A little more than a year after the release of Elvis, Baz Luhrmann’s bombastic and glitzy biopic, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla provides an alternative view by adapting Priscilla Presley’s memoir, Elvis and Me. In stark contrast to Elvis, Priscilla is a quiet, sobering look at the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla Presley, who was 14 when they met. Coppola’s film stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis, and is playing in theaters now. Since its distributor, A24, doesn’t have an exclusive contract with a streaming service, it’s unclear where the film will land for home viewing. (“Except Canopy!,” says Greg.)
On this episode of The Long Take Review, Greg and I discuss how we think Elvis fans will react to this film, what viewers actually want from their biopics, how Coppola’s film portrays Elvis, why the film divided the Presley family, and how different generations might approach fame and toxic relationships.
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Movie News Check-In: Awards season is in full swing. The Scream franchise is in trouble. 5:07
The Short Take: Our general impressions of Priscilla. (Spoiler-free.) 18:19
The Recommendation Algorithm: Who should see Priscilla? Elvis fans? Sofia Coppola fans? (Spoiler-free.) 25:35
The Rhetorical Situation: How does the discourse surrounding Elvis’ legacy or Baz Luhrman’s film impact how we view Coppola’s Priscilla? How does Priscilla engage with or challenge the biopic genre? (Spoiler-free.) 38:17
SPOILER MODE How damaging is the portrayal of Elvis in this film? What is the film ultimately trying to say about the relationship between Elvis and Priscilla? 1:01:46
Oscars Watch: Does Priscilla have a chance of getting any Oscar nominations? If so, in which categories? Why has Sofia Coppola not received any nominations siince Lost in Translation? 1:30:27
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Priscilla Review