By Harper Hailes

The new movie Priscilla, released in theaters on October 27 and directed by Sofia Coppola, is a story that you do not want to miss. This movie is based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me about Presley’s life and experiences as the wife of one of music’s most iconic figures, and it was turned into a fantastic movie. Columnist Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post says, “Priscilla remains little more than a screen for other people’s projections — Elvis’s, Coppola’s, our own. For all its feminist pretense as a parable of empowerment, Priscilla is still caught in a trap, even when the heroine can — and does — walk out.” Starring Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley, the movie tells heart-wrenching stories about Priscilla’s childhood and relationship with Elvis. 

On Friday, November 17, my mom Catherine Hailes and I decided to go and see Priscilla in the movie theater because we are both fans of Elvis and wanted to find out more about Priscilla’s life. When we entered the theater, there was absolutely nobody there. My mom and I laughed and thought how nice this was going to be, so we got in our chairs a few minutes before the movie began and started eating our popcorn. 

We were both excited to see Elordi play Elvis and compare him to Austin Butler’s performance from the 2022 film Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann. As the opening sequence unfolds, and we first meet 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu in 1964, with “Baby, I Love You” by The Ronettes playing on the soundtrack, and my mom and I were instantly drawn in. Spaeny looked so angelic sitting on the countertop of a diner on an Air Force base in West Germany, drinking a milkshake after school. Her hair was brown and in a ponytail, she had on a sweater, her collar was folded as perfectly as can be, and she had a midi skirt on. She was dressed as a 14-year-old should dress, and it showed that at the time Priscilla was essentially a child. The scene showed her genuine self and her innocence before it was altered by Elvis. 

While she is enjoying her milkshake, she gets approached by an older lieutenant serving his time at the base, just like Priscilla’s father. He asks her if she is an Elvis Presley fan, and she of course nods her head, because what 14-year-old girl did not like Elvis at the time? 

I asked my grandmother, Virginia Evans (‘62), about Elvis and what she thought of him when she was 14, and she said, “When I was 14 years old, all my friends and I would do was listen to Elvis’s music and talk about how much we loved him.” 

Elvis then invites Priscilla to one of his parties, and somehow Priscilla convinces her parents to go. What Priscilla did not know was she was entering a completely new world. The man explained to Priscilla that he knew she was from the United States, and that Elvis supposedly loved talking to people from back home, but it still makes me question why she got asked. I think it is odd and disturbing that a girl so young was approached by a man inviting her to go to a party with a bunch of people in their twenties. At the time, Elvis was 24 and Priscilla was 14, but the ten-year age gap did not prevent them from experiencing what some might call love at first sight. 

It does not end there; she gets invited back to Elvis’s house for a second time, but this time she and Elvis can talk more, and their true relationship begins. He asks her to go to someplace quiet, and Elvis and Priscilla share their first kiss. This scene made me think back to myself as a 14-year-old, and it truly made me cringe to think about kissing someone in their twenties, but Priscilla did not seem to hesitate. 

One crucial part to the movie was the soundtrack, featuring songs chosen by Copolla from the time period. When the song “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and The Shondells played during the first kiss scene, it made it seem like the relationship was already on Elvis’s terms, and I could tell we were in for an interesting story about Priscilla’s life. 

Throughout the entire movie, my mom and I were filled with awe at how beautiful the costumes were. Everything that Priscilla wore was chosen perfectly, showing how feminine, chic, and classy she truly was. After doing some research before the film and looking at pictures of real-life Priscilla and Elvis, everything matched almost perfectly. The way Priscilla would have her hair teased so high on her head, her eyeliner so dark and thick in pictures taken by paparazzi, was almost the same in the movie. Elvis’ velvet outfits, large bootcut pants, and hair slicked back fiercely with pomade were all portrayed beautifully by the film’s costume and hair and makeup crew. 

Priscilla and Elvis at their wedding in 1967. On the left is the actual couple, and on the right are Spaeny and Elordi from the film. Image credit: Variety.

My mom said, “There have been so many movies about Elvis, and this one focused on Priscilla and how she came into her own. I loved all the costumes and how there was so much detail put into the little things.” The reality of Priscilla’s life was much more than pretty clothes and makeup. She and Elvis ended up getting married in 1967 and had one daughter together, Lisa Marie, who died in January. They were married for six years and ended up getting divorced after Priscilla was not able to have full control over her life, as shown in the film. Elvis died in 1977 but is still regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century.

I think that this movie was one of the best movies that I have seen in a very long time. One thing that stuck with me throughout the whole movie was how the lieutenant in the diner picked Priscilla—why her? Why could he have not asked another girl at the restaurant who seemed older, and more mature? The heartbreak, tears, arguments, and love all made this movie so intriguing, and it left me wanting to learn more about Priscilla’s life. The cast was perfect, and Elordi’s Elvis voice and moments of gentleness with Spaeny showed how Elvis cared about Priscilla. However, Elvis was also not scared to show his emotions and express how he felt. The frequent disagreements, controlling behavior, and supposed love affairs created by Elvis showed the toxic cycle of the relationship, and all of it was captured in a quick 110 minutes.