Two love stories, one historic and one contemporary, are interwoven. The famous romance between King Edward VIII and American divorcée Wallis Simpson is juxtaposed with the affair of a Russian security guard with a New York trophy wife Wally Winstrhop.
Wally is obsessed with the story of Edward and the woman he loved, and embarks on her own research of their life together, even attending the Sotheby’s auction of the Windsor Estate. She comes to see that their relationship, although glamorous, was not the perfect one that she had imagined it to be.
W.E. (stylized as W./E.) is a 2011 British romantic drama film co-written and directed by Madonna. It stars Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, Oscar Isaac, Richard Coyle, and James D’Arcy. The screenplay was co-written by Alek Keshishian, who previously worked with Madonna on her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare and two of her music videos. The film was panned by critics and a box office bomb, returning only a small fraction of its budget in box office revenue.
The film tells the story of two women separated by more than six decades. In 1998, lonely New Yorker Wally Winthrop is obsessed with King Edward’s VIII’s abdication of the British throne for the woman he loved, American divorcée Wallis Simpson. But Wally’s research, including several visits to the Sotheby’s auction of the Windsor Estate, reveals that the couple’s life together was not as perfect as she thought. Weaving back and forth in time, W.E. intertwines Wally’s journey of discovery in New York with the story of Wallis and Edward, from the early days of their romance to the unraveling of their lives in the decades that followed.
About the Story
Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish) is a lonely housewife, living in 2001 at New York City. She is neglected by her doctor husband, William Winthrop (Richard Coyle) and finds solace in the love story of King Edward VIII (James D’Arcy) and his lover, Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough). Wally travels to the Sotheby’s auction of the Windsor Estate, showcasing items used by Wallis and Edward in their lifetime, and reminisces about their relationship.
In 1930, Edward throws a party at his new home in Fort Belvedere, in Windsor Great Park where he met Wallis through his mistress, Lady Furness (Katie McGrath). The two develop a mutual attraction for each other, in spite of Wallis being married at that time to Ernest Simpson, and become lovers while Lady Furness travelled abroad.
Wally’s reminiscences are interrupted by Sotheby’s guard Evgeni (Oscar Isaac), who takes a liking towards her. She urges her husband to have a child together which he denies and Wallis suspects him of having an affair. On accusing him, William hits Wally. Edward and Wallis continue their love affair while touring throughout Europe, where he gifts her with a number of jewels and assumes the initials W.E.
By the end of 1934, Edward was irretrievably besotted with Wallis. He decides to introduce Wallis to his parents, King George V (James Fox) and Queen Mary (Judy Parfitt), but Wallis is portrayed in a bad light by Edward’s sister-in-law Elizabeth (Natalie Dormer). A distraught Wallis wants to end the relationship but Edward pacifies her.
Wally goes for In vitro fertilisation for getting pregnant. She gradually becomes attracted to Evgeni and goes out on a date with him. She asks Evgeni about Edward and Wallis, while pondering on her own relationship with William, which deteriorates further resulting one night where he beats and leaves her dying on the floor. The government of England did not recognize the relationship of Edward and Wallis, since the latter was a divorcee and on the night of December 11, 1936, Edward made a broadcast to the nation and the Empire, explaining his decision to abdicate his throne to his brother Bertie (Laurence Fox).
He said, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.” Wallis, who had fled to Villa Lou Viei, near Cannes, heard of this and had no choice other than join Edward.
W.E.
Directed by: Madonna
Starring: Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, James D’Arcy, Oscar Isaac, Richard Coyle, Natalie Dormer, Christina Chong, Katie McGrath
Screenplay by: Alek Keshishian, Madonna
Production Design by: Martin Childs
Cinematography by: Hagen Bogdanski
Film Editing by: Danny Tull
Set Decoration by: Celia Bobak
Costume Design by: Arianne Phillips
Art Direction by: Steven Lawrence, Mark Raggett, Molly Sole, Sarah Stuart
Music by: Abel Korzeniowski
MPAA Rating: R for some domestic violence, nudity and language.
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Release Date: December 9, 2011
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