W.E. (film)
Encyclopedia
W.E. is an upcoming romantic
drama film
co-written and directed by Madonna
, starring Abbie Cornish
, Oscar Isaac
, Richard Coyle
, James D'Arcy
and Andrea Riseborough
. It began filming on location in London, England, on July 5, 2010, and also shot in France and the United States. The screenplay was co-written by Alek Keshishian
, who previously worked with Madonna on her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare
(aka In Bed with Madonna) and two of her music video clips. The film was produced by Madonna's production company Semtex Films
and will be distributed in the United States by The Weinstein Company
and in the UK by StudioCanal
.
) and Wallis Simpson - separated by more than six decades. In 1998, lonely New Yorker Winthrop is obsessed with what she perceives as the ultimate love story: King Edward VIII's abdication of the British throne for the woman he loved, American divorcee Wallis Simpson. But Winthrop'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, the film 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.
reported that Madonna
will be directing W.E. She developed the script with director Alek Keshishian
. Her then husband Guy Ritchie
helped Madonna with the script and the screenplay, suggesting her to seek meetings with several well-respected actors such as Mark Strong
and Toby Kebbell
, who both had major roles in Ritchie's last film, RocknRolla
. Madonna had in mind that W.E could establish her artistic credibility and give her success in the movie field after appearing in several critical failures in the past several decades. Madonna had started writing W.E after finishing the filming of her directorial venture, Filth and Wisdom
(2008). W.E was actually an idea she had before Filth and Wisdom, but instead she filmed the latter, as she felt that she did not have enough experience to shoot a big-budgeted film like W.E. She described the whole film as a much bigger story:
Madonna's inspiration to direct a film based on Simpson and Edward's life came from the fact that both of them were controversial, and had a varied social circle. She told from her experience that if she brought up King Edward VIII
and Wallis Simpson at a dinner party or a social gathering, "it's like throwing a Molotov cocktail into the room. Everyone erupts into an argument about who they were. I mean, they were very controversial – and continue to be. So, of course, I'm very attracted to that." Madonna started writing the story on her own, but she realized that she needed help as the subject was vast. She enlisted the help of Keshishian, who was well-acquainted with Madonna after directing her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare
(aka In Bed with Madonna) and two of her music video clips. The writing process was dynamic, with Madonna and Keshishian e-mailing their developed scripts to each other, or through telephone conversations and also by writing on the other person's laptop. Madonna also spoke to friends and associates of Simpson, such as socialite and designer Nicholas Haslam
, to gather more information on the subject. W.E. was initially reported to be a musical about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Edward and Simpson. However, Madonna confirmed that although they are in the film, the main story was not about them. It was about a woman called Wally Winthrop, a young married New Yorker in 1998 who is obsessed with what she perceived as the ultimate romantic love story—Edward's abdication of the royal throne
for his love of Simpson. The character of Simpson acted as a spiritual guide for Winthrop, in the film. The timeline presented in the film ranges from pre-World War II
England (1936–37) to New York in 1998, and the storyline swaps between these two eras. Madonna decided to use the Sotheby's
auction of Edward and Simpson's estate in 1998, to flash backward from.
One of the first characters that Madonna developed for the film was a Russian immigrant living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan, called Evgeni. The character was inspired by Eugene Hütz
, who played the lead role in Filth and Wisdom. Madonna wanted to shoot the film in certain locations where the British Royal family reside. A representative from her commented: "Madonna is keen to make the film as authentic as possible and would be very grateful if we are allowed to film at certain locations, She loves the UK and holds the Queen in the highest regard." Madonna decided to move back to the United Kingdom as the film would take six months to shoot. While casting for the film, she asked for a Michael O'Connor
wedding dress, in display at the National Museum of Costume in Scotland, for a scene where Riseborough would wear it. National Museum of Costume general manager Margaret Roberts said they were happy to send the dress to Madonna. "Our Marriage in the Movies exhibition is packed with fabulous gowns that tell a story not only about the history of the period they represent, but also of Hollywood glamour and style," she said. [...] This is a dress that was made for the movies, so when we received the request from Madonna's production company, we were only too happy to oblige." Other fashion designers working for the film included John Galliano
and Issa, who provided clothes, Pierre Cartier
the jewels, and Stephen Jones
the hats. The budget of the film is £18 million ($
36 million).
, Christian Dior
, Madeleine Vionnet
and Elsa Schiaparelli
. Most of the actual dresses were museum archives, hence unobtainable to Madonna. Instead, many of the couture houses offered to create the dresses for her. She also enlisted costume designer Arianne Phillips
to create the dresses for the film. The costumes designed were a combination of real vintage pieces, others were remade based on patterns that were obtained out of the museum archives, and the rest had to be freshly made. In an interview with W
magazine in November 2011, Philips explained that she "started doing research in 2009, a year before we began filming... To me, Wallis Simpson was a style icon, but I didn’t know she was a couture client well before she met Edward. She was also a hungry whore for jewelry. Edward gave Wallis jewelry to make her feel royal. My first task was figuring out how to re-create those famous gifts." Phillips established contacts with designer labels like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels
to replicate a cross bracelet and ten other pieces. For the gowns, undergarments, and dresses needed for the 60 costume changes in the film, Phillips scoured the archives of Vionnet
and Schiaparelli; then with the cooperation of both houses she redesigned Simpson’s clothing. "Some of the pieces that the duchess actually ordered I thought were hideous,” Phillips said. "Those wouldn’t work for the movie, so we modified and invented. Wallis wasn’t pretty; she was handsome, at best. In England, it was noted over and over how unattractive she was. But Wallis was a lot of fun—very entertaining. She had a freedom to her that was definitely reflected in her clothes; the duchess was all about presentation. And that became her refuge, and her prison."
