What’s it about? When Edward VIII meets the twice-married Wallis Simpson he soon realises that she is the love of his life. Bringing scandal to the British monarchy, he gives up his throne for the woman he loves, but is it all as sweet from Wallis’ point of view?
In the present day Wally Winthrop has been married for less than a year. Disillusioned with the dreams she once had about being a wife, she’s become obsessed with Wallis Simpson’s personal effects, which are on display at Sotheby’s ahead of a huge auction. As her marriage begins to crumble, she meets a Russian security guard who seems intent on helping her out of her prison.
Who’s in it? Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, James D’Arcy, Oscar Issac,
Handbag hearts: The costume design is simply sumptuous, and the costume designer, Arianne Phillips, seems to have gone to great efforts to ensure that Wallis Simpson’s clothes are replicas down to the button.
One better than the costume design is the set design, making W.E a feast for the eyes.
Andrea Riseborough does a great job of tackling one of the world’s greatest real-life love stories as Wallis Simpson, and although some complained that over-complicated scripts mean the story isn’t kept as fast-paced as it could be (after early screenings at the Venice Film Festival) we actually found it compelling and dramatic.
What’s bad? Abbie Cornish gives a lacklustre performance as Wally Wainthrop, a woman whose decisions are hard to fathom.
Madonna also seems to sugarcoat some pretty significant historical facts, such as Wallis and Edward’s alleged friendship with Adolf Hitler. Perhaps these details being looked at more deeply would have distracted from the film’s pace, but nevertheless to leave them out seems wrong.
Should you see it: Based on all that we had read and heard before we entered the cinema with very low expectations. However, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Watch our interview with Andrea Riseborough and James D'Arcy
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