Directed by Madonna, The movie "W.E." tells the story of two fragile but determined women - Wally Winthrop and Wallis Simpson - separated by more than six decades. Starring Abbie Cornish, James D'Arcy, Andrea Riseborough, Richard Coyle, Annabelle Wallis, Oscar Isaac, Natalie Dormer, Laurence Fox, James Fox, David Harbour, Natalie Gal, Lola Leon.
“W.E.” starts in the year 1998, when Manhattan is abuzz with anticipation about the upcoming auction of the estate of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. But the auction is far more than a diversion for Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), a transplanted Southerner trapped in an unhappy and abusive marriage. Transfixed by the exquisite artifacts of the Windsors' lives, Wally becomes obsessed with the love story of Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough), the chic, charismatic American who captured the heart of King Edward VIII (James D'Arcy). As she learns more about the sacrifices Wallis made in choosing to be with Edward, Wally finds the courage to follow her own heart and create her own happiness.
Weaving back and forth in time, W.E. intertwines Wally's journey of discovery in New York with the story of Wallis (Andrea Riseborough) and Edward (James D'Arcy), from the glamorous early days of their romance to the slow unraveling of their lives in the decades that followed.
Check out the trailer below.
Writer and director Madonna had been developing the idea for “W.E.” for many years. She had a longstanding fascination with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, yet she was not interested in making a conventional biopic. She sought instead to capture the essence of their romance and convey her interpretation of one of the greatest love stories of the 20th Century. She says, "Truth is subjective. Everything I have to say about the Duke and Duchess is the conclusion I came to after all my research. I wanted to present a more well-rounded portrayal of Wallis than was commonly known.
Madonna comments, “I couldn’t get my mind off the fact that a man gave up the throne for a woman. From my perspective, men since the beginning of time have fought to get on the throne. Men are power-seeking animals, so why would this man run away from power? Why would he give it up? What drove him to do that? If it was for a woman and it was for love, what did this woman have that would inspire him to make such a great sacrifice? I wanted to know more about her.”
Fascinated by this woman and this powerful love story, Madonna spent two years writing her script, and although “W.E.” is, in part, a fictionalized story, she also spent this time heavily researching the project. She devoured every book published on Wallis and Edward, watched every documentary and broadcast available and interviewed countless people who knew Wallis and Edward.
“W.E.” will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas – Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma – starting today, Sept. 12.
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