If you enjoyed the much-anticipated dramatization of Elvis Presley’s Baz Lurhmann-directed Elvis (2022) biopic, which starred Austin Butler, get ready for Priscilla. The film is inspired by Priscilla Presley’s memoir, Elvis and Me (1985), which describes her life as a married woman to one of the most significant cultural figures.
She wrote a detailed memoir, Elvis and Me, about how she met Elvis Presley, their marriage, and the issues that ultimately caused them to get divorced. She had long believed that her marriage to the King of Rock and Roll would never work.
Beyond that, she was aware that her late husband was unwilling to put forth the necessary effort to maintain their relationship, revealing his insensitivity to her as a “woman”. They eventually separated as a result of the problems that beset their marriage.
Priscilla Presley’s Late Husband Was Unwilling To Save Their Marriage
As Priscilla and Elvis Presley neared the end of their marriage, the former sensed a growing personal distance between them. In her book Elvis and Me, the American businesswoman-actress, 78, expressed her doubts if he would have been willing to make significant enough changes, even if he had.
Moreover, she discussed why not the King of Rock and Roll could keep their marriage intact, which created too much “room for doubt”:
“In order for our marriage to survive, Elvis would have had to take down all the artificial barriers restricting our life as a couple. There was too much room for doubt, too many unanswered questions for the mind to play upon.”
That being said, Priscilla Presley was too shy to ask him outright to be more open and vulnerable in their relationship, exposing his insensitivity towards her as a “woman”. She wrote:
“It was difficult for him to come to terms with his role as a father and husband. And since neither of us had the ability to sit down and squarely face the issues jeopardizing the family, there seemed to be no hope. What really hurt was that he was not sensitive to me as a woman and his attempt at reconciliation had come too late; I had taken possession of my own life.”
Everything You Should Know About Priscilla By Sofia Coppola
Priscilla, written, directed, and produced by Sofia Coppola and based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, already got its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 4, 2023.
This compelling story, which takes place between Elvis Presley and his ex-wife’s 1959 meeting and his untimely death in 1977, reveals the (often depressing) realities of Priscilla Presley being married to the King of Rock and Roll. But she still has great affection for her incredibly complex and often wildly unpredictable husband. Variety quoted Coppola from her remarks made at the Venice Film Festival:
“When I read Priscilla’s story, I was so struck with how the setting is so unusual, but she goes through all the things that all girls go through growing up into womanhood. She talks with detail and openness about her experience, her first kiss, becoming a mother, all these moments in one’s life that I can relate to and I thought were universal. But in this very unusual setting that we’re so curious to know…”
Coppola also disclosed that she remained in communication with the Dallas actress during the filming process, and Cailee Spaeny collaborated with the author to accurately recreate her life. The movie follows Priscilla Presley’s journey from child bride to lonely wife, where her famous husband provides her with an extremely co-dependent lifestyle. Coppola informed The Hollywood Reporter:
“Her story was so vivid in my mind and the visuals of that world, Memphis, the Sixties. It’s so American. And I always like themes about finding one’s identity and teenage girls growing into adulthood.”
Their story of love, despite all the challenges they faced, is a timeless example of the tragedy and power of love, solidifying their place in music history as a legendary duo.
The title role is played by Cailee Spaeny, who you may remember from Mare of Easttown, and Jacob Elordi of Euphoria is cast as Elvis Presley in Priscilla. It made its limited theatrical debut in the US on October 27, 2023.
