W.E. movie

[VintageBaroness]

True, true. If only the English had more of the French about them.

Well, Victoria DID marry her first cousin . Thanks for the book title, Mrs. C-C!

 

[Edward]

Well, Victoria DID marry her first cousin . Thanks for the book title, Mrs. C-C!

Heh, well, it wasn't the French monarchy's attributes of which I was thinking.... The inbreeding sure does explain a lot about the Sax Coburgs, though!

 

[PADDY]

Has anyone in this thread actually 'seen' the movie, before commenting on it..?

Because 'if' you just go by hearsay and 'trial by press' then we 'all' know we get a distorted perspective that just isn't 'ours.' And we 'all' look for different things from our film watching at the flicks

OK - Saw the film/movie last night. Having read 'this thread' beforehand, I was actually going into the theatre 'thinking the worst!'And actually worrying that I was just throwing my money away. Because WORDS and THOUGHTS do have power when written down in this place and many of us read things to be better informed and seek advice.
As I was at a loss last night, and the movie was showing and I just thought, "Go make up your 'own' mind Paddy."

It's narrated through the eyes of a modern day former Sotheby's employee who has a fascination for Wallace and Edward (The W.E.).

The PreView of the Auction of the couple's estate is at Sotheby's in New York. She goes, sees many of the items which cover the period of their lives and one has flashbacks via each of those items to a key period.

The relationship of this modern girl with her Doctor/Psychiatrist Husband, mirrors some of the issues that Wallace Simpson experienced.

And 'YES' they do touch on the German visits and the Nazi sympathy issues, but...there's 'not' enough time in two hours to cover in detail the whole thing (that's like condensing Brideshead the series into Brideshead the movie!). So just accept that the Producer had to choose and focus on particular elements of their relationship and not everything.

Just 'GO and SEE IT'...and take it for what it is and enjoy the showing. If we all went out looking for the 'wrong things' or the 'things they just didn't get right' then we'd be stressed to the eye-balls and not enjoy anything

VERDICT: It was enjoyable and a lot better than the Chinese Whispers in this thread would lead one to believe Honest..!

 

[VintageBaroness]

Considering the exorbitant cost to see a movie in the theatres these days, I like to peruse reviews and hear the thoughts of others who might have seen it. In the ed, though, I have rarely been swayed one way or another by others if I have a mind to see something that piques my curiousity or speaks to my interests. In that vein, as I said in my first post, I'd go and see this flick just to ogle the 30s clothing.

Interesting to know that the film did touch on the nazi sympathy aspect. I take it Wally's letters to her first hubby were not touched on?

 

[swinggal]

Yes, I don't think they were, as the letters were only found last year, probably after Madonna began making W.E. I talked about these letters in another thread here too. They really do blow the lid on many aspects of their relationship and show that the romance of the century wasn't really that perfect.

I have also been reading a very good biography about Wallis that goes deep into the politics and the Nazi ties she and Edward (David) both shared. Something I've always known about but this book goes into it in a lot of depth.

 

[Edward]

If memory serves, read recently.... somewhere.... that the letters didn't come to light until after they'd pretty much wrapped, so they weren't included. Of course, they might not have been anyhow, depending upon what story Madonna wanted to tell - if she wanted to sell this as a big romance, they wouldn't quite fit. Not dissimilar to the way any suggestion of the Big Fella's having a dalliance with a lady in London during November / early December of 1921 was left out of Michael Collins in favour of amping up the romance story between him and fiance Kitty Kiernan. Of course, those wre rumours and never substantiated, but nonetheless they obviously didn't suit the story the filmmakers wanted to tell.

Interesting the Nazi element is touched on. There was a very good documentary on this on the History channel last year. The political machinations in the background is actually the most interesting part of the story to me - maybe now that the two Royal brother's stories have been told, this is the next film that might get made. I'll probably give Madge's effort a go when it hits the television, but alas a trip to the cinema is now too expensive for me to be able to justify it for something I probably won't enjoy, given that the same money could take me to a great live show here in London - off West End theatre, music, comedy, cabaret.... (Not that I do much other than sit in the office or at home with the cats, but hey!).

ETA: following a very positive review in The Chap last November, I bought my mother the book on Wallis - That Woman - for Christmas. I'm awaiting her review with interest.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's interesting to compare what we know now with what the general public view in America of "l'affaire Wally" was at the time. There was no talk at all of Nazi sympathies in the popular press -- none of that was widely known then -- instead, the whole business was played up as a heart-rending romantic epic, where the King was being kept from true happiness by his snobbish anti-American advisers, a good example of the love-hate relationship that Americans have always had with the British and the royals. The sob-sisters and tabloid muckwallowers had a field day with the story, and the isolationists used it as a way of whipping up anti-British sentiment -- "Those stuck-up phonies, an American girl isn't good enough to be their queen, is that it? Well, see if we ever save *their* bacon again, etc." Something tells me there might be a whiff of that in this film.

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

I Think the British working class were shocked that Wallis had "Stolen" their King, and she was probably the most hated woman of the time, Divorce was considered shocking to the general British public in the 1930's, I don't think there was a problem with her being Transatlantic

 

[swinggal]

The press in the UK were under strict orders at the time by the royal family not to write about Edward (or his brothers') flings or fancies, unless he was legitimately courting someone. That is how much power the royal family had at the time. They said, "Stay away," and the press did. Word about Wallis got out mainly through the US press and they had a field with the info. The UK press used to be very kind to the royals. A far cry from today.

 

[Edward]

The press in the UK were under strict orders at the time by the royal family not to write about Edward (or his brothers') flings or fancies, unless he was legitimately courting someone. That is how much power the royal family had at the time. They said, "Stay away," and the press did. Word about Wallis got out mainly through the US press and they had a field with the info. The UK press used to be very kind to the royals. A far cry from today.

Bagehot always said that the power of the monarchy lay in its mystique. The doors were blown right off this in the Diana era, and nowadays even papers that were formerly extremely servile, such as the Daily Mail, are not shy to critique the monarchy where they wish. The current crop of royals behave no better and no worse than their forebears throughout the centuries, the sole difference being that nowadays the public are aware of it. I find it rather horrify to think that such censorship once existed (albeit "censorship" by collusion and agreement rather than enforced), but that's the nature of changing society. I'm sure it's the same across most Western states that authority figures are now fair game in a way they never would have been in past generations. Sometimes this is a shame, often its very healthy.

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

[video=youtube;uvXCPDQOZFM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvXCPDQOZFM&feature=related[/video]

"Flipping Heck!"


[video=youtube;_jHbyQS3ZlA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jHbyQS3ZlA&feature=related[/video]

1978 six part BBC Series

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

[video=youtube;Q6CVHhoN5Xo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6CVHhoN5Xo&feature=relmfu[/video]

 

[VintageBaroness]

Oooh, thanks for posting that promo documentary, Mrs. C.C.!