Madonna started work on the casting of W.E, after coming back from Africa where she was working on her Raising Malawi
initiative. She recalled how she found the task of casting actors for different parts as difficult, since many of them would deny to sign for a particular role. Madonna contrasted the process of film casting with her task of making a new album, where she can easily choose the people she wants to work with. Abbie Cornish
was signed to play the part of Wally Winthrop, while King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson was played by James D'Arcy
and Andrea Riseborough
respectively. Winthrop's Russian love interest Evgeni was played by Oscar Isaac
and her husband William will be played by Richard Coyle
. Actress Vera Farmiga
was initially asked for the role of Simpson. Farmiga commented:
Farmiga later withdrew from the project as she had fallen pregnant with her second child, and Riseborough replaced her. Cornish commented on her role as Winthrop, "Madonna is a strong, independent woman who doesn't need a man to define her – and that's admirable. She's studied every aspect of what happened with Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII. [...] It's a fascinating insight into class and romance. Madonna's created a contemporary woman—who I will play—called Wally, who is fascinated by what happened to Mrs. Simpson." Madonna's daughter Lourdes was offered a part, but Madonna decided against the idea. However, she later allowed Lourdes to appear for a minor role in the film. The part she played was later confirmed by Cornish in an interview in March 2011 as the younger self of her character Wally Winthrop.
Ewan McGregor
was offered the part of King Edward VIII, but was later replaced by James D'Arcy
. Additionally, producer David Parfitt
and casting director Nina Gold also quit W.E., with sources claiming that the duo had "creative differences" with Madonna and found that she struggled to "collaborate and delegate". Actress Margo Stilley
was to play the role of Lady Thelma Furness, but left the project, citing "artistic differences" with Madonna. Stilley said: "I had the role, but we had artistic differences. She (Madonna) is really something. I wish the cast luck because they are all really talented." Judy Parfitt
joined the cast to portray Queen Mary and Geoffrey Palmer
as Stanley Baldwin. Real-life father and son James
and Laurence Fox
were signed to the parts of King George V
and his son, Bertie—Edward's younger brother. BBC reported that members of the London Welsh Center
expressed interest in appearing for a scene in the film, which involves Edward being shocked at the living conditions in Welsh mining villages. A spokesperson for the centre, which was contacted by the film's casting agency, said: "I've had about 15 phone calls this morning, and yesterday was bedlam because everybody wants to be in a film with Madonna." The centre said Welsh-speakers were needed as extras to create scenes based on Edward's visits to the south Wales valleys in the 1930s. Actress Natalie Dormer
was cast to play the part of a young Queen Elizabeth
(Queen Mother). Dormer reflected on the role, saying: "This country tends to remember the Queen Mother as a rather wrinkly 97 year-old, but I am playing her when she was quite an enchanting, engaging twenty and thirty-something. [...] She was quite a savage and savvy game player." Dormer's assertion of the role was confirmed by royal historian Hugo Vickers, who was sought by Madonna to advise her on the characteristics of the different members of the royal family. He confirmed that Madonna was portraying Queen Mother as an unfavorable influence on the relationship between Edward VIII and Simpson.
in West London, on July 21, 2010, to shoot some scenes for the film. She chose the top two floors of The Abingdon Pub, and worked for almost five hours there. This was followed by shooting scenes in the Club Quarters of Trafalgar Square
on July 26, 2010. Other places where filming took place include the Stoke Park Club
Hotel and Spa in Buckinghamshire
. Then filming moved to France, where on July 29, 2010, Madonna shot scenes with D'Arcy and Riseborough in Palm Beach in Marseille
, south of France and on the port of Villefranche-sur-Mer
on July 30, 2010. Scenes were also shot at the Hotel Le Meurice, with Cornish in a new look consisting of dyed black hair, pale skin and a fitted black dress. She shot footage of a ten second bath scene for the film. While shooting with Riseborough, Madonna and her team approached jewellery company Cartier
to create copies of Simpson's extensive gem collection, which Riseborough had to wear during filming. However, one of the bracelets slipped off from Riseborough's arm while shooting, and was lost in the Mediterranean Sea
. Madonna had to immediately order for replicating the jewellry.
In September, Madonna shot some scenes involving Lourdes. Shooting took place around Mayfair, outside the hotel Claridge's
, as well as in a set of Downing Street
, created in Aldwych
. Lourdes' scenes required her to be dressed as a schoolgirl. The same month, filming moved to New York, where Madonna shot scenes in Brooklyn. A dance sequence was shot where D'Arcy had to do a ballet
, but he did not know how to do it and was requested by Madonna to learn the steps. D'Arcy described the sequence as "this extraordinary beautiful dance with lifts
and twirls and I can't do that, but you do because she [Madonna] somehow makes the impossible possible and it gives you amazing self esteem when you do these things." Although the dance scene did not make the final cut of the film, Madonna also asked D'Arcy to learn to play bagpipes
in six weeks and to ride horses.
session from Madonna and was intended to sell the film to distributors. The rights were acquired by Optimum Releasing
for the UK market, The Weinstein Company
for the US release and Village Roadshow for Australia and New Zealand. Weinstein promoted the film as Madonna's first full-length directorial venture, since her previous directed film, Filth and Wisdom
, was considered a short film by them for its runtime of 81 minutes. Madonna had hoped to premiere the film at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
, but could not do so since she was still making finishing touches to the soundtrack and there were three weeks more of post production to complete before the film was ready to be screened to an international audience. A representative for the film festival said that, "[w]hile the movie's distributors will attend the festival, they will preview select cuts to buyers at private screenings instead of showing the entire feature." The Daily Mail
columnist Baz Bamingboye reported that W.E. would be premiered at the 2011 Venice Film Festival
, where it would be screened out of the competition. W.E. was shown at the festival on September 1, 2011, with Madonna attending the premiere, along with the principal cast. Other film festivals where W.E was shown included the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
in the same month. Along with the film festivals, still images from W.E. were released in the September 2011 issue of Vanity Fair
magazine.
