Without even knowing it, Priscilla became my most anticipated movie of the year. The film is an adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s memoir, Elvis and Me, in which Presley tells her story of how her relationship with “the King of Rock n’ Roll” came to be. Director Sofia Coppola’s female-centered filmography makes her undeniably qualified to tackle the infamous and intricate life of Presley.
I went into this movie not knowing anything about the Presley couple besides the surface-level facts. I left the theater with a completely different view of both figures. Here are a few aspects of the movie that made it so great.
THE ACTING
Cailee Spaeny, the actress who plays Priscilla, did a phenomenal job. Even though Presley is this notorious figure, Spaeny humanizes her and makes her feel relatable. I loved the lack of dialogue during certain scenes as it allowed Spaeny’s expressions to masterfully show what was going through Presley’s head, something that book-to-movie adaptations have a difficult time achieving. Jacob Elordi as Elvis just makes sense. The actor stands at six foot five but his charisma is what makes him embody the singer. I have to admit, if the real-life Elvis was anything like Elordi’s portrayal then I completely get the people’s obsession with him. When it came to the iconic Elvis voice, Coppola revealed in a video with Vanity Fair that Preseley herself thought Elordi’s rendition was quite similar to the real thing.
THE SET DESIGN
There are so many little details in this movie that truly shows how much work the production designers put into it. My favorite of the bunch is having Elordi’s face on movie posters and magazines tucked in the background. Since no filming took place on the actual property of Preseley’s Memphis home, Graceland, the production design team got creative in what they wanted the home’s interior to look like. The singer’s bedroom has a dark and glamorous feel that production designer, Tamara Deverell, strived to attain to showcase how out of place the young Presley must have felt. Despite the creative liberty, Deverell stayed authentic to the exterior of the iconic Graceland by adding stone pillars to the outside of a Toronto home.
THE COSTUMING
The clothing and makeup of this film are extremely important elements that help the audience see where we are in Presley’s story. Spaeny begins the film with light brown hair, little to no makeup, and girlish dresses appropriate for a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl. Her transformation into the Presley we know today happens when Elordi tells Spaeny that black hair and eyeliner would suit her look much better, along with more extravagant dresses. The similarities between Spaeny and Presley became so uncanny that I had to remind myself that it was Spaeny who was on screen. Once Spaeny loses the voluminous black hair and striking eye makeup, we see that she has grown up and out of her husband’s elusive lifestyle by going back to light brown hair and letting it casually drape past her shoulders. Even her wardrobe drastically changes as she ditches the 60’s mod-style dresses and instead opts for bell bottoms.
Ever since watching this film, it has consumed my life. It is undoubtedly well-made for a 30-day production shoot. I was never an Elvis fan and I probably never will be. What I am is a Coppola fan. She continues to amaze me with each new release and this is a movie I see myself watching over and over again.