W. E.
The man who would not be king
In recent days we have lived through the press the farewells and tributes to the late Queen of England Elizabeth II. Although British royalty has no effective power, exerts its influence over a large number of countries and attracts the attention of the world for being an icon of today. Many people have been looking for the series “The Crown”, to know more about the history of the queen and her surroundings. I was more curious about the case that provided the crown to Elizabeth’s father, which is told in the film “W. E.” (UK, 2011), and which was directed by the pop queen Madonna herself.
The film tells the story of Edward (James D’Arcy) and Bessie Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough). He was the crown prince of the British empire and she was a married American. The two maintained a passionate relationship, and he abdicated the throne to marry her.
The story is shown through the optics of Wally Winthrop (Abbie Cornish), an American who had worked long time in a famous auction house, but who had left her job to marry William (Richard Coyle), a brilliant and successful psychiatrist.
Wally, like her mother and grandmother, was fascinated by the story of Edward and Wallis. Her name, Wally, was given in honor of the famous character. The girl visits several times the auction house where she had worked, because there were exposed personal objects that belonged to the famous couple, and soon would be auctioned. Her frequent visits attract the attention of Evgeni (Oscar Isaac), one of the company’s security guards, especially after knowing her past in the company.
The film tells Wallis’ story in flashbacks in parallel with that of Wally, who also had her problems with an absent, controlling and sometimes aggressive husband. The difficult relationship with her husband, the passion for the famous couple and the delicate flirtation of Evgeni are the ingredients to trouble a situation that was already complicated.
Wallis’ life was also very troubled, starting with her first husband, an abusive U.S. Navy officer, even causing an abortion. The second husband, Ernest Simpson (David Harbour), quite different from the first, was considerate and understanding. Even so, he saw the marriage sink due Wallis’ unrestrained passion for the then crown prince of the English throne.
The two maintained an unobtrusive relationship that was the subject of the gossip newspapers of the time, scandalizing the conservative English society, and obviously the royal family itself.
According to his biographers, Edward did not have much affinity with royalty, although due to the illness of his father, George V (James Fox), he was obliged to assume many duties of the king, even without having reached the throne. Queen Mary (Judy Parfitt), Brother Bertie (Laurence Fox) and sister-in-law Elizabeth (Natalie Dormer) lived in constant friction with the future king because of his relation with Wallis.
The situation became untenable when George V died in 1936, and Edward took the throne. Determined to marry Wallis, he was advised by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin (Geoffrey Palmer) that political and religious reasons prevented this union. That same year Edward abdicated the throne in favor of Bertie, who became George VI. He was the father of Elizabeth, who took the throne in 1952, and who died last week.
Bertie’s previous story was shown in the film “The King’s Speech” (UK, 2010), with Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. The film shows Bertie’s difficulty in speaking, a feature also shown in “W. E.”.
The viewer may have some difficulty at the beginning of the film, because the actresses looked a lot alike and the scenes, even spaced in time, are quite similar. I believe this was purposeful to show the affinity between the two characters. Throughout the film, however, the stories are shown distinctly.
An interesting aspect is shown by the perception that Wallis’ loss was as devastating as Edward’s. If he had abdicated a royal title that was merely symbolic, she had to give up a normal life and her complete privacy.
The film did not have a very good reception at the time of release, but over time was gaining more positive reviews. The production is excellent, the sets very well done, and the costume design was nominated to the Academy prize 2012. The soundtrack is excellent and deserved a Golden Globe nomination, and the song “Masterpiece” was awarded in the category Best Original Song – Motion Picture.
As one might imagine, when it comes to such an iconic and controversial couple, the film’s story is just one among many circulating around. It is curious that there are so many cares and worries about a family with a history of scandals and gaffes, being a full plate for the gossip tabloids.
“W.E.” can be found on the Apple Plus streaming service.