Madonna had secured backing from Indian billionaire Anil Ambani
's IM Global film financiers. A correspondent for Madonna said that they were looking towards a London premiere late 2011 or early 2012 – the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year – which Madonna hopes will allow them to capitalize on its British Royal theme. A spokesman for Optimum Releasing, the film's UK distributor, said: "The film was not due to be shown in Cannes. It is in post production and will now be released early next year." Weinstein Company announced in June 2011, that they planned to release W.E on December 9, 2011, in the United States. It will open in New York and Los Angeles on the said date, expanding to additional markets throughout the month, before the wide release intended for mid-January. Harvey Weinstein
, head of The Weinstein Company, said of the release date: "Madonna beautifully interweaves past and present in W.E., It's a very smart film, and a stunning directorial debut. I'm incredibly excited about this movie and I wanted to give it a prominent release date." After the showcase of the film in Venice and Toronto film festivals, Weinstein decided to cut the time of the film by about ten minutes. Talk of making changes began in advance of the Toronto showcase, and after negotiating with Madonna, they finally decide to remove around ten minutes from the film. Plans were changed later and Weinstein confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the film would have only a limited, one-week run beginning on December 9, 2011, before opening wide on February 3, 2012.
gave the film the overall critical score of D. Steve Pond of Reuters
theorized that W.E probably would not help in "turning Madonna's faltering movie career". Kyle Buchanan of New York
wondered whether W.E. would receive any significant film related awards, as predicted by industry prognosticators. He concluded that the film "still may [receive awards], but to judge from some of the vicious pans coming out of Venice today, it might have longer legs as a Razzie front-runner." Daily Mails Baz Bamigboye gave the film a mostly positive review, saying that "A lot of people will loathe it, simply because it’s been made by Madonna. But if people were to watch it with no knowledge of who directed, they would be pleasantly surprised. They might even find much of it enjoyable." David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph
gave the film three stars and a mixed review stating that, "Madonna's W.E. is a bold and confident story about an American woman's obsession with the Windsors." Gritten complimented Riseborough and Cornish's acting but felt that the film looked like a commercial of expensive items, thus making it appeal to younger women for its fashion portrayal.
Negative reviews came from Xan Brooks of The Guardian
, who gave the film one star, describing it as "a primped and simpering folly, the turkey that dreamed it was a peacock. Brooks predicted that the film "may even surpass 2008's Filth and Wisdom
, Madonna's calamitous first outing as a film-maker. Her direction is so all over the shop that it barely qualifies as direction at all." Pointing out a scene, he added that "Wallis bound on stage to dance with a Masai tribesman while Pretty Vacant blares on the soundtrack. But why? What point is she making? That social-climbing Wallis-Simpson was the world's first punk-rocker?" Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter
wrote that the film resembled a documentary of a woman out on shopping. McCarthy felt that the storyline was especially dreary during the portrayal of the love affair between Wally and Evgeni. "For the audience, Wally, despite Cornish's gentle and warm presence, offers very little in terms of personal interest or as a key into the world of one of the last century's most discussed couples." However, McCarthy praised cinematographer Hagen Bogdaski's work. Oliver Lyttelton of indieWire
also slammed the film stating that "the use of music is horrible" and "We’ve never looked forward to Madonna going back on tour more, if only because it means that we’ll know, for certain, that she won’t be using that time to direct another movie." Emma Pritchard from Grazia
added that "Wallis Simpson was the kind of woman who was accused of being more style than substance – and that, alas, is what Madonna has recreated on screen with W.E." Mark Adams of Screen Daily singled out Riseborough's performance as a "highlight", but overall felt that the film was disappointing. Leslie Felperin from Variety
was disappointed in the film, saying that it is "burdened with risible dialogue and weak performances". Felperin felt that the reason for the film's downfall was its script, which attended to the costumes and fashion more than the actual story, which she felt had much potential, but was unused.
William Orbit
with Polish composer Abel Korzeniowski
assisting them. However the latter is only credited as music composer for the film.
Production credits as per W.E. press release from Madonna.com and The Weinstein Company
. and the official film website.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
co-written and directed by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, starring Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
, Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac
-Personal life:Isaac was born in Guatemala to a Guatemalan mother, Maria Estrada Nicolle, and a Cuban pulmonologist father, Oscar Gonzalo Hernandez. He was raised in Miami, Florida. While in Miami, he played lead guitar and sang vocals for his band "The Blinking Underdogs"...
, Richard Coyle
Richard Coyle
Richard Coyle is an English actor.-Early life:Coyle was born in Sheffield, England to Irish parents. He began his acting career after a stint working on a ferry entertaining passengers, where he was told by a theatre director that he had a talent and should pursue it further...
, James D'Arcy
James D'Arcy
-Early life:James D'Arcy was born as Simon D'Arcy and grew up in Fulham, London, with his mother, Caroline and his younger sister Charlotte. His father died when he was young. After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, he went to Australia for a year and worked in the drama...
and Andrea Riseborough
Andrea Riseborough
-Early life:Riseborough grew up in Whitley Bay. In reference to The Long Walk To Finchley, she has described her parents as "working-class Thatcherites"....
. It began filming on location in London, England, on July 5, 2010, and also shot in France and the United States. The screenplay was co-written by Alek Keshishian
Alek Keshishian
Alek Keshishian is a Lebanese-born Armenian film director. He is best known for his 1991 film Madonna: Truth or Dare, which for a time was the highest-grossing documentary of all time....
, who previously worked with Madonna on her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare
Madonna: Truth or Dare
Madonna: Truth or Dare is a 1991 American documentary film chronicling the life of American singer-songwriter Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour...
(aka In Bed with Madonna) and two of her music video clips. The film was produced by Madonna's production company Semtex Films
Semtex Films
Semtex Films is a film production company founded by American entertainer Madonna. It was founded in 2006 under the name Semtex Girls and is involved in the production of motion pictures and television relating to the singer.-History:Semtex Girls, a limited company, was established in the UK in...
and will be distributed in the United States by The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
and in the UK by StudioCanal
Optimum Releasing
StudioCanal UK is a film distributor company working in the UK and Ireland. The company releases many films, including foreign language films, anime releases such as Studio Ghibli's films and independent British, Irish and American films in the UK and sometimes Ireland.Optimum was acquired by...
.
Plot
W.E. tells the story of two fragile but determined women - Wally Winthrop (Abbie CornishAbbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
) and Wallis Simpson - separated by more than six decades. In 1998, lonely New Yorker Winthrop is obsessed with what she perceives as the ultimate love story: King Edward VIII's abdication of the British throne for the woman he loved, American divorcee Wallis Simpson. But Winthrop'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, the film intertwines Wally's journey of discovery in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with the story of Wallis (Andrea Riseborough
Andrea Riseborough
-Early life:Riseborough grew up in Whitley Bay. In reference to The Long Walk To Finchley, she has described her parents as "working-class Thatcherites"....
) and Edward (James D'Arcy
James D'Arcy
-Early life:James D'Arcy was born as Simon D'Arcy and grew up in Fulham, London, with his mother, Caroline and his younger sister Charlotte. His father died when he was young. After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, he went to Australia for a year and worked in the drama...
