A romantic drama focusing on the affair between King Edward VIII and an American divorcée Wallis Simpson and a contemporary romance between a married woman and a Russian security guard.

Second-time director Madonna returns with W.E., featuring Abbie Cornish as Wally Winthrop, a woman in 1998 who is love-sick with the 1930s marriage of King Edward VIII (James D’Arcy) and American divorcée Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough). With six decades of time difference, W.E. gracefully mixes the past and present into two parallel love stories.

I was not exactly sure what to expect from Madonna’s latest film as W.E. has been bombed with critics, who have branded the movie “extraordinarily silly” and “insubstantial”, but I convinced myself to go into it with an open mind.

It’s not a perfect film (pacing is a bit of an issue) but considerably better than I had been led to believe by its early reviews.

The truth is that it’s well acted, visually beautiful (with terrific costumes, makeup, and cinematography), pleasing with intimate images, edited into a seductive rhythm creating an intricate weaves of chronologies.

Madonna shifts between scenes of Wally’s discoveries, both personal and historical, and scenes portraying the relationship between Edward and Wallis are Madonna’s point of view as she mentioned in her grand opening at the Venice Film festival. Personally, I liked it, the shift between both romances may be confusing at beginning of the projection but I never found it challenging.

In conclusion I would like to say that Madonna’s second venture into directing is pleasing to the eyes and ears, but may be lacking anything for the soul.

It’s not going to be an easy sell but I wonder whether viewers’ judgments might be influenced by their opinion of the 53-year-old celebrity.

The reality is that following the success of “The King’s Speech,” I think people will enjoy getting to see the other side of the story. It’s well acted (particularly by Andrea Riseborough as Simpson). I truly believe people should give this movie a chance.

Christophe Chanel

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Review 2:

Directed and co written by Madonna, and starring Abbie Cornish, Natalie Dormer and Oscar Isaac W.E. is a love story. Madonna’s interest in making this movie was to tell Wallis Simpson’s story. She felt very sympathetic to Wallis Simpson “I thing people tried to diminish her”. Ever the rebel at heart and the consummate storyteller Madonna has added her own flare to the story and imbued the soundtrack with the anarchist anthem “God Save The Queen” by the Sex Pistols.