that was the most interesting part of their relationship, which was quite glossed over in the Elvis movie. This movie really highlights the stuff that she had to put up with and how she stuck with him through it all. It also shows how separate their lives really were and how alone she felt. 



I also never realized how much older he was than her and how young she was when they met (14 and 24). In Elvis, the drastic changes in her life and her appearance were depicted as all her own choices, while in this film it seems like he controlled a lot of what she did and what she wore. He completely changed her look and made her dress more adult/ aged up.



The clothing and makeup in this film is insane. The film shows Priscilla age fourteen through twenty-eight. The transformation throughout the movie is incredible. They really used her style, makeup, and hair to show time passing between the decades but also to show how she changed with him.



I see a lot of people talking about this movie and immediately comparing Jacob Elordi’s Elvis to Austin Butler’s Elvis but I really don’t think that's the point of this movie. Sure Elvis is in this movie, but it's about Priscilla and the Elvis story through her eyes. Jacob Elordi’s Elvis is much darker, more intense, and reflects a more behind-the-scenes look at Elvis with Priscilla. What he does in the privacy of his own home. Austin Butler definitly shows a glimpse of their private life, but the movie mainly focuses on his rise to fame and his downfall. They are two very different movies for being about the same time and place. 



Overall, I really loved this movie and I do recommend giving it a watch. It's a beautiful film that has a very interesting story to tell. I had a good time seeing it, I think the director Sofia Coppola did a really great job and I love that Priscilla was able to actually be a part of the process and talk about her experiences with Coppola.