The trailer for W.E., directed by Madonna and starring Andrea Riseborough, Abbie Cornish, James D’Arcy and Oscar Isaac, has arrived courtesy of Moviefone where they don’t even attempt to weigh in with an opinion, but merely present the trailer and link to the official website.
This is a film that has been met with very little fanfare wherever it has played as damage control began shortly after highly negative reviews out of the Venice Film Festival. The Weinstein Co. had originally intended a major Oscar push, but have now decided on releasing the film in New York and Los Angeles on December 9 and then going wide on February 3, 2012. To say it seems they aren’t expecting much word of mouth seems to be a bit obvious.
Madonna not only directed the feature, but co-wrote it with Alek Keshishian, as she sets out to tell the story of the affair between King Edward VIII (D’Arcy) and Wallis Simpson (Riseborough) that led to the British royal abdicating the throne to marry his divorcee lover.
After watching the trailer I will admit it doesn’t present a film I would immediately believe could be the travesty many have painted it to be. Even the clips some have derided didn’t appear to be nearly as awful as others took them to be. The costumes and production design look great and I’m up for giving it a shot. Of course, with lowered expectations it may appeal to me more than it would have had I been one of the first to see it. Then again, I’d rather like a movie than not, and all are worth a shot.
Have a look at the trailer below and let me know what you think.
