We showed you the trailer for Madonna's historical drama W.E. a few weeks ago, and I for one was surprised by how solid it looks. Madonna's name isn't exactly synonymous with cinematic quality, and there's all the more reason to be skeptical since the singer isn't acting in this one -- she's co-writing and directing. The film got some less-than-positive buzz at the Venice Film Festival, and Madonna agreed to make some cuts, but hopefully those will serve the film well. Assuming, of course, that her cuts make the final film more interesting than this new poster.
So what's so bad about that? Got some positive blurbs on there, got a loving couple in a memorable pose. Snazzy color scheme. And this previously released still recycled into double-duty as the movie poster. It's the sort of thing the movie industry does all the time on their posters, just like the "floating heads" trope or the "looking through somebody's legs" pose. And this one is at least a bit more artfully done than most, but I'm a sucker for a well-done movie poster, and this just seems lazy. It is interesting that Madonna's name isn't trumpeted any more than it is. She just gets the slightly larger than normal font down at the bottom of the credits.
W.E. tells the story of the scandalous romance between King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom and American socialite Wallis Simpson. Edward's proposal to Wallis spurred a political crisis, finally resulting in the King abdicating his throne rather than end their relationship. In the film Edward is played by James D'Arcy and Wallis Simpson is played by Andrea Riseborough. W.E. opens in limited release tomorrow, then goes wide on February 3rd.
