Washington [US], November 4 (ANI): Before her death earlier this year, Lisa Marie Presley, an American singer and songwriter, expressed astonishment and dismay at the portrayal of her father, Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s new film ‘Priscilla’, reported Variety.
According to two emails obtained exclusively by Variety, the late Presley requested Coppola to reconsider her vision for the character and to spare her family public embarrassment. The notes were sent four months before Presley died of a heart attack in January.
Presley’s messages referred to the script as “shockingly vengeful and contemptuous,” and included pleas to Oscar-winning director Coppola not to strain her fragile relationship with her mother – the film’s subject, Priscilla Presley – as well as drawing attention to Elvis’ living grandchildren as they continue to mourn the loss of Lisa Marie Presley’s son, Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020.
‘Priscilla’ is a biopic of Priscilla Presley, ex-wife of the late singer Elvis Presley. American biographical drama film written, directed, and produced by Sofia Coppola is based on the 1985 memoir ‘Elvis and Me’ by Priscilla Presley.
It has sparked conversation among critics and audiences for its portrait of Elvis and Priscilla’s courtship – one that began in Germany in 1959 when Priscilla was 14 and Elvis was 24, reported Variety.
“My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative. As his daughter, I don’t read this and see any of my father in this character. I don’t read this and see my mother’s perspective of my father. I read this and see your shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective and I don’t understand why?” Presley wrote in one of her messages. Both were sent in September of last year, roughly four hours apart.
While Coppola hadn’t started filming “Priscilla” when Presley reached out, the latter warned her flatly that she would speak out against the production and her mother, who is billed as an executive producer and has participated in promotions for the A24 release. Already a contender for awards season, the film debuted in limited release on October 27 and will go wide on Friday.
“I will be forced to be in a position where I will have to openly say how I feel about the film and go against you, my mother and this film publicly,” Presley wrote.
When asked for comment on the exchange, Coppola responded through her representative with words she expressed to Presley in response to her September emails, saying it encapsulates what the director intended to do with her film.
“I hope that when you see the final film you will feel differently, and understand I’m taking great care in honouring your mother, while also presenting your father with sensitivity and complexity,” wrote Coppola.
Priscilla Presley was not immediately reachable for comment. A24, which is distributing “Priscilla” domestically and did not produce the project, declined to comment.
According to Variety, an insider close to the film said the exchanges were made on Sept. 2, 2022, only weeks away from starting production on “Priscilla.” The source said the film is exclusively based on “Elvis and Me,” and efforts were made to “tone down” some elements of the book regarding the couple’s courtship that would have been shocking to contemporary audiences.
Coppola’s goal was to tell a love story, the insider said, with the primary tension of the film being Priscilla’s struggles to adapt to life with a global superstar. Lisa Marie Presley is believed to have seen an early draft of the script, said the source, which eventually was “trimmed” by about 10 pages when principal photography started on October 24, 2022.
“Priscilla” was an official selection of this year’s Venice Film Festival. It premiered to glowing notices and won its star, Cailee Spaeny, a best actress prize. Both media outlets and viewers have taken note of the age gap and power dynamics between the on-screen Elvis (portrayed by “Euphoria” star Jacob Elordi) and Priscilla, reported Variety. (ANI)
