Priscilla (film)
Priscilla is a 2023 American biographical drama film written, directed, and produced by Sofia Coppola, based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley (who serves as an executive producer) and Sandra Harmon. It follows the life of Priscilla (played by Cailee Spaeny) and her complicated romantic relationship with Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi).
Priscilla
Sofia Coppola
- Sofia Coppola
- Youree Henley
- Lorenzo Mieli
- Phoenix (score)
- Sons of Raphael (original music)
- September 4, 2023 (Venice)
- October 27, 2023 (United States)
114 minutes[1]
United States
English
$20 million[2]
Priscilla premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, 2023, and was released in the United States by A24 in select theaters on October 27, 2023, before expanding wide on November 3.[5] It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed over $32 million worldwide. For her performance, Spaeny received a Best Actress nomination at the Golden Globe Awards.
Plot[edit]
Two months before renowned 24-year old singer Elvis Presley leaves Germany in March 1960, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu is residing with her family in Bad Nauheim, West Germany, where her father is stationed in the U.S. Military. At a party on the base, Priscilla meets Elvis, who had been drafted into the US Army in 1958, at the peak of his fame. Elvis takes an immediate interest in Priscilla, and the two begin casually dating despite her parents' concern over their age difference and Elvis's celebrity status. Elvis eventually returns to the United States after his service and loses contact with Priscilla, leaving her crestfallen.
In June 1962, Elvis reconnects with Priscilla, inviting her to visit him in Memphis for a vacation. He then takes her to Las Vegas, but not before leaving behind pre-written postcards to her parents that are to be mailed by his assistant. They enjoy Vegas and she returns to Germany. In 1963, proclaiming his love for her, he asks her parents if she can come live with his dad, Vernon, and his wife, Dee, and attend a private girls' Catholic school in Memphis. Her parents agree and Priscilla moves to the United States to finish her senior year of high school.
While her time spent with Elvis at Graceland is pleasant, Priscilla is lonely while Elvis is away filming in Los Angeles, but is friendly with his paternal grandmother, Dodger, and house staff. After graduating from high school, she visits Elvis in Los Angeles, and he suggests she get caps on her teeth and dye her hair black. Priscilla is not pleased with the highly publicized rumors of Elvis' alleged infidelities with his co-star Ann-Margret. Elvis assures her that the rumors are not true and it's only publicity for the movie, Viva Las Vegas. She lives with Elvis at Graceland from 1963 until he proposes in 1966. Priscilla witnesses bouts of Elvis' explosive temper, followed by remorse and excuses. Over the years, Priscilla tries to entice Elvis to make love to her, but he states she is too young, eventually conceding to “do other things” sexually.
In May 1967, the two marry in Las Vegas then have a family wedding celebration in Memphis. The happiness they share appears very pronounced and authentic, though Elvis' pals, known as the Memphis Mafia, are always around, which stresses the couple's relationship. Priscilla becomes pregnant shortly after the wedding, delighting Elvis, though Priscilla is concerned how soon they will become parents and asks Elvis about their plans for just the two of them to travel, which he says they can do later. Elvis's ongoing prescription drug abuse, his physical absence and frequent affairs further causes strain on their marriage.
During Priscilla’s pregnancy, Elvis unexpectedly suggests they momentarily separate and Priscilla replies indifferently, which Elvis does not expect. As she walks away, acting unaffected, Elvis quickly runs after her apologetically. In February 1968, Priscilla gives birth to their daughter, Lisa Marie, as Elvis is preparing for his NBC 1968 comeback special, broadcast on TV to millions. Priscilla struggles to navigate the relationship as Elvis grows increasingly distant and the two eventually begin leading separate lives.
While visiting Elvis in his hotel room after a performance in 1973, Priscilla finds that Elvis is being sexually aggressive toward her. She later informs him that she is filing for divorce. He asks if she is leaving him for another man, and Priscilla tells him she is leaving to live an independent life. After making a visit to Graceland and saying goodbye to Elvis's housekeepers and grandmother, Priscilla drives away, as a number of Elvis's fans loiter outside the property gates.
Production[edit]
Development and casting[edit]
On September 12, 2022, it was announced Sofia Coppola would direct an adaptation of Priscilla Presley's memoir Elvis and Me, starring Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley and Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley.[7] When asked what made her want to adapt Priscilla's memoir for her next feature film, Coppola responded in an interview, "I've had her memoir for years and remember reading it a long time ago. A friend of mine was talking about her recently, and we got around to discussing the book. I read it again and was really moved by her story. I was supposed to start this big Edith Wharton project that was gonna take five months to shoot and felt really daunting. I came up against a few hurdles, so I just decided to pivot to making one film with one idea. I was just so interested in Priscilla's story and her perspective on what it all felt like to grow up as a teenager in Graceland. She was going through all the stages of young womanhood in such an amplified world—kinda similar to Marie Antoinette."[8][9]
When asked what made Cailee Spaeny the right choice to play Priscilla, Coppola stated, "The character goes from the age of 15 to 27 over the course of the film, so she had to be able to act and age across a big span of time. It was really important for me to have the same actress playing Priscilla at those different stages of her life, and I think Cailee can pull it off. She's such a strong actress, and she also looks very young."[8] Of Jacob Elordi's casting as Elvis, Coppola stated, "I thought nobody was gonna look quite like Elvis, but Jacob has that same type of magnetism. He's so charismatic, and girls go crazy around him, so I knew he could pull off playing this type of romantic icon. But we're talking before we've even started filming, so I can't get too deep into it."[8][10]
Coppola revealed in an interview that Priscilla Presley is an executive producer of Priscilla.[8]
In emails which were exchanged with Coppola on September 2, 2022, and which were later obtained by Variety, Lisa Marie Presley, who died in January 2023, criticized how the film's script portrayed her father, stating in one message that "My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative. As his daughter, I don't read this and see any of my father in this character. I don't read this and see my mother's perspective of my father. I read this and see your shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective and I don't understand why?"[11][12]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The film made $132,149 from four theaters in its opening weekend, an average of $33,034 per venue.[27] Expanding to 1,344 theaters in its second weekend, the film made $5.1 million, finishing in fourth.[28] It then made $4.8 million from 2,361 theaters in its third weekend.[29] It made $2.3 million in its fourth weekend, becoming Coppola's second-highest film domestically in the process with $16.9 million.[30] The film grossed $21 million in the United States on a budget lower than $20 million.[31]
During its first weekend in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film finished in sixth place.[32] The film grossed £1.4 million during its first full week in theaters, including £643,800 over the weekend.[32]