Movies Reviews

W.E. – Movie Review

By Anne Brodie Feb 2, 2012, 14:58 GMT

The film will focus on the affair between King Edward VIII and American divorcee Wallis Simpson. This culminated with King Edward VIII giving up the throne in December 1936 so he could marry the twice-divorced American with two living ex-husbands. ...more

Madonna’s historical curiosity is better than one might imagine despite her poor directorial record in Filth and Wisdom.  It aims to be a polished, elegant passion piece about an event that changed the worlds of royalty, celebrity and history itself. 

It takes place in a lonely world of outsiders, the dark side of the limelight, something with which Madonna is certainly familiar.

The story of Wallis Simpson and her Prince is solid but the New York modern day parallel story isn’t as strong as it should be.  The imbalance is striking and problematic.  It begins with peculiar pacing, awkward directing choices and a number of seemingly false starts but as far as art direction and detail is concerned, it’s a treat. 

Madonna’s love of pitch is one thing, but it needs balance and a light hand at times to offset the relentless drama.   Eye candy like this helps.

David, King Edward VIII, famously abdicated the throne of England to marry the twice divorced Wallis Simpson, who, according to reports at the time, may have worked as a prostitute in China and was married when she began a heated affair with David.   She was a “commoner” from Baltimore, and therefore an impossible bride for a British King.   But she was.

It was an unprecedented historical situation.  David abdicated the throne and threw away everything that he stood for to have this woman.   His brother took the crown, overcame a crippling stutter and sired Elizabeth the 2nd.   So what became of the forbidden romance of the century?

Back to the two sides of the W.E. coin, Wallis’ (Andrea Riseborough) story and Wally’s (Abbie Cornish), an unhappily married modern Manhattanite obsessed with David’s obsession of Wallis.  The period story is gripping and at times poignant, and Riseborough does a splendid job.  It is filled with the rich details of the time; more care seems to have gone into it. 

The 1998 Wally story doesn’t fare so well.   Cornish is wooden, it takes too much time to unfold and it tends to dilute the reason we’re watching, veering off to linger over Wally’s fertility problems.  Violence and domestic abuse run through both stories.

But what became of “the romance of the century” is the curiosity that drives W.E.  and makes it fun to watch.  There are genuine insights into the relationship and how it evolved over the years.  The disgraced couple remained together until David’s death in 1972, but Wallis had a rough go of it, believing they were seen as parasites and feeling like a birds imprisoned in a gilded cage. 

This according to letters Wally contrives to read by approaching Mohammed Al Fayed (whose son Dodi died with Princess Diana on that terrible night in 1987) who owns Wallis’ and David’s Bois de Bologne home and a cache of their letters.  The premise is a tad out there.  But it’s certainly entertaining and the stuff of fantasy. 

Visually, it is arresting, glorious, a treat for anyone who loves wardrobe, sets and period details. The clothes and jewels are sensational; Madonna has certainly refined her taste over the years, and this is a testament to her love of all things upper class British. 

Not surprisingly the music is terrific, from the Sex Pistols to Chubby Checker Abel Korzeniowski’s original score.  It’s a $15M budget is stretched to luxe proportions with fifteen international locations access to Sotheby’s auction house and various stately mansions.

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35mm drama
Written by Madonna and Alex Kesheshian
Directed by Madonna
Opens: Feb 3
MPAA: Rated R for some domestic violence, nudity and language
Country: UK
Language: English