Editorial Reviews:
"Affecting and richly enjoyable" ?Radio Times He gave up the throne. What she gave up was perhaps even more painful. Was American divorcée Wallis Simpson a scheming seductress bent on becoming Queen of England? Or did she get caught up in something she did not understand and could not stop? Based on extensive research, this new drama?starring Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck, 101 Dalmatians) and Stephen Campbell Moore (A Good Woman, Bright Young Things)?marks the first time the famous love story has been told from her point of view. When their love affair begins, Edward, Prince of Wales, is a charismatic playboy, and Wallis is married to her second husband, businessman Ernest Simpson. Because Edward has had a string of mistresses, his affair with Wallis does nothing more serious than raise a few aristocratic eyebrows. But once he becomes King, the establishment demands that he give up Wallis. His refusal to do so puts her in the middle of the bitter struggle between the King?s heart and his duty to the royal family and the nation. Also starring Miriam Margolyes (The Age of Innocence, Ladies in Lavender) and Margaret Tyzack (The Forsyte Saga, Match Point). DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE interview with writer Sarah Williams, production notes, production photo gallery, historical photo gallery, and cast filmographies.
Wallis Simpson was the been-around-the-block American siren who lured a King of England from his throne, forever changing history. Or was she? The layered and gripping Wallis & Edward a lushly produced British film, dares to look at the infamous affair from the point of view of Mrs. Simpson, and rather sympathetically at that. Simpson, played with an enticing wry humor by the splendid Joely Richardson, is quite happy with her second husband, Ernest, when we meet them at the beginning of the story. Mutual friends introduce them to the Prince of Wales, a callow, rather feckless playboy (played by Stephen Campbell Moore), who becomes transfixed by Mrs. Simpson's refusal to fawn over him. And the chase is on. Richardson is a wonder in the role, bringing sympathy and anguish to the choices faced by her character. If some of the plot points seem a bit hard to swallow--that, say, Ernest, after having a man-to-man with the prince, is the one who encourages a divorce and essentially hands over his wife to Edward--the overall execution is delightful, and, no small feat for a story so well known, completely involving until the end. The behind-the-scenes scheming of the monarchy and those invested in its continuation is sometimes chilling, but always entertaining. At a gala ball, where the Simpsons have arrived as reluctant guests, Edward's mother, the Queen--so laden in jewels virtually none of her hair, neck, or shoulders is visible--sniffs at the vulgarity of the American who dares to wear "rubies and emeralds." There'll always be an England--and there'll always be a fascination with the affair that brought down a King. --A.T. Hurley
Customer Reviews:
Displaying 1 to 5 of 6 total reviews (Page 1 of 2):
 A Delightful Movie
It's a television movie so beautifully made. The acting is superb. Stephen Campbell Moore was fantastic in a hit Broadway play, The History Boys, 2 years ago. I was so impressed with his stage performance at the time. Watching this movie reminded me what a great actor he is.
Joely Richardson is also wonderful. She makes you believe that Wallis is a woman worthy of a fight. Indeed in this movie, Edward fought hard for her. Edward was considered a "weak" character in some books. But in this film, he is portrayed as a forceful, romantic and stubborn Prince and then King.
The story may not be historically accurate. But if you could just take it as a romantic story, told in grand style, you are in for a delightful treat.
Old Story, New Twist
The tale has been told a million times, but this one takes the view point of Wallis, who comes across as almost as tragic as Edward who gave up his throne for her. Good acting and well done script put this production over the top. Not too long, and paced beautifully. Well worth watching.  A More Sympathetic View of Simpson
This is a gorgeous production of a script, written by a woman who felt that Wallis Simpson had been unfairly villified in England and wanted to present another viewpoint. The story, itself, is fascinating and one can only wonder at the real truths...Did Mrs. Simpson cold-heartedly go after Edward? Did she want to become Queen of England? Did she really want to stay married to Mr. Simpson and just have an affair with Edward? And finally, did she really love this man?
This writer gives us her version, which is much more sympathetic to Wallis Simpson than others. Here Wallis is shown to want to have stepped out of the picture and to have Edward take the throne. What remained a question in my mind was whether the woman really loved the man or if she was grabbing at what she considered was her last chance at security. It is quite obvious that Edward was truly mad about her but I never got that she genuinely cared about him. She was flattered by the attention, and as a woman who had grown up as a poor child in America, the atmosphere in which she found herself as his favorite was certainly a heady one. Even her husband enjoyed it for a while. But did she love him?
Joely Richardson plays the enigmatic Mrs. Simpson, as self assured and supposedly charming. I felt that in the attempt to make the character more vulnerable and sympathetic to the viewer, that her beauty and charm were given short shrift. I don't consider Ms. Richardson particularly beautiful and, if I hadn't known the story I would have wondered what the Prince saw in her. When we saw the photos of the real pair, one could easily see the beauty and charm.
I found Stephen Campbell Moore amazing as Edward. He looked very much like the photos and seemed to perfectly embody his idealistic, romantic, perhaps foolish character. His portrayal made the man very believable. He had style, charm and beauty enough for both of them.
Like many others, I grew up hearing about this couple and saw pictures of them in their later years as they cruised from one fashionable spot to another. And I had heard his famous abdication speech many times. So I always had the impression that this was a great love story. Maybe it was, but in this film it comes across as more tragic and sad. In spite of the intentions of the writer, I found that the character of Wallis Simpson was still very unsympathetic.
This film is quite beautifully done and certainly piques your interest to know more. A Totally New Point of View
This "Wallis and Edward" story is totally unlike any I have seen. I'm fascinated by the story, or I wouldn't be buying all the versions. I would have liked it to be longer, of course, with more detail, but the length (less than 2 hours) could be considered an advantage.
This version presents things the way Wallis may have viewed them. Very unusual is the idea that she didn't want to divorce Ernest Simpson at all, she considered they had a good "partnership," she was sure the future king (Edward)would eventually tire of her and move on to a new fling. This is in contrast with the 7 CD set by the BBC, which gives all the details of the parliamentary involvement and the legal issues, and which presented Wallis as thinking she could become Queen of England and setting out with a definite plan to totally captivate Crown Prince Edward and remove him from the influence of his other married paramours.
It's also totally different from the portrayal of Wallis and Edward in "Bertie and Elizabeth," which paints both Wallis and Edward in a very negative light, especially in comparison to Bertie and Elizabeth, well respected for their exemplary lifestyle and sacrifice and courage during WWII.
Since obviously there are details of the Wallis/Edward relationship and history that no one, perhaps not even the persons involved, can ever really know, the film would have to be labeled "based on history." But Joely is fabulous and the actor who portrays Edward is also quite good, although other performances have captured better the physical appearance, voice, and mannerisms of the famous lovers.
Summary: I highly recommend this film for aficionados of the British Royal Family. Wallis and Edward
Extremely good acting.Different from the other movies about this pair, in that, it tells the story more from Wallis viewpoint.I very much enjoy British films about British people, especially the Royals. More Customer Reviews:
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