“Priscilla,” the superb drama about Priscilla Presley’s complicated marriage to Elvis, does not end with an Elvis Presley song.
Instead, the final minutes of writer-director Sofia Coppola’s affectionate movie, which had its North American premiere Friday at the New York Film Festival, come courtesy of another Tennessee music legend: “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton.
Actually, we hear hardly any sustained Elvis hits throughout the film’s near-two-hour runtime.
Running time: 113 minutes. Rated R (drug use and some language.) In theaters Nov. 3.
When 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) first falls for the 24-year-old King (Jacob Elordi) on a US Air Force base in Germany, where he and her father are stationed in 1959, she sweetly floats through her high-school hallway as “Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James & the Shondells plays. Talk about all shook up — that song wasn’t even released until 1968.
When Elvis is a jerk to his wife, he can’t cheaply earn the viewer’s forgiveness by crooning “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” He sure behaves like a hound dog when he’s away filming “Viva Las Vegas” with Ann-Margret, but he never sings a ditty about it.
With Coppola’s shrewd eschewing of Elvis tunes, she makes two requests of the audience: One, to evaluate this storied relationship like we would any other — divorced from Elvis’ musical genius. And two, to allow the film to truly be about its fascinating title character rather than usurped by her iconic ex-husband.
If you agree to the director’s terms, you’ll be rewarded in dividends.
Coppola’s movie is packed with many similarly smart, but never egotistical storytelling decisions and is easily one of the finest films of her career.
She’s also brought out two sensitive, restrained performances from Spaeny, in her biggest role so far, as Priscilla and the fast-rising Elordi (“Euphoria”) as Elvis.
Spaeny’s not-at-all-belabored transition from shy teen to prematurely adult woman — Priscilla gets poofy, black hair and snug dresses picked out by controlling Elvis — creeps up on you and then is totally shocking, like a morally questionable Eliza Dolittle.
And that’s what might make some viewers queasy: the 10-year gap between the duo when Priscilla is a mere 14. The risque nature of their courtship, though, is deftly and tastefully handled onscreen.
Elvis and Cilla are smitten, of course, but the parents and friends around them are vocally skeptical of the age difference. The film, which is based on Priscilla’s 1985 memoir “Elvis and Me” also sticks to her story that she didn’t have sex with Elvis until the two got married when she was 21.
And, anyway, it happened. You can’t change history.
“Priscilla” starts out as a light and lovable fairytale — what young person doesn’t dream of dating a celebrity? — and then becomes gradually more corroded as she moves away to Graceland and the mansion goes from palatial escape to prison.
When the still-teenaged Priscilla wants to get a job working in town to make her own money and pass the time, her husband tells her by phone, “It’s either me or a career baby.” Over and over again, she chooses him.
Elordi, who’s having quite a year with “Priscilla” and Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” has got the requisite Elvis voice down, but he elevates it above a hokey impression. His Presley is a fleshed-out, complex, insecure person, and the actor is proving himself a formidable leading man.
Devotion becomes a struggle for Priscilla as Elvis’ infidelity and worsening drug problem form a wedge between them. His temper flares up, and the two start leading separate lives. Their daughter Lisa-Marie Presley, who died in January, is born and Priscilla seeks calm and refuge in Los Angeles.
Clearly, Coppola isn’t putting on a fireworks display here. Her movie ends before Elvis’ dramatic death in 1977 at 42 and thank God it doesn’t feature Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker like Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” did last year. The eccentric manager is only mentioned in passing.
Subtle and lovely as it is, though, “Priscilla” is craftily gripping as Priscilla tries so hard to carve out a normal, healthy, reciprocal life with one of the world’s most famous men.
Luhrmann’s film, by the way, was differently wondrous, and lest fans of it worry they’ll be all King’d out, “Priscilla” and “Elvis” make fabulous companion pieces.
Kind of like Dolly and Whitney Houston’s versions of “I Will Always Love You.”
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