), from the glamorous early days of their romance to the slow unraveling of their lives in the decades that followed.
Development
In October 2009, Daily MailDaily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
reported that Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
will be directing W.E. She developed the script with director Alek Keshishian
Alek Keshishian
Alek Keshishian is a Lebanese-born Armenian film director. He is best known for his 1991 film Madonna: Truth or Dare, which for a time was the highest-grossing documentary of all time....
. Her then husband Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
helped Madonna with the script and the screenplay, suggesting her to seek meetings with several well-respected actors such as Mark Strong
Mark Strong
Mark Strong is an English actor, with a body of work in both films and television. He has performed in films as varied as Body of Lies, Syriana, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Stardust, and Kick-Ass...
and Toby Kebbell
Toby Kebbell
Tobias Alistair P. "Toby" Kebbell is a British actor.-Life and career:Kebbell, the fourth of five children, was born in South Elmsall, on the A638 between Doncaster and Wakefield, Yorkshire, but grew up in Nottinghamshire...
, who both had major roles in Ritchie's last film, RocknRolla
RocknRolla
RocknRolla is a 2008 British crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, and starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Karel Roden, and Thandie Newton...
. Madonna had in mind that W.E could establish her artistic credibility and give her success in the movie field after appearing in several critical failures in the past several decades. Madonna had started writing W.E after finishing the filming of her directorial venture, Filth and Wisdom
Filth and Wisdom
Filth and Wisdom is the first film directed by Madonna, starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England from May 14 to May 29, 2007 with additional scenes shot in July 2007....
(2008). W.E was actually an idea she had before Filth and Wisdom, but instead she filmed the latter, as she felt that she did not have enough experience to shoot a big-budgeted film like W.E. She described the whole film as a much bigger story:
There are more characters, and three of them basically changed the course of English history. King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to be with an American woman, Wallis Simpson, and that's part of my story, so I've had to do an enormous amount of research and interview people. So I have an enormous responsibility to that, and then I have a responsibility to the actual auction, which really happened. Then there's the new story, the point of view, which is this girl who has this obsession and is going to the auctions and stuff. So it's a much more layered, complicated piece than Filth and Wisdom.
Madonna's inspiration to direct a film based on Simpson and Edward's life came from the fact that both of them were controversial, and had a varied social circle. She told from her experience that if she brought up King Edward VIII
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
and Wallis Simpson at a dinner party or a social gathering, "it's like throwing a Molotov cocktail into the room. Everyone erupts into an argument about who they were. I mean, they were very controversial – and continue to be. So, of course, I'm very attracted to that." Madonna started writing the story on her own, but she realized that she needed help as the subject was vast. She enlisted the help of Keshishian, who was well-acquainted with Madonna after directing her 1991 documentary Truth or Dare
Madonna: Truth or Dare
Madonna: Truth or Dare is a 1991 American documentary film chronicling the life of American singer-songwriter Madonna during her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour...
(aka In Bed with Madonna) and two of her music video clips. The writing process was dynamic, with Madonna and Keshishian e-mailing their developed scripts to each other, or through telephone conversations and also by writing on the other person's laptop. Madonna also spoke to friends and associates of Simpson, such as socialite and designer Nicholas Haslam
Nicholas Haslam
Nicholas Ponsonby 'Nicky' Haslam is a British interior designer and socialite and founder of the London-based interior design firm NH Design Inc.-Background:...
, to gather more information on the subject. W.E. was initially reported to be a musical about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Edward and Simpson. However, Madonna confirmed that although they are in the film, the main story was not about them. It was about a woman called Wally Winthrop, a young married New Yorker in 1998 who is obsessed with what she perceived as the ultimate romantic love story—Edward's abdication of the royal throne
Edward VIII abdication crisis
In 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire was caused by King-Emperor Edward VIII's proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite....
for his love of Simpson. The character of Simpson acted as a spiritual guide for Winthrop, in the film. The timeline presented in the film ranges from pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
England (1936–37) to New York in 1998, and the storyline swaps between these two eras. Madonna decided to use the Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
auction of Edward and Simpson's estate in 1998, to flash backward from.
One of the first characters that Madonna developed for the film was a Russian immigrant living in Brooklyn and working in Manhattan, called Evgeni. The character was inspired by Eugene Hütz
Eugene Hütz
Eugene Hütz , September 6, 1972) is a Ukrainian-born singer and composer, most notable as the frontman of the critically acclaimed New York Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello. Hütz is also a DJ and actor.-Early life:...
, who played the lead role in Filth and Wisdom. Madonna wanted to shoot the film in certain locations where the British Royal family reside. A representative from her commented: "Madonna is keen to make the film as authentic as possible and would be very grateful if we are allowed to film at certain locations, She loves the UK and holds the Queen in the highest regard." Madonna decided to move back to the United Kingdom as the film would take six months to shoot. While casting for the film, she asked for a Michael O'Connor
Michael O'Connor (costume designer)
Michael O'Connor is an English costume designer.-Biography:O'Connor began his training in theatre, as a dresser at the Old Vic in London...
wedding dress, in display at the National Museum of Costume in Scotland, for a scene where Riseborough would wear it. National Museum of Costume general manager Margaret Roberts said they were happy to send the dress to Madonna. "Our Marriage in the Movies exhibition is packed with fabulous gowns that tell a story not only about the history of the period they represent, but also of Hollywood glamour and style," she said. [...] This is a dress that was made for the movies, so when we received the request from Madonna's production company, we were only too happy to oblige." Other fashion designers working for the film included John Galliano
John Galliano
John Charles Galliano CBE, RDI is a Gibraltan-born British fashion designer who was best known as head designer of French haute couture houses Givenchy and Christian Dior , and his own self titled fashion house.-Family:He was born in Gibraltar to a Gibraltarian father, Juan Galliano, and a...
and Issa, who provided clothes, Pierre Cartier
Pierre Cartier (jeweler)
Pierre Camille Cartier was a French jeweler. He was one of three sons of Alfred Cartier and the brother of Jaques Cartier and Louis Cartier...
the jewels, and Stephen Jones
Stephen Jones (milliner)
Stephen Jones OBE is a leading British milliner based in London, who is considered one of the world's most radical and important milliners of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He is also one of the most prolific, having created hats for the catwalk shows of many leading couturiers and...
the hats. The budget of the film is £18 million ($
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
36 million).
