Sofia Coppola falls in love with Elvis Presley’s wife in captivating biopic

The director’s new film reflects her exceptional talent as a director, in a fruitful collaboration with Priscilla Presley.

Sofia Coppola’s ninth feature film since Virgin Suicide in 1999, Priscilla, which comes out Wednesday January 3, has everything from the director. In its subject – the story of Elvis Presley’s only wife – and in its form, it is extremely feminine in its precision and delicacy. The actress Cailee Spaeny who plays her won the Best Actress Award at the last Venice Film Festival, recognition for a remarkable performance. Moreover, Priscilla reveals the perfect counterpart toElvis by Baz Luhrmann released last year.

Collaboration

Priscillia Beaulieu, an American living with her parents in Berlin, was 14 years old when she met Elvis Presley who was doing his military service in Germany. It’s the start of a crazy love story between the world star and a teenager ten years his junior. After their hidden affair, then their iconic marriage, the pressure Elvis exerts on Priscillia will push her to become independent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTX80uHrYLA

After her offbeat biopic of Marie-Antoinette, Sofia Coppola tackles a large piece of American mythology with Priscilla Presley. Realistic and aesthetic, Priscilla captivates with its story and its visual beauty, enhanced by an unexpected soundtrack which underlines its modernity. The director worked closely with her model, adapting her 1985 biography Elvis and me (Ed. I read). She is also “delegate producer” on the film, synonymous with a right of inspection.

Post-#MeToo

Can we deduce from this that Sofia Coppola is signing a watered-down biopic, as was criticized in Bohemian Rhapsody on Freddie Mercury? Probably not, since Priscilla is an adaptation, written and directed by the filmmaker, and that everything in the film can be verified in the book. In these post-#MeToo times, the work takes on a new dimension, Elvis having had the unfortunate tendency to “objectify” his partner and cheat on her during his long absences.

The meeting, the discovery of sexuality, the media influence, the pressure on Elvis which passes on to his wife, are filmed with extreme sensitivity. Beneath it, the violence of feelings smolders. Beyond the film’s fidelity to the true story, Sofia Coppola films it with a virtuosity that surprises in every shot. If the talented relationship with her father is acquired, just like her independence, we feel the director’s touch like never before in this Priscilla exciting.

The sheet

Gender : Romantic drama/biopic
Director : Sofia Coppolla
Actors: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Dominczyk
Country : UNITED STATES
Duration : 1h53
Exit : December 3, 2024
Distributer : ARP Selection