Wallis & Edward: The Television Movie

WALLIS & EDWARD

Helen of Troy was referred to by Christopher Marlowe as "the face that launched a thousand ships". Wallis Simpson was referred to by His Majesty Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor, as "the woman I love". Long seen as a scheming adventuress who tried to sleep her way to being Empress of India, her generation's Meghan Markle gets a more sympathetic portrayal in Wallis & Edward. Respectably acted with smooth pacing, Wallis & Edward shows Mrs. Simpson as a victim of her circumstances.

Life seems like a bowl of cherries for Wallis Simpson (Joely Richardson) and her second husband, Ernest (David Westhead). The Simpsons are welcomed in British high society despite their American roots. One person who soon takes a shine to the couple is Edward, the Prince of Wales (Stephen Campbell Moore). The happily unmarried heir to the British throne is currently involved with his latest mistress Thelma, Viscountess Furness (Helena Mitchell). 

It is not long, however, before the Prince Edward looks upon the brassy American as more than a friend. Wallis is conflicted. She loves Ernest and the security that he provides. However, Edward is besotted with her, and she soon falls to his charms. Wallis' aunt Bessie Merryman (Miriam Margolyes) advises her niece to not let His Royal Highness' attention and affection go to her head. Wallis is convinced that her liaison will be a temporary thing. Edward, she knows, will find a younger and prettier woman to romance and perhaps marry.

Wallis, however, had not counted on the Prince of Wales becoming bewitched by her, body and soul. She had done nothing to encourage his growing obsession. Worse, she is horrified at what the romance is doing to her reputation. Ernest confronts Edward about his intentions. Ernest also confesses that he has been having his own affair with a mutual friend. With that, the Simpsons agree to a divorce.

The timing of the Simpson divorce could not have come at a worse time. Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin (Richard Johnson) is both aghast and alarmed at Mrs. Simpson's arrival. If everything goes according to the now King Edward VIII's plans, there will be just enough of a gap between Wallis' divorce and his coronation for them to marry. The prospect of a twice-divorced American as Queen of England brings about a full constitutional crisis. The government is prepared to resign en masse. That would trigger a general election where the potential Queen would be the issue. A marriage, even morganatic, would be bad enough. Edward's offer to abdicate is more horrifying. 

Wallis does not want Edward to abdicate. Baldwin does not want Edward to abdicate. Edward's brother Bertie, Duke of York (Bill Champion), does not want Edward to abdicate. What will the future hold for our thwarted lovers?

Wallis & Edward has a major plus in Joely Richardson as the Duchess of Windsor. Richardson is part of two legendary British acting dynasties (Richardson and Redgrave). Despite her origins, Richardson's Southern tones never sounded forced or exaggerated. I do not know if they would convince Baltimore natives that her Wallis was indeed one of their own. However, Joely Richardson sounds just American enough to make it believable that she is not British.  

That is on the technical aspect. On the dramatic side, Richardson does well in portraying Wallis Simpson as someone caught up in this scandalous situation. The impression most people have of Wallis Simpson, I believe, is that she engineered so much of her affair with Edward to try and become Queen. Wallis & Edward, as written by Sarah Williams, argues that she in reality was horrified that things had spun so out of control. Had it been up to her, if Wallis & Edward is to be believed, Mrs. Simpson would rather have stayed married with Ernest. I believe that she at one point tells Ernest "Just because he's the King doesn't mean you have to hand over your wife". 

Wallis & Edward has a wonderful scene between Joely Richardson and David Westhead when he brings up the subject of divorce. Richardson's Wallis looks genuinely stunned at both the prospect of a divorce and Ernest's admission of his own adultery. Richardson makes Wallis into an almost innocent figure, someone convinced that her liaison is both unserious and fleeting.

I think Stephen Campbell Moore, curiously enough, is too handsome to be believable as Edward VIII. That being said, he also does well portraying Edward's growing obsession with his American mistress. When he claims that he will kill himself if she attempts to leave him, one does think that His Majesty is slipping into dangerous waters. Wallis & Edward also gives Moore a wonderful scene where he shows Edward's common touch. After giving a brief speech to working-class people, a young child's soccer ball accidentally goes towards the King. Instead of being startled, His Majesty begins an impromptu soccer match, bounding and kicking the ball in a friendly manner. It shows how Edward connected to his people and why some of his subjects fiercely opposed his abdication. 

Credit should also go to David Westhead for having, like Richardson, a very convincing American accent. Clifford Rose and Margaret Tyzack as King George V and Queen Mary also do strong work. Rose's declaration to Richard Johnson's Prime Minister Baldwin that "after I'm gone, the boy will ruin himself in twelve months" works well.

Miriam Margolyes has a smaller role as Aunt Bessie. She is also British, but she does her American accent well too. She is the voice of reason and comfort to the besieged Wallis.

I think a lesser appreciated performance is that of Bill Champion as Albert, Duke of York, who must succeed his elder brother as George VI. His scene where he silently breaks down sobbing on hearing Edward's abdication speech is quite effective. Less effective is Monica Dolan as Elizabeth, Duchess of York. She is portrayed as a bit elitist. Elizabeth is genuinely puzzled over why Mrs. Simpson's husband would have to work. This is a very strange tact to take given that Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, while hardly a coal miner's daughter, was more aware of society than her Windsor in-laws. 

One particularly ghastly moment in Wallis & Edward has nothing to do with the acting or David Moore's direction. It has to do with a horrendous error in Sarah Williams' screenplay. Winston Churchill (David Calder) is portrayed as Edward's greatest champion and friend. He and Moore have a wonderful scene where Churchill urges him to remain on the throne even if it means giving up Mrs. Simpson. Edward remarks that if Winston were asked to give up his wife and children for the throne, would he do it, leaving their pause to answer the question. 

The error is when Churchill, at the ball that Ernest and Wallis essentially crashed, addresses Edward as "Your Majesty". George V was very much alive at the time of this scene. He was the monarch giving the ball. As such, addressing the then-Prince of Wales as "Your Majesty" would have been more than incorrect. It would have been almost sacrilegious, suggesting that George V was either dead or overthrown. A devoted monarchist like Churchill, well-versed in Court etiquette, would never have called Edward, Prince of Wales as "Your Majesty" but instead as "Your Royal Highness". Granted, I'm one of the few who would notice such a thing. I am surprised that the British cast and crew did not notice that gaff. 

Wallis & Edward is a well-acted and produced production. It is sympathetic towards the Duchess, which is rather rare in how Wallis Simpson is usually seen. The television film ends at their wedding, so we do not get the story of their long exile. "You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance", the Duchess of Windsor once observed. Wallis & Edward makes for a good quick primer on this story, be it one of the twentieth century's greatest love stories or one of its greatest tragedies. 

Edward, Duke of Windsor: 1894-1972
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor: 1896-1986

7/10