Daughter of perhaps one of the most acclaimed directors of all time, Sofia Coppola’s journey into the industry has been somewhat easier than most. However, despite the numerous generations of Coppolas credited as producers on her films, she’s always had the talent and vision to substantiate her widespread recognition and critical acclaim. Tapping into some of the most intimate and innate feelings and experiences of girlhood, her films have often provided insight into life in ways other film makers fail to do. It’s this characteristic intimacy, however, that her latest film “Priscilla” seems to be missing. The film paints a rather objective portrait of Priscilla Presley’s marriage to Elvis, void of any real connection or feeling, that’s dressed up in trademark Coppola visuals and presented as personal and tender insight into “the woman outside of the man”.
At the centre of “Priscilla” lies a rather flawed script, that Coppola adapted from Priscilla Presley’ memoir “Elvis and Me”. Given the title, it’s easy to see how in its adaptation the script fell into the trap of Elvis as a character and the temptation to place him on par with Priscilla herself. But the script only loosely held onto the grounds on which to call itself a “Priscilla biopic”, with Jacob Elordi’s Elvis appearing in almost every scene with his absence from the rest marked by Priscilla’s girlish longing for him. And, whilst many would argue that to be the point in a film depicting a young girl of 14 out of her depth and in love, the result is a complete lack of understanding of Priscilla as a person. The audience are never left alone with her, other than in the capacity of recognising her inner turmoil over Elvis and by the end of the film’s hour and fifty minutes the audience don’t feel any closer to her than we did to begin with. In fact, the audience only learn of her decision to leave Elvis when he himself does- the effect of which results in us feeling more aligned with him than with our central character.
The script wasn’t completely devoid of merit, with some incredibly feeling dialogue underpinning the film’s most crucial moments. But tender and emotive dialogue isn’t unexpected of Coppola- seen in the likes of “Lost in Translation” is an ability to communicate incredibly personal feelings and capture very specific conversations in way that’s true to life. And yet, some of the dialogue in “Priscilla” felt disjunct and static in a way that gave Elordi and Cailee Spaeny little to work with. In spite of this, the two managed to turn out decent performances - with Elordi successfully avoiding the temptation of turning the role into an impression and Spaeny convincingly portraying a young girl experiencing first love. Though, much like everything else with the film, neither particularly stood out or remained in the memory.
What does stick in your memory however- if not with a bad taste in the mouth- is the films ending. Rushed, abrupt and seemingly at odds with the film’s whole intention, the conclusion Coppola writes for “Priscilla” is reductive and diminishing. Priscilla, now 28, is shrunk back to a girl of 14 as she drives away from Graceland and her marriage to the king accompanied by Dolly Parton’s “I will always love you”, before the credits roll. The ending comes following the rushed final quarter of the film- an apparent testament to the poor management of the material and a struggle with the pacing of the narrative. Coppola’s 2006 film “Marie Antoinette” sees her successfully condense the reign of the infamous French monarch into a two-hour script; “Priscilla” sees her fail to do so with the couple’s 9-year relationship.
“Priscilla” falls short in practically every way possible, except visually- delivering stunning, stylish visuals that can always be expected from Coppola. But aside from its cinematography, the films struggles to liberate Priscilla from the abusive marriage and provides little insight into the “woman outside of the man”. And although the film’s tag line claims Priscilla Presley was “destined for more”, the film fails entirely in enabling her to do so.