Costumes
After finishing the script and starting work on casting and production, Madonna realised that the budget of film was going to be pretty high. Simpson's character had around 80 costume changes with dresses by designers like BalenciagaBalenciaga
Balenciaga is a fashion house founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Basque designer, born in the Basque Country, Spain. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior. His bubble skirts and odd, feminine, yet ultra-modern...
, Christian Dior
Christian Dior
Christian Dior , was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior.-Life:...
, Madeleine Vionnet
Madeleine Vionnet
This article is about the haute couture designer. For the fashion label, see Vionnet Madeleine Vionnet was a French fashion designer...
and Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli
Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer. Along with Coco Chanel, her greatest rival, she is regarded as one of the most prominent figures in fashion between the two World Wars. Starting with knitwear, Schiaparelli's designs were heavily influenced by Surrealists like her collaborators...
. Most of the actual dresses were museum archives, hence unobtainable to Madonna. Instead, many of the couture houses offered to create the dresses for her. She also enlisted costume designer Arianne Phillips
Arianne Phillips
Arianne Phillips is a costume designer. She has also been Madonna's stylist and has designed and styled her last four concert tours. She has worked with Lenny Kravitz, Courtney Love, No Doubt and Justin Timberlake...
to create the dresses for the film. The costumes designed were a combination of real vintage pieces, others were remade based on patterns that were obtained out of the museum archives, and the rest had to be freshly made. In an interview with W
W (magazine)
W is a monthly American fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications, who purchased original owner Fairchild Publications in 1999. It was created in 1971 by the publisher of sister magazine Woman's Wear Daily, James Brady. The magazine is an oversize format – ten inches wide and...
magazine in November 2011, Philips explained that she "started doing research in 2009, a year before we began filming... To me, Wallis Simpson was a style icon, but I didn’t know she was a couture client well before she met Edward. She was also a hungry whore for jewelry. Edward gave Wallis jewelry to make her feel royal. My first task was figuring out how to re-create those famous gifts." Phillips established contacts with designer labels like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels is a French jewellery, watch, and perfume company that was founded in 1896 by Charles Arpels and Alfred Van Cleef. They opened their first boutique in 1906 at 22 place Vendôme, Paris...
to replicate a cross bracelet and ten other pieces. For the gowns, undergarments, and dresses needed for the 60 costume changes in the film, Phillips scoured the archives of Vionnet
Vionnet (company)
Vionnet is a haute couture label founded by the French couturier Madeleine Vionnet. Established in 1912, the house of Vionnet closed in 1939 before to be formally resurrected in 2006.-From 1912 to 1914:...
and Schiaparelli; then with the cooperation of both houses she redesigned Simpson’s clothing. "Some of the pieces that the duchess actually ordered I thought were hideous,” Phillips said. "Those wouldn’t work for the movie, so we modified and invented. Wallis wasn’t pretty; she was handsome, at best. In England, it was noted over and over how unattractive she was. But Wallis was a lot of fun—very entertaining. She had a freedom to her that was definitely reflected in her clothes; the duchess was all about presentation. And that became her refuge, and her prison."
Casting
| Cast list | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actor | Role | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abbie Cornish Abbie Cornish Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-... |
Wally Winthrop | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| James D'Arcy James D'Arcy -Early life:James D'Arcy was born as Simon D'Arcy and grew up in Fulham, London, with his mother, Caroline and his younger sister Charlotte. His father died when he was young. After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, he went to Australia for a year and worked in the drama... |
King Edward VIII Edward VIII of the United Kingdom Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Andrea Riseborough Andrea Riseborough -Early life:Riseborough grew up in Whitley Bay. In reference to The Long Walk To Finchley, she has described her parents as "working-class Thatcherites".... |
Wallis Simpson | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judy Parfitt Judy Parfitt Judy Parfitt is a BAFTA-nominated English theatre, film and television actress who began her career on stage in 1954.-Life and work:... |
Queen Mary Mary of Teck Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V.... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Geoffrey Palmer Geoffrey Palmer (actor) Geoffrey Dyson Palmer, OBE is an English actor, best known for his roles in sitcoms such as Butterflies and As Time Goes By.-Career:... |
Stanley Baldwin | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oscar Isaac Oscar Isaac -Personal life:Isaac was born in Guatemala to a Guatemalan mother, Maria Estrada Nicolle, and a Cuban pulmonologist father, Oscar Gonzalo Hernandez. He was raised in Miami, Florida. While in Miami, he played lead guitar and sang vocals for his band "The Blinking Underdogs"... |
Evgeni | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard Coyle Richard Coyle Richard Coyle is an English actor.-Early life:Coyle was born in Sheffield, England to Irish parents. He began his acting career after a stint working on a ferry entertaining passengers, where he was told by a theatre director that he had a talent and should pursue it further... |
William Winthrop | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| James Fox James Fox James Fox, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:James Fox was born in London, England to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His... |
King George V George V of the United Kingdom George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936.... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laurence Fox Laurence Fox Laurence Fox is an English actor best known for his leading role as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in the British TV drama series Lewis... |
Bertie George VI of the United Kingdom George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Natalie Dormer Natalie Dormer Natalie Dormer is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Victoria in Casanova and as the ill-fated queen Anne Boleyn in the Showtime series The Tudors.-Early life and current lifestyle:... |
Queen Elizabeth Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lourdes Leon | Wally Winthrop (young) |
Madonna started work on the casting of W.E, after coming back from Africa where she was working on her Raising Malawi
Raising Malawi
Raising Malawi is a charity non-profit organization that was founded by Madonna and Michael Berg in 2006. It is dedicated to helping with the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi's one million orphans.-Mission statement:-Charity fundraiser:...
initiative. She recalled how she found the task of casting actors for different parts as difficult, since many of them would deny to sign for a particular role. Madonna contrasted the process of film casting with her task of making a new album, where she can easily choose the people she wants to work with. Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish
Abbie Cornish is an Australian actress. She is well known in Australia for a number of film and television roles, particularly her award-winning lead performance in 2004's Somersault, and internationally for her role as Fanny Brawne in Bright Star and her appearance as Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch.-...
