PRISCILLA

Do not go to see this movie if you want to think Elvis Presley was wonderful and perfect! Do not go if you are expecting to see a movie mostly about Elvis’s wife, Priscilla! Do not go if you are expecting to see what happened to Priscilla “after” being married to Elvis!

Do go if you want to see what might happen if you fall in love with and marry a handsome, rich, controlling movie/music star who can sing so wonderfully and who has an unexpected life—and go if you want insight into some of the pitfalls and “unrealisms” of a teen-aged “crush” on someone out of her league!

This movie is best described as a drama that is biographically set forth and supposedly gets much of its information from Priscilla Presley’s writings and recollections of the times surrounding her marriage to Elvis Presley. Of course, this may be why I think the movie slants towards casting Priscilla in a light of being used/abused by Elvis and not focusing upon the many benefits she received from the marriage!

The film begins with Priscilla as a 14-years-old girl in a military family as she meets with a handsome, famous, great singer and popular performer, named Elvis Presley, 10 years her senior and in the military—but who does not have to fight.

The movement of the show is from Priscilla’s teen fascination with this famous and also at the beginning, interesting and doting, “suitor.” As things progress, she becomes isolated and disillusioned with what she finds out about her “boyfriend” and then “husband” and with the added problems of being pregnant and then having a child.

I will not tell you about what leads up to a not-toosurprising conclusion, but I will close by saying both my wife and I were disappointed that this movie does not focus more upon the “real” early Priscilla and especially the later Priscilla after things seem to change and the baby starts growing up.

The movie gives a view of Elvis that many fans did not know or chose to not believe, but it does not do justice to the title, PRISCILLA, although it does give a large view of how Elvis affected her.

Many reviewers give the film a “B” (80%) rating and a “thumbs up” for its realistic view of mixing ”puppy love” and “fame;” however, audiences do not see it quite so kindly with ratings in the 60% “liked” levels and say it moves too slowly, is too dark, and does not come to a complete conclusion.

Sofia Coppola (writer, director, producer) seems to have some insights into the questions posed and sometimes answered by this film, and she seems to have some answers into what happens to young women as they fall into love at the same time as they should be forming their own personalities and identities.

The cast, not too wellknown to me, includes Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla), Jacob Elordi (Elvis), Ari Cohen (Captain Beaulieu), Tim Post (Vernon Presley), Dagmara Dominczyk (Ann Beaulieu)—and I think they did laudable jobs with the script they had.

My wife says she liked the movie, except that it showed a side of Elvis that she did not want to see and it “dragged” at times. Who am I to disagree with a big Elvis fan—plus, I already knew more about the “true” story than she did, having lived through more of those earlier days than she.