Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” has the benefit of not focusing on the fame surrounding Elvis Presley, meaning it can tell a more personal story. Adapted from Priscilla Presley’s memoir, the film centers around the character’s isolation and loneliness during the relationship. Because it largely takes place behind closed doors, “Priscilla” depicts Elvis in a different light. Instead of Baz Luhrmann’s take, which glosses over Priscilla’s age, Coppola’s version shows the good with the bad.
“I definitely wanted to have all the fun and excitement and glamor that [Priscilla] experienced, and also the hard part of a complex relationship in being with an artist that was struggling,” Coppola noted in an Entertainment Weekly roundtable. The content includes Elvis throwing a chair that almost hits Priscilla and molding her style to better fit his tastes. While many fans may balk at how the couple is represented, the film’s goal is to be an honest portrayal.
Jacob Elordi, who plays Elvis in the film, also acknowledged in the video that the most important aspect was not just to show the infamously toxic relationship but to depict the complexities of the two characters, both good and bad. “Priscilla” is in a sense a character study wrapped up in a marriage drama, making the film arguably the most careful and best representation of the couple’s life together.
