The king is dead; long live Sophia Coppola’s Priscilla teaser
Free of Elvis songs or thousands upon thousands of cuts, A24's Priscilla teaser primes us for a different kind of Presley biopic
Aux News Priscilla
Elvis may have left the building, but his widow Priscilla is headed to theaters. Priscilla, the new film from Sophia Coppola, promises to take audiences on another spin through the Elvisverse. However, in the new teaser for the movie from A24, Coppola’s version of rock ’n’ roll royalty ain’t Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-nominated kaleidoscopic melodrama, Elvis.
As the title suggests, this is not a superhero origin story of famed microphone swallower Elvis Presley, but rather his young bride, Priscilla. Also absent, unfortunately, was the Kentucky Fried Dutchman Colonel Tom Parker and any Elvis songs. Instead, A24 sets the spot to the propulsive Spectrum song “How You Satisfy Me,” giving the period peace a distinctly modern edge.
Though Luhrmann’s influence can be felt in Coppola’s other biopic Marie Antoinette, Priscilla offers a much less abrasive version of things. Here, it’s all ‘Cilla, all the time. The movie follows Priscilla (played by Caliee Spaeny) as she moves from high schooler to Graceland resident to America’s most beloved widow. Meeting Elvis (Jacob Elordi) at a party when he was already The King™, the teen girl becomes the star’s closest confidant as he goes off, cheats on her, and does everything depicted in Elvis. Opening on Priscilla’s impeccable makeup routine, the teaser does a chronological speedrun through her life, including many literal doors opened by Presley, from her teenage years to the birth of their child, Lisa Marie. However, we all know how this story is going to end.
The film is an adaptation of Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon’s 1985 best-selling memoir Elvis And Me, which was made into a TV movie starring Susan Walters and Dale Midkiff in 1988. The book also inspired the Depeche Mode hit “Personal Jesus.”
“It’s about how Elvis was her man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships,” Depeche Mode songwriter Martin Gore told Rolling Stone. “How everybody’s heart is like a god in some way, and that’s not a very balanced view of someone, is it?”
Priscilla has no release date but is “coming soon.”
25 Comments
I would prefer a biopic of Technotronic and the creation of the #1 techno hit “Pump Up the Jam.”
Insert Diane Morgan face here.
Oh fuck your both. I just got this. Days! It took me days! LOL
I’d prefer a biopic of Was (Not Was) and the creation of Walk The Dinosaur.
I thought for sure that was Kacey Musgraves in the header until I read the article.Cailee Spaeny was fantastic as Lyndon in Devs. I feel like I’m seeing her name attached to a lot of projects lately, so good for her.
You got this rather famous director’s name wrong in the headline. It’s SOFIA.I don’t really care for more stuff about the Presleys but I’ll give any Sofia Coppola movie a chance. I’ve liked every film of hers except her last one, On the Rocks.
Great, another reboot.
…is like a day without sunshine!
She’s so new to the biz that it’s understandable that people misspell Sofia Coppola.
It’s referred to as the Sofia/Sophia’s Choice.
It’s actually Taster’s Choice.
She used to be known as Serdica.
No no that’s the sparkling wine. Wait a minute…
The book it’s based on is really awful.
I assume it actually reads like this old Bloom County strip:
Nice beaver!
To this day, I can’t believe they put that gag in the trailers.
She was not his widow.
Yep. They’d divorced. Also, I keep forgetting that she’s still alive. Elvis is dead and Lisa Marie is dead but she marches on. Watch your back Riley. She might be a witch.(Seriously though, Priscilla fighting for her daughter saved Elvis’ estate from going bankrupt thanks to fucking Tom Parker, the con artist.)
“Speany”
I actually like Elvis’ music, but with so many of the original blues artists having actual awesome stories can we stop with Elvis movies already?
Just finished rewatching Coppela’s films with a friend who hadn’t seen any. She has a great filmography. i noticed that her films alternate between being period pieces and modern-setting films, e.g. The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, Somewhere (FYI: Somewhere was a great film on rewatch. found it too arty on initial watch)Also, there are several recurring themes that can be observed throughout her body of work.Isolation and Loneliness: Coppola often portrays characters who are isolated or lonely, highlighting their struggle to connect with others in a meaningful way. This theme can be seen in films such as “Lost in Translation” and “Somewhere.”Identity and Coming of Age: Many of Coppola’s films focus on characters who are searching for their identity or undergoing a coming-of-age journey. This theme is evident in movies like “The Virgin Suicides” and “Marie Antoinette.”Femininity and Gender Roles: Coppola often explores the complexities of femininity and challenges traditional gender roles in her films. She delves into the experiences of women and their place in society, as seen in “The Beguiled” and “The Bling Ring.”Celebrity Culture and Materialism: Critiquing the shallowness of celebrity culture and materialistic lifestyles is another recurring theme in Coppola’s work. Films like “Marie Antoinette” and “The Bling Ring” explore the allure and emptiness of excess and fame.based on the teaser, Priscilla seems to be a suitable entry into Coppola’s work.
You forget:5. Ruining the pacing the of Apocalypse Now.
You also misspelled Cailee Spaeny. C’mon dude.