Sofia Coppola

Based on the memoirs of Priscilla Presley (1945-) and also produced by her, Sofia Coppola told her side of the story of the famous marriage to Elvis. Unfortunately, Coppola did not use ‘her style’ as much as in other films.

Stationed in West Germany, Elvis misses the USA and he meets a girl of 14 who had just moved there with her family. In spite of her age, Elvis takes a liking in Priscilla and the two meet more and more often. Elvis can move back to the States before Priscilla does. Even though he is successfull as a musician and is a rising star on the silver screen, always having countless women swarming around him, Elvis remains in contact with Priscilla. He even has her come over.

Elvis is portrayed as an honorable man who wants to be no more than a friend until Priscilla is of age. When she is, the two get married. Another side of Elvis is clearly shown as well: he knows exactly what he wants and when and Priscilla is to have no opinion of her own. The two get a daughter, but the marriage is not meant to last, as Priscilla also wants a life of her own.

Coppola made a nice biography showing the events from the meeting of the two, until when Priscilla leaves the house. The story is not exactly the same as actual events, which suggests that we are really looking at Priscilla’s side of the story.

Sofia Coppola made a couple of very good films and a couple of ‘alright ones’. In “The Beguiled” (falling in the latter category) she returns to the costume drama genre with a film playing in America during the Civil War.

In a house full of young ladies a wounded soldier in found in the garden. The soldier is a Yankee, a Northerling, and the ladies school is in the South. Decided is to have the soldier heal and send him on his way. The girls are of a variety of ages, from young to adolescent to young adult. Of course all find the soldier very interesting bringing friction among the inhabitants.

There is not much of a story to the film. Coppola more seems to aim at displaying psychological changes that occur in the group with the arrival of the stranger. Also, even though we never leave the house and its direct surroundings, the film gives an idea of what it was like in the time of the war between North and South.

A star cast drama for a rainy autumn evening, but not a film to place high on your list.

Coppola was starting to become my favourite drama/arthouse director. Her “The Virgin Suicides” (1999) is great, “Lost in Translation” (2003) has a very well-done atmosphere and “Marie Antoinette” (2006) brought a great new twist to the costume-drama genre. “Somewhere” is again a descent drama, but it did not ‘grab me’ like Coppola’s earlier films. Johnny Marco is a successfull actor whose success brought him some bad habbits concerning drink and women. Overall he is but a moderate man though. He drives extremely civilised in his black Ferrari and he does not care much for fancy clothing. Early in the film he gets daughter for a longer time than he expected and taking her into his luxery life, the two grew towards eachother. “Somewhere” gives a nice peek into the life of a celebrity and Marco is set out as a very real-life person, but like I said, nothing that happens on the screen ‘works’ for me. The film is interesting from a filmographic viewpoint though. Coppola uses very long, minimalistic shots, thus creating a very slow film, but unlike some of her other films, she did not use music to set the mood and perhaps it is the lack of music that makes the lack of mood.