To see at the cinema: Priscilla, Elvis’s wife, as seen by Sofia Coppola in one of her best films

A new Sofia Coppola movie is always an event at the cinema. Especially since the previous one, On the Rocks, aired on AppleTV+ in France. Therefore, French theaters have had no news from the director since August 2017 and the release of his remake of Les Preies. But it was worth the wait.

Inspired by Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir, her new feature film is both a true story and a coming-of-age story. Like Marie-Antoinette, we quickly think of this twisted tale where a prince, Elvis in this case, finds himself not so charming within the walls of his castle.

Unlike Baz Luhrmann’s biography, Priscilla only focuses on a decade of the King’s life. Who often remains in the background of this film, which focuses on his first and only wife. In this way, the two feature films completely complement each other, as do the respective styles of Sofia Coppola and the director of Moulin Rouge! they are.

On Phoenix’s electro-pop soundtrack, Sofia Coppola follows the disappointment of Priscilla (Caley Spahn, the actress award winner at the recent Venice Film Festival) and returns to her best films, Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation.

While in Paris, the director checked back with us on various aspects of the project, which also featured Jacob Ellord (Euphoria), surprisingly as Elvis, who becomes less and less likable as the story unfolds. From his interest in the story, to the inclusion of the real Priscilla Presley, to his choice of music, take a look at one of the highlights of the film’s opening year.

Comments collected by Maximilien Pierret in Paris on December 12, 2023 – Framing and Editing by Constance Mathews