was signed to play the part of Wally Winthrop, while King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson was played by James D'Arcy
James D'Arcy
-Early life:James D'Arcy was born as Simon D'Arcy and grew up in Fulham, London, with his mother, Caroline and his younger sister Charlotte. His father died when he was young. After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, he went to Australia for a year and worked in the drama...
and Andrea Riseborough
Andrea Riseborough
-Early life:Riseborough grew up in Whitley Bay. In reference to The Long Walk To Finchley, she has described her parents as "working-class Thatcherites"....
respectively. Winthrop's Russian love interest Evgeni was played by Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac
-Personal life:Isaac was born in Guatemala to a Guatemalan mother, Maria Estrada Nicolle, and a Cuban pulmonologist father, Oscar Gonzalo Hernandez. He was raised in Miami, Florida. While in Miami, he played lead guitar and sang vocals for his band "The Blinking Underdogs"...
and her husband William will be played by Richard Coyle
Richard Coyle
Richard Coyle is an English actor.-Early life:Coyle was born in Sheffield, England to Irish parents. He began his acting career after a stint working on a ferry entertaining passengers, where he was told by a theatre director that he had a talent and should pursue it further...
. Actress Vera Farmiga
Vera Farmiga
Vera Ann Farmiga is an American actress and director. Farmiga made her film debut in the 1998 drama thriller Return to Paradise. This was followed by supporting roles in the 2000 romantic film Autumn in New York and the 2001 television series UC: Undercover...
was initially asked for the role of Simpson. Farmiga commented:
Madonna approached me. We sat for a cup of tea and again for a cup of tea. Hopefully, it will all come together. I'm actually not familiar with her work, and I told her this flat-out. She sent a couple of films and I still haven't seen them... But no matter. I don't really go by that. I go by other things. I go by scripts. I go with what I think I can do with a character and if I feel a kinetic energy with someone and I feel we can uplift and challenge each other.
Farmiga later withdrew from the project as she had fallen pregnant with her second child, and Riseborough replaced her. Cornish commented on her role as Winthrop, "Madonna is a strong, independent woman who doesn't need a man to define her – and that's admirable. She's studied every aspect of what happened with Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII. [...] It's a fascinating insight into class and romance. Madonna's created a contemporary woman—who I will play—called Wally, who is fascinated by what happened to Mrs. Simpson." Madonna's daughter Lourdes was offered a part, but Madonna decided against the idea. However, she later allowed Lourdes to appear for a minor role in the film. The part she played was later confirmed by Cornish in an interview in March 2011 as the younger self of her character Wally Winthrop.
Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a Scottish actor. He has had success in mainstream, indie, and art house films. McGregor is perhaps best known for his roles as heroin addict Mark Renton in the drama Trainspotting , young Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy , and poet Christian in the...
was offered the part of King Edward VIII, but was later replaced by James D'Arcy
James D'Arcy
-Early life:James D'Arcy was born as Simon D'Arcy and grew up in Fulham, London, with his mother, Caroline and his younger sister Charlotte. His father died when he was young. After completing his education at Christ's Hospital in 1991, he went to Australia for a year and worked in the drama...
. Additionally, producer David Parfitt
David Parfitt
David Parfitt is a film producer and actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1998 for Shakespeare in Love....
and casting director Nina Gold also quit W.E., with sources claiming that the duo had "creative differences" with Madonna and found that she struggled to "collaborate and delegate". Actress Margo Stilley
Margo Stilley
Margo Stilley is an American actress and former model.-Biography:Stilley grew up in Conway, South Carolina, and left as a teenager to model in Milan before moving to London at the age of 18....
was to play the role of Lady Thelma Furness, but left the project, citing "artistic differences" with Madonna. Stilley said: "I had the role, but we had artistic differences. She (Madonna) is really something. I wish the cast luck because they are all really talented." Judy Parfitt
Judy Parfitt
Judy Parfitt is a BAFTA-nominated English theatre, film and television actress who began her career on stage in 1954.-Life and work:...
joined the cast to portray Queen Mary and Geoffrey Palmer
Geoffrey Palmer (actor)
Geoffrey Dyson Palmer, OBE is an English actor, best known for his roles in sitcoms such as Butterflies and As Time Goes By.-Career:...
as Stanley Baldwin. Real-life father and son James
James Fox
James Fox, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:James Fox was born in London, England to theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. He is the brother of actor Edward Fox and film producer Robert Fox. The actress Emilia Fox is his niece and the actor Laurence Fox is his son. His...
and Laurence Fox
Laurence Fox
Laurence Fox is an English actor best known for his leading role as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in the British TV drama series Lewis...
were signed to the parts of King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and his son, Bertie—Edward's younger brother. BBC reported that members of the London Welsh Center
London Welsh School
The London Welsh School, or Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain in Welsh, is a Welsh medium primary school in London, England. The Welsh language is the language of instruction for all classes and activities. The London Welsh School's origins date back to language classes taught in 1955, and a dedicated school...
expressed interest in appearing for a scene in the film, which involves Edward being shocked at the living conditions in Welsh mining villages. A spokesperson for the centre, which was contacted by the film's casting agency, said: "I've had about 15 phone calls this morning, and yesterday was bedlam because everybody wants to be in a film with Madonna." The centre said Welsh-speakers were needed as extras to create scenes based on Edward's visits to the south Wales valleys in the 1930s. Actress Natalie Dormer
Natalie Dormer
Natalie Dormer is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Victoria in Casanova and as the ill-fated queen Anne Boleyn in the Showtime series The Tudors.-Early life and current lifestyle:...
was cast to play the part of a young Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
(Queen Mother). Dormer reflected on the role, saying: "This country tends to remember the Queen Mother as a rather wrinkly 97 year-old, but I am playing her when she was quite an enchanting, engaging twenty and thirty-something. [...] She was quite a savage and savvy game player." Dormer's assertion of the role was confirmed by royal historian Hugo Vickers, who was sought by Madonna to advise her on the characteristics of the different members of the royal family. He confirmed that Madonna was portraying Queen Mother as an unfavorable influence on the relationship between Edward VIII and Simpson.
