Dreamily gazing at the album covers of was not, statistically speaking, a rare habit among American teen girls in the late 1950s and early 鈥�60s.
But for teenage fantasy became a strange and surreal reality. Sofia Coppola鈥檚 starring captures all the dreaminess, the absurdity and, finally, the nightmare of falling in love with Elvis.
Priscilla was just 14 years-old 鈥� a 9th grader 鈥� when she first met him. It was 1959. She was living in West Germany, where her Air Force officer stepfather was stationed. The swoony early scenes of Coppola鈥檚 film find a solitary Priscilla sipping soda in a Navy base diner while a cover of Frankie Avalon鈥檚 鈥淰enus鈥� (鈥淰enus, make her fair / A lovely girl with sunlight in her hair鈥�) plays around her.
A man approaches and asks if she likes Elvis. Of course she does. Would she like to meet him? Um, what? After some negotiations with her parents, Priscilla is sitting there on the sofa at a small party when the King of Rock 鈥榥鈥� Roll, himself (Jacob Elordi), strolls down the stairs. Big, big sigh.
Coppola, the writer-director of 鈥淭he Virgin Suicides,鈥� 鈥淟ost in Translation鈥� and 鈥淪omewhere,鈥� has always been innately attuned to the forming identities, swelling desires and intimate revelations of young women. In the story of Priscilla Presley (the film is based on her 1985 memoir, ), Coppola has found a tale tailor-made for her delicately perceptive style of filmmaking.
As a movie, 鈥淧riscilla鈥� is the diametric opposite of Where was lurid and careening, Coppola鈥檚 is muted and textured. Her film is a kind of fairy tale that turns claustrophobic and cautionary.
鈥淧riscilla鈥� is, at least at first, quite funny. After Priscilla initially catches Elvis鈥� eye at that party, she鈥檚 back at school learning about the food groups. How could anyone possibly stomach that? Or when, after Elvis hasn鈥檛 called following his stint in the military, Priscilla鈥檚 mother asks her if there aren鈥檛 any boys in school she might be interested in, instead. Priscilla doesn鈥檛 need to say anything; just the image of lining up your average 9th grade boy against Elvis Presley is enough.
Yet their courtship continues in somewhat traditional fashion. Elvis, played with relaxed magnetism by Elordi (鈥淭he Kissing Booth,鈥� 鈥淪altburn鈥�), is drawn to Priscilla because she reminds him of home; it鈥檚 clear her purity is part of her appeal to him. It鈥檚 a long time before they have sex, though her youth remains tacitly problematic. 鈥淲ow, she鈥檚 young,鈥� says one woman watching Elvis lead Priscilla upstairs. 鈥淟ike a little girl.鈥�
Their life together is initially sweet if deranged. Priscilla drifts through a dream world even if Elvis鈥� extremes are glaring to us. His bedroom in Graceland is comically gaudy. 鈥淚 got this for you,鈥� we hear Elvis say kindly, before a handgun is handed over.
No Presley songs play in 鈥淧riscilla.鈥� (While Priscilla Presley is an executive producer, the Elvis estate didn鈥檛 participate in the film.) But it does share a telling track ( ) with Terence Malick鈥檚 鈥淏adlands,鈥� another movie about an underage teen girl (Sissy Spacek) who throws her life in with a charismatic drifter with matinee-idol looks (Martin Sheen).
And like they do for Holly in 鈥淏adlands,鈥� things turn increasingly dark for Priscilla. Elvis treats her like a doll he keeps at home while he goes in and out. 鈥淚t鈥檚 either me or a career, baby,鈥� he tells her. Coppola, who dedicates the movie to her mother, Eleanor Coppola, has long specialized in gilded cages (鈥淢arie Antoinette,鈥� 鈥淭he Bling Ring鈥�). Graceland turns out to be a prison to Priscilla.
There aren鈥檛 many false notes in Coppola鈥檚 richly layered film, handsomely shot by Philippe Le Sourd, with sumptuous production design from Tamara Deverell and fine, toned-down costumes by Stacey Battat.
But 鈥淧riscilla鈥� fades where 鈥淓lvis鈥� found its footing. When Presley鈥檚 downturn accelerates in Las Vegas, Luhrmann鈥檚 movie swelled with tragedy. In the same time period here, Priscilla awakens. Yet it feels underdeveloped, coming too quickly, in a sudden rush 鈥� albeit a terrific rush, with Dolly Parton playing.
A constant throughout, though, is Spaeny. This is a deft breakthrough performance perfectly poised between youthful fantasy and adult reality.
鈥淧谤颈蝉肠颈濒濒补,鈥� an A24 release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for drug use and some language. Running time: 113 minutes. Three stars out of four.
___
This review has been updated to remove a reference to the band Phoenix covering the Frankie Avalon song 鈥淰enus.鈥� Phoenix served as musical supervisors on the film but the cover is performed by by Sons of Raphael.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
