‘Priscilla’: The Untold Truths of Elvis Presley

Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’ took the world by storm in October 2023 with main stars Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny. A young Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party in Germany and falls in love, a long, painful, and  desiring love arrises throughout Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship.

This movie spoke to me in a way no movie has before. Compared to the 2022 film ‘Elvis’, ‘Priscilla’ is a realistic, not as flashy, and accurate description of a life outside of the flashy fame. The movie is based off of Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir ‘Elvis and Me’. Priscilla then continues to describe her rather introverted life as the girlfriend, wife, and mother of a booming superstar.

I believe this movie struck a nerve across women nationwide because of the yearning that Priscilla did while Elvis was away on tour, doing films, etc. Keep in mind, Priscilla was a young girl at the time she met Elvis (14 years old) and this took a toll on her mentally. You see this theme of silence throughout the film, deafening silence where Priscilla is alone that depicts the idea that her identity, her worth, and her happiness was only to be validated by Elvis in the few moments he gave her attention throughout their relationship. In the moments Elvis was around Priscilla, he would take her out, provide for her, treat her to nice things, etc. The movie is very up and down in the sense that Priscilla would wait months for these few weeks that Elvis would feed her the basic relationship needs.

The movie has sparked lots of controversy since its release. Some say that the Priscilla movie glorifies underage relationships. Elvis was 24 when he met 14 year old Priscilla. Seeing a romantic relationship blossom all the way up until a few years before his death made people bat an eye on if this message was appropriate for audiences to see. Others say the movie was generally boring and didn’t relay much of a message.

Elvis is seen as such a complex superstar in the eyes of the media. Often, in a flashy spotlight such as the 2022 ‘Elvis’ film depicted. ‘Priscilla’ shows the abuse, drug usage, cheating, highs, lows, and love between the couple. Priscilla gave her whole life to Elvis at a young age and let him control where she went to school, how she dressed, how she did her makeup, and where she lived. This alluded to the coming to Earth moment where Priscilla releases she is so much more than Elvis had made her.

Regardless, Priscilla Presley herself says the movie perfectly depicts the feelings and experiences she went through with Elvis. Undeniable love Priscilla had for Elvis makes for a somber movie. In the end though, Priscilla raises her head up high and divorces Elvis 3 years prior to his death. Neither of the two ever remarried and it’s rumored they never got over each other. A one-sided story of yearning for love.