Filming
The film started shooting on July 5, 2010, on locations in London and Home Counties, with forays in New York and France. The Daily Mail reported that Madonna chose a pub in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
in West London, on July 21, 2010, to shoot some scenes for the film. She chose the top two floors of The Abingdon Pub, and worked for almost five hours there. This was followed by shooting scenes in the Club Quarters of Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of...
on July 26, 2010. Other places where filming took place include the Stoke Park Club
Stoke Park Club
Stoke Park is a historic estate in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire. The Mansion is located amongst of parkland, lakes, historic gardens and monuments. The site is now a hotel, spa and country club....
Hotel and Spa in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. Then filming moved to France, where on July 29, 2010, Madonna shot scenes with D'Arcy and Riseborough in Palm Beach in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, south of France and on the port of Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...
on July 30, 2010. Scenes were also shot at the Hotel Le Meurice, with Cornish in a new look consisting of dyed black hair, pale skin and a fitted black dress. She shot footage of a ten second bath scene for the film. While shooting with Riseborough, Madonna and her team approached jewellery company Cartier
Cartier SA
Cartier S.A., commonly known as Cartier , is a French luxury jeweler and watch manufacturer. The corporation carries the name of the Cartier family of jewellers whose control ended in 1964 and who were known for numerous pieces including the "Bestiary" , the diamond necklace created for Bhupinder...
to create copies of Simpson's extensive gem collection, which Riseborough had to wear during filming. However, one of the bracelets slipped off from Riseborough's arm while shooting, and was lost in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
. Madonna had to immediately order for replicating the jewellry.
In September, Madonna shot some scenes involving Lourdes. Shooting took place around Mayfair, outside the hotel Claridge's
Claridge's
Claridge's is a luxury hotel in Mayfair, central London. It is located at the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street.-History:Claridge's is a traditional grand hotel. Its extensive and old connections with royalty have led to it being referred to as an "extension to Buckingham Palace"...
, as well as in a set of Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
, created in Aldwych
Aldwych
Aldwych is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England.-Description:Aldwych, the road, is a crescent, connected to the Strand at both ends. At its centre, it meets the Kingsway...
. Lourdes' scenes required her to be dressed as a schoolgirl. The same month, filming moved to New York, where Madonna shot scenes in Brooklyn. A dance sequence was shot where D'Arcy had to do a ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, but he did not know how to do it and was requested by Madonna to learn the steps. D'Arcy described the sequence as "this extraordinary beautiful dance with lifts
Figure skating lifts
Figure skating lifts are a required element in pair skating and ice dancing. Pairs lifts differ from dance lifts most notably in that dancers are not allowed to lift their partners above their shoulders...
and twirls and I can't do that, but you do because she [Madonna] somehow makes the impossible possible and it gives you amazing self esteem when you do these things." Although the dance scene did not make the final cut of the film, Madonna also asked D'Arcy to learn to play bagpipes
Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of musical instrument, aerophones, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes of many different types come from...
in six weeks and to ride horses.
Release and promotion
In February 2011, Madonna held a private screening of the trailer for W.E. at the Berlin Film Festival. The attendance included a Q&AQuestions and Answers
Questions and Answers was a topical debate television programme in the Republic of Ireland. It was shown on RTÉ One at 22:35 on Monday nights, running for approximately one hour. The show was presented by John Bowman since 1988; he was preceded by Olivia O'Leary from 1986–88...
session from Madonna and was intended to sell the film to distributors. The rights were acquired by Optimum Releasing
Optimum Releasing
StudioCanal UK is a film distributor company working in the UK and Ireland. The company releases many films, including foreign language films, anime releases such as Studio Ghibli's films and independent British, Irish and American films in the UK and sometimes Ireland.Optimum was acquired by...
for the UK market, The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
for the US release and Village Roadshow for Australia and New Zealand. Weinstein promoted the film as Madonna's first full-length directorial venture, since her previous directed film, Filth and Wisdom
Filth and Wisdom
Filth and Wisdom is the first film directed by Madonna, starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England from May 14 to May 29, 2007 with additional scenes shot in July 2007....
, was considered a short film by them for its runtime of 81 minutes. Madonna had hoped to premiere the film at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, but could not do so since she was still making finishing touches to the soundtrack and there were three weeks more of post production to complete before the film was ready to be screened to an international audience. A representative for the film festival said that, "[w]hile the movie's distributors will attend the festival, they will preview select cuts to buyers at private screenings instead of showing the entire feature." The Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
columnist Baz Bamingboye reported that W.E. would be premiered at the 2011 Venice Film Festival
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
, where it would be screened out of the competition. W.E. was shown at the festival on September 1, 2011, with Madonna attending the premiere, along with the principal cast. Other film festivals where W.E was shown included the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
2011 Toronto International Film Festival
The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 18, 2011.Buenos Aires, Argentina was selected to be showcased for the 2011 City to City programme. The opening film was From the Sky Down, a documentary film about the band...
in the same month. Along with the film festivals, still images from W.E. were released in the September 2011 issue of Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
magazine.
Madonna had secured backing from Indian billionaire Anil Ambani
Anil Ambani
Anil Dhirubhai Ambani is an Indian-Gujarati business baron and chairman of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, one of the largest private conglomerates. Anil's elder brother, Mukesh Ambani, is worth more than 29 billion dollars, and owns another company called Reliance Industries...
's IM Global film financiers. A correspondent for Madonna said that they were looking towards a London premiere late 2011 or early 2012 – the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year – which Madonna hopes will allow them to capitalize on its British Royal theme. A spokesman for Optimum Releasing, the film's UK distributor, said: "The film was not due to be shown in Cannes. It is in post production and will now be released early next year." Weinstein Company announced in June 2011, that they planned to release W.E on December 9, 2011, in the United States. It will open in New York and Los Angeles on the said date, expanding to additional markets throughout the month, before the wide release intended for mid-January. Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein, CBE is an American film producer and movie studio chairman. He is best known as co-founder of Miramax Films. He and his brother Bob have been co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, their film production company, since 2005...
, head of The Weinstein Company, said of the release date: "Madonna beautifully interweaves past and present in W.E., It's a very smart film, and a stunning directorial debut. I'm incredibly excited about this movie and I wanted to give it a prominent release date." After the showcase of the film in Venice and Toronto film festivals, Weinstein decided to cut the time of the film by about ten minutes. Talk of making changes began in advance of the Toronto showcase, and after negotiating with Madonna, they finally decide to remove around ten minutes from the film. Plans were changed later and Weinstein confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the film would have only a limited, one-week run beginning on December 9, 2011, before opening wide on February 3, 2012.
