By On Wednesday, Oct. 17, students from the Gender Studies department hosted a movie night and discussion about the 2023 movie “Priscilla,“ accompanied by The Friendship Center.
The students who organized this event were very intentional with their choice of movie. Anna Russell, a senior sociology major from Anaconda, Montana, and Abby Robo, a senior self-designed gender studies major from Helena, Montana, worked together to organize and run this event and said they had wanted to bring the movie “Priscilla“ to the spotlight at Carroll.
Priscilla Presley herself was the executive producer of the film which highlights the dark side of her relationship with Elvis Presley. The film also illuminates the substance, emotional, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse Priscilla endured during her time with Elvis, as well as his infidelity to her and their eventual split.
“Elvis,” another film that was discussed and that came out in 2022, features much more of Elvis’s side of the story, as opposed to the perspective given in “Priscilla.“ “Elvis” was more popular. “Priscilla” grossed $33,112,062 while “Elvis” grossed $288,670,284. The message and tone of this movie also largely contrasts with that of “Priscilla,” as “Elvis” shines a more glamorizing light on Elvis’s life and mostly excludes a storyline about his marriage and relationship with Priscilla.
The difference between the two movies was an important consideration in the choice to feature “Priscilla,” besides the powerful message given by “Priscilla.”
“I think that the reason we chose ‘Priscilla’ comes down to the juxtaposition of the films that came out in 2022. The Elvis movie had a lot of hype around it and for a chunk of time it was a main topic in pop culture,” says Robo when asked why they chose the film. “In looking at the feminine perspective, we get a new side of Elvis that very few likely got to see and very few go out of their way to acknowledge.”
“We wanted to make students aware of their personal reactions as well as the reactions of the media to these films,” said Russell. “We also thought it was important to ensure that women’s voices and experiences are heard, especially in cases such as Priscilla’s where her story was overshadowed by Elvis’ fame.”
In addition to showing and discussing the movie and making students aware of the existence of gender studies opportunities here at Carroll, this event also was meant to remind students of Carroll’s partnership with the Friendship Center, a local resource center for victims of sexual or domestic abuse. A couple of associates from the Friendship Center attended the movie and discussion and had resource information available, as well as speaking briefly about the confidential and free services they offer to victims such as a 24 hour crisis line, crisis intervention, legal advocacy, danger assessment and safety planning and more.
A point of discussion at the end of the movie was how often in the media the stories of women and victims are not told loud enough or are not told at all. Elvis is abusive to Priscilla in various ways, physical, sexual, emotional, and verbal abuse are all displayed in the movie. The silencing of stories such as Priscilla’s are not exclusive to celebrities, many women have been in similarly dangerous and disheartening situations and not felt safe enough to share their story or were judged and ridiculed when they did.
“In Priscilla’s case, we thought it was important to not only draw attention to the abuse she suffered at the hands of Elvis but also to show that her story, and thus all victims’ stories, has validity and deserves to be heard,” said Russell.
This movie and discussion night was an interesting and engaging way to bring awareness to the abuse that was endured by Priscilla and the powerful message delivered by the movie. The discussion held after the film reminded students about the interesting and important kinds of things explored under the umbrella of Gender Studies, such as the media’s impact on social issues.
If you’re a victim of abuse or assault, your experiences and story are valid and deserve to be heard and respected. Experiencing abuse or assault can be frightening to tell anyone, but there are resources available if you’re in need of help and ready to take that step.
