Priscilla true story: How accurate is the movie?
A24Many cinemagoers are highly anticipating upcoming Sofia Coppola movie Priscilla, but how close is it to the Presley’s story?
Elvis has been in the Hollywood limelight over the past few years, mainly due to his Austin Butler-starring biopic of the same name by Baz Luhrmann. However, if you’ve seen the movie, you know that certain aspects of his life probably weren’t examined well enough. Including his relationship with his former wife, Priscilla.
Sofia Coppola is a trailblazer when it comes to movies about women, so if anyone was going to tell Priscilla’s story, it was going to be her. Fans are especially curious to see how Coppola will explore the controversial aspects of their relationship, that being a concerning age gap.
But knowing how Coppola likes to lean into stylism and anachronisms, there’s the question of how truthful the movie will actually be.
Is Priscilla based on a true story?
Yes, Priscilla is based on the real life events of Priscilla Presley, as well as her 1985 novel Elvis and Me.
“I had looked at Elvis and Me maybe 10 years ago… But, on reading it again, it spoke to me,” Sofia Coppola explained an interview with the Financial Times. The book and film depicts Priscilla Beaulieu’s first meeting with Elvis as a 14-year-old schoolgirl in West Germany, where Elvis was posted on national service in 1959. It then follows her through the 1960s, including her relationship and marriage to Elvis, before their separation in 1972.
How faithful is the movie?
It’s likely that we won’t know for certain how accurate the movie is until after its release. However, if we’re basing the answer off of early reception, signs point to it being a poignant depiction of Priscilla’s life.
Firstly, the movie’s depiction of Elvis’ flaws has turned off the Elvis estate, which points towards the movie being uncomfortably truthful. For example, an unofficial statement issued after an early screening described the film as “horrible.”
Because of of this, the Elvis state did not allow Coppola to use any of their music, leading Coppola to use more anachronistic music, meaning that the movie’s soundtrack may not be accurate to the time period, and therefore not faithful to the truth.
However, Priscilla herself has reacted very poignantly to the movie, suggesting that she can see herself reflected truthfully. At the 80th Venice International Film Festival, Priscilla stated at a press conference that “It’s very difficult seeing a movie about your life. I think Sofia did an amazing job.”
And as explained by The Guardian review, “The film is based on Elvis and Me, Priscilla’s 1985 memoir of the marriage, and demonstrates Coppola’s characteristically sisterly and non-judgmental intimacy with her heroine. The details, the atmosphere of Priscilla’s bizarre married life, its stretches of boredom and silence; all seem very real.”
Priscilla will premiere in cinemas on October 7, 2023.
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