W.E.
W.E.
R | 03 February 2012 (USA)
W.E. Trailers

In 1998, an auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor causes great excitement. For one woman, Wally Winthrop, it has much more meaning. Wally becomes obsessed by their historic love story. As she learns more about the sacrifices involved, Wally gains her own courage to find happiness.

Reviews
Hellen

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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TrueHello

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

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BelSports

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

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Mathilde the Guild

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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SnoopyStyle

Lonely Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish) feels neglected by her often-absent doctor husband William Winthrop (Richard Coyle). Sotheby's is auctioning off the Windsor Estate including his abdication desk. She falls in love with their romance. She's desperate to have a baby and tries IVF. In flashbacks and in daydreams, King Edward VIII (James D'Arcy) and his love American divorcée Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough) come to life.This Madonna project is beautifully costumed. She was probably meticulous with the designs and costumes. Her directing and writing prowess is another matter. The historical romance lacks a certain heat. It does have an upperclass comfortableness but it feels cold. With his abdication and their rumored Nazi connection, there should plenty of drama to work with. Madonna is stuck on their romance for a little too long and the drama is bled out of it. The performances of the royals are cold. The Nazi connections are papered over as Madonna is obviously making it a case of victim of falsehoods. It's fine to have a point of view but one has to pull it off. As for Abbie Cornish, her role has some big melodramatic moves. Overall, Madonna may have bit off more than she could chew.

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jsmurray13

I do not see in the actor/actress credits the name Michelle Trachtenberg who to me is excellent in this film, but she is mot listed??? The film give a great story on English Royalty in the mid 1930's and the sets and photography is great. The fact the couple spent most of their time in Paris France is not surprising, as the English population at that time were not to forgiving, and of course in today time. this activity of marring an American commoner would not even make the news. The photography is excellent, and as an ex naval WW2 photographer I may say the camera work is second to none. In general I like the story very much, but I needed to view the film a second time.

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mathewwillman

Wonderful film! I consider it to be one of the best, if not the best, film of 2011. I saw it on Redbox, read a brief summary, and decided, "Oh, heck, I'll go with it." And boy, am I glad. I am a huge fan for British films, romances, dramas, and tragedy's. The score is beautiful! The plot, I found fascinating. I loved how Madonna worked in the past and future of this story. I so much loved how she had a poor woman who's in a struggling relationship, to find comfort in a famous love scandal, despite her current circumstances. For I know, when I was in hard times, and not knowing where to turn, I was able to find comfort, security, and a way to escape life, if only for a little bit, in a simple story. So, I can connect with her on a personal level. The romance is beautiful, the plot, fascinating and intriguing at the same time. Madonna had an amazing cast, which I felt helped give the story its richness. And again, the score. I know I can't say this enough, but well done! Madonna hired a wonderful and amazing score writer, Abel Korzeniowski. I just listen to the score and dream in my own romantic fantasies, by it's sheer beauty. My mother saw me watching it (she came in on the last 30mins) not knowing what it was about, thought it was horrible. Well, a year went by, and I was in a dreamy state and felt like watching it again. Well, I sat down to watch it, and my mother joined my at the couch. Knowing it was that very same film she hated. She still watched it again, and at the end of the film......she loved it! She praised its glory and found out why I so dearly loved it, and now I can proudly say, she is a lover of this wonderful film. And I am glad to have changed her mind. I recommend this film to anyone. I am a male and I'm 16.

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Doha Film

Madonna's second feature as director begins in 1998, where lonely Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish) becomes obsessed with the story of King Edward's VIII's abdication of the British throne for a woman he loved, the American divorcée Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough). Wally's personal life is on the cusp of a dramatic change. On the surface, her marriage seems solid; her husband William is a successful therapist and the couple is envied by friends and relatives. But in reality, miscommunication takes the lead during our first encounter with the doctor at a dinner in his honor. Wally is not sitting beside him; and he either doesn't notice or acknowledge her presence. As she says, William is a smart manipulator, "he can use my words against me". He doesn't want her to work, but doesn't want children either. Wally tries to overcome her bitter reality by daydreaming about images from history.Wally ends up spending her long and lonely days at a Sotheby's auction house, looking at objects from the royal estate in Windsor and researching the doomed affair between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. The parallel lives meet through the imagination of Willis triggered by an object, a letter or a photo and sometimes an accessory she wears herself. On many occasions, she becomes one with her idol, getting inspired by her strength against all odds.The film cuts between Wally's self-discovery – which is noticed by a widowed Russian intellectual working as a security guard at the auction house – and the glamorous early days of King Edward and Wallis Simpson's relationship. The past and the present accentuate the similarities between the two women; one punished for being loved by a king, and the other punished by her insensitive husband.Last year's Oscar winner "The King's Speech" gave us a glimpse of the relationship between King Edward VIII and Simpson, casting Guy Pearce as the beleaguered king. "W.E." develops this section. This is by no means a historical film, it's like a poem narrated against background music. One notable feature of the film is the omnipresence of music, but it certainly isn't harmful.Andrea Riseborough's performance elevates her above the act of impersonation to reveal the character of a woman condemned by history. Her powerful acting is worth mentioning, making her one of the most promising rising actors in Britain today. Similarly, Madonna's directing shows a cinematic maturity previously unseen.If you're a dreamer who is questioning why a king would give up his throne for a woman, or if you just want to let go with a memorable love story, then this film is your answer.

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