Celebrity

Priscilla Presley overwhelmed with emotion after viewing biopic

Sep 10, 2023

Priscilla Presley greets fans as she arrives at the Venice Film Festival ahead of the "Priscilla" premiere. Source: Getty Images.

A seven-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival will cement the new biopic “Priscilla” as a must-see for 2023. But Priscilla Presley told reporters it was “difficult to watch”.

The biographical drama film was written, directed, and co-produced by renowned director Sofia Coppola famous for directing The Virgin Suicides (1999), Lost in Translation (2003) where she won an Oscar for best original screenplay, and Marie Antoinette (2006).

Priscilla is based on the memoir Elvis and Me written by Priscilla and Sandra Harmon in 1985 and depicts the ups and downs of Priscilla’s (played by Cailee Spaeny) life and her turbulent relationship with her husband, Elvis Presley (played by Australian actor Jacob Elordi), the troubled King of Rock.

The movie premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 4 to critical acclaim.

THEY DID IT! Sofia Coppola’s PRISCILLA receives a 7-minute standing ovation after premiering at the Venice Film Festival pic.twitter.com/wbzyx8VBxY

— Sofia Coppola Updates (@CoppolaUpdates) September 4, 2023

Speaking to reporters after the premiere, a visibly emotional Presley whose daughter Lisa-Marie passed away earlier this year, reflected on Coppola’s work.

“Sofia did an amazing job, she did her homework,” she said.

She added that it was “very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life and your love.”

According to Coppola, Priscilla is a “human” story and she was inspired to create it after reading the memoir and talking to her cousin’s wife who was working on a musical of the story. In an interview with The Guardian, Coppola says she was prompted to read the book again.

“I got so into her story and the vivid world, and how wild it must have been to be going to a Catholic girls’ high school in Memphis while living with Elvis at Graceland,” she said.

“I appreciated the strength she showed in leaving to find her own identity after growing up trying to be his idea of the ideal woman.”

Fans of both Presley and Coppola took to social media to express their excitement about the new film.

So glad to hear that Priscilla received a standing ovation! I love Sofia Coppola’s work and can’t wait to see this film.

— MoonBao (@MoonBaoNFT) September 4, 2023