Reception
In June 2011, Alison Boshoff from Daily Mail reported that a test screening of W.E., that was kept under wraps, was said to have allegedly drawn up negative reception from its audience. Viewers believed the film did not add up and seemed more like an advertisement than what its production values were. After its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, it received mixed reviews. Some news sources reported that "critics were completely divided on their opinions". When nine reviews of the critics who had seen the film in Venice were tabulated, The Huffington PostThe Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
gave the film the overall critical score of D. Steve Pond of Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
theorized that W.E probably would not help in "turning Madonna's faltering movie career". Kyle Buchanan of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
wondered whether W.E. would receive any significant film related awards, as predicted by industry prognosticators. He concluded that the film "still may [receive awards], but to judge from some of the vicious pans coming out of Venice today, it might have longer legs as a Razzie front-runner." Daily Mails Baz Bamigboye gave the film a mostly positive review, saying that "A lot of people will loathe it, simply because it’s been made by Madonna. But if people were to watch it with no knowledge of who directed, they would be pleasantly surprised. They might even find much of it enjoyable." David Gritten of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
gave the film three stars and a mixed review stating that, "Madonna's W.E. is a bold and confident story about an American woman's obsession with the Windsors." Gritten complimented Riseborough and Cornish's acting but felt that the film looked like a commercial of expensive items, thus making it appeal to younger women for its fashion portrayal.
Negative reviews came from Xan Brooks of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, who gave the film one star, describing it as "a primped and simpering folly, the turkey that dreamed it was a peacock. Brooks predicted that the film "may even surpass 2008's Filth and Wisdom
Filth and Wisdom
Filth and Wisdom is the first film directed by Madonna, starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England from May 14 to May 29, 2007 with additional scenes shot in July 2007....
, Madonna's calamitous first outing as a film-maker. Her direction is so all over the shop that it barely qualifies as direction at all." Pointing out a scene, he added that "Wallis bound on stage to dance with a Masai tribesman while Pretty Vacant blares on the soundtrack. But why? What point is she making? That social-climbing Wallis-Simpson was the world's first punk-rocker?" Todd McCarthy from The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
wrote that the film resembled a documentary of a woman out on shopping. McCarthy felt that the storyline was especially dreary during the portrayal of the love affair between Wally and Evgeni. "For the audience, Wally, despite Cornish's gentle and warm presence, offers very little in terms of personal interest or as a key into the world of one of the last century's most discussed couples." However, McCarthy praised cinematographer Hagen Bogdaski's work. Oliver Lyttelton of indieWire
IndieWire
indieWIRE is a daily news site for the independent film community. It covers indie, documentary and foreign language films, as well industry news, film festival reports, filmmaker interviews and movie reviews...
also slammed the film stating that "the use of music is horrible" and "We’ve never looked forward to Madonna going back on tour more, if only because it means that we’ll know, for certain, that she won’t be using that time to direct another movie." Emma Pritchard from Grazia
Grazia
Grazia is an Italian weekly women's fashion and celebrity gossip magazine, with international editions printed in France, Serbia, Australia, United Kingdom, Greece, Portugal, Japan, the Netherlands, India, Bulgaria and Germany....
added that "Wallis Simpson was the kind of woman who was accused of being more style than substance – and that, alas, is what Madonna has recreated on screen with W.E." Mark Adams of Screen Daily singled out Riseborough's performance as a "highlight", but overall felt that the film was disappointing. Leslie Felperin from Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
was disappointed in the film, saying that it is "burdened with risible dialogue and weak performances". Felperin felt that the reason for the film's downfall was its script, which attended to the costumes and fashion more than the actual story, which she felt had much potential, but was unused.
Soundtrack
Initial reports claimed that Madonna had composed the score of the film with producerRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
William Orbit
William Orbit
William Orbit is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has also co-produced several unreleased Madonna songs originally recorded for other albums...
with Polish composer Abel Korzeniowski
Abel Korzeniowski
Abel Korzeniowski is a Polish film and theatre scores composer.He had contact with music from early childhood: his mother Barbara plays cello and both his brothers Antoni and Andrzej are musicians. He graduated from the Academy of Music in Kraków majoring in cello and composer studies under the...
assisting them. However the latter is only credited as music composer for the film.
Production credits
- MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
– director, screenplay, producer - Alek KeshishianAlek KeshishianAlek Keshishian is a Lebanese-born Armenian film director. He is best known for his 1991 film Madonna: Truth or Dare, which for a time was the highest-grossing documentary of all time....
– screenplay - Kris Thykier – producer
- Colin Vaines – co-producer
- Sara Zambreno – co-producer
- Scott Franklin – executive producer
- Donna Gigliotti – executive producer
- Harvey WeinsteinHarvey WeinsteinHarvey Weinstein, CBE is an American film producer and movie studio chairman. He is best known as co-founder of Miramax Films. He and his brother Bob have been co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, their film production company, since 2005...
- executive producer - Hagen Bogdanski – director of photography
- Abel KorzeniowskiAbel KorzeniowskiAbel Korzeniowski is a Polish film and theatre scores composer.He had contact with music from early childhood: his mother Barbara plays cello and both his brothers Antoni and Andrzej are musicians. He graduated from the Academy of Music in Kraków majoring in cello and composer studies under the...
– music composer
- Elaine Grainger – casting
- Lucinda Syson – casting
- Martin ChildsMartin ChildsMartin Childs, M.B.E., , is a British production designer. He won the 1998 Academy Award for best Art Direction-Set Decoration for Shakespeare in Love, and was nominated for the 2001 Academy Award...
– production design - Huw Arthur – art direction
- Mark Raggett – supervising art director
- Celia Bobak – set decoration
- Arianne PhillipsArianne PhillipsArianne Phillips is a costume designer. She has also been Madonna's stylist and has designed and styled her last four concert tours. She has worked with Lenny Kravitz, Courtney Love, No Doubt and Justin Timberlake...
– costume design - Jenny Shircore – make-up and hair designer
Production credits as per W.E. press release from Madonna.com and The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
. and the official film website.