is a 2011 historical romantic drama film written and directed by Madonna and starring Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, Oscar Isaac, Richard Coyle, and James D'Arcy.

But Wally's research, including several visits to Sotheby's auction of the Windsor estate, reveals that the couple's life together was not as perfect as she thought.

Although she is neglected, abused, and left sexually frustrated by William, her workaholic psychiatrist husband, she is comforted by the love story of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.

In 1930, Edward throws a party at his new home at Fort Belvedere in Windsor Great Park and meets Wallis through Lady Furness (his mistress).

After attending the auction at Sotheby's and spending ten thousand dollars, Wally returns home to a drunken William and they fight.

On the night of December 11, 1936, Edward announces by radio to the nation and the Empire that he is abdicating the throne in favour of his brother Bertie: "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love."

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.

[13] She said that if she brought up King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson at a dinner party or other social gathering, "It's like throwing a Molotov cocktail into the room.

[17] The singer saw Riseborough as a young Margaret Thatcher in the BBC film, The Long Walk to Finchley, and wanted her to play Simpson: "I was looking for a certain quality: something fragile, androgynous and yet feminine in a really old-fashioned way.

[21] Producer David Parfitt and casting director Nina Gold left W.E., with sources reporting that they had "creative differences" with Madonna and found that she struggled to "collaborate and delegate".

Dormer said about the role, "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.

[32] While shooting with Riseborough, Madonna and her team asked Cartier to create copies of Simpson's extensive gem collection for the film.

[33] Designer Arianne Phillips described filming which included Simpson's original jewelry: We were able to use archival pieces from Van Cleef & Arpels, which came with a revolving door of security guards.

According to D'Arcy, the scene was "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."

Simpson's character had about 80 costume changes, with dresses by designers such as Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Madeleine Vionnet, and Elsa Schiaparelli.

"[36] Other fashion designers who worked on the film included John Galliano and Issa, who provided clothes; Pierre Cartier supplied the jewels, and Stephen Jones the hats.

Phillips accessorized one dress with an organza skirt and a diamond-bow brooch at the neck and obtained duplicates of others from the Cos Prop costume store in London.

[37] According to Phillips, Edward's choice of clothes was specific and he rebelled against what his father dictated as the protocol for dress; he wore navy-blue tails (instead of black) as formal wear.

To re-create the look, Phillips contacted the luxury goods company Alfred Dunhill, which understood the bespoke tailoring available in London's Savile Row.

[40] The score features strings, electric guitar, harp, viola and piano, and the combination of instruments was used to bridge the film's two time periods.

[40] Korzeniowski and conductor Terry Davies recorded a 60-piece orchestra at London's Abbey Road Studios in April 2011, concentrating on the characters' emotional states; he was not very concerned with differentiating the film's time periods.

[41] Madonna contributed "Masterpiece", a new song produced by William Orbit which she co-wrote with Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry, to the soundtrack.

[citation needed] In the song, she sings about the pain of being in love with someone who is a great work of art: "If you were the Mona Lisa/ You'd be hanging in the Louvre/ Everyone would come to see you/ You'd be impossible to move.

exhibits director Madonna's keen eye for striking style, but this shallow biopic is too enamored with aesthetics to offer any insight into its subject.

Gritten praised Riseborough and Cornish's performances, but thought that the film looked like a commercial for expensive items and fashion and appealed only to younger women.

"[65] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film resembled a documentary about a woman on a shopping expedition, and found Wally and Evgeni's affair particularly dreary.

[66] Oliver Lyttelton of IndieWire also criticized the film, saying 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.

[69] Colin Kennedy of Metro called the film "disastrous", and its "judicious casting and handsome design [were] marred by a callow director's shaky shot selection".

[70] Simon Reynolds of Digital Spy described the film as "impeccably turned out with exquisite costume design", but felt that it was "barely enough to disguise its wildly inconsistent tone, chop-change visual style and snoozy performances.

"a shameless visual pleasure" and a "perfectly fine piece of oneiric cinema", praising Madonna's direction and Korzeniowski's music.