Madonna royal biopic given mixed reviews at Venice

Madonna's film W.E., about US divorcee Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII, has received mixed reviews after its first screening at the Venice Film Festival.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the royal biopic is "better than expected" and "not without amusing moments".

But the Guardian dismissed the film as "a primped and simpering folly".

Speaking to the press in the Italian city, the 53-year-old said she had "identified" with the woman blamed for the 1936 abdication crisis.

"I think it's very common when people become celebrities or public figures or icons that we are often reduced to a soundbite.

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AnalysisWill GompertzArts editor, BBC News

Madonna's movie is about a woman defined by her public profile, whose character is assassinated by a thousand critical soundbites.

You can see why the story of Wallis Simpson appealed to The Material Girl. She said as much in the press conference this afternoon. And what a strange event that was; again reflecting Madonna's life back into the themes of her movie.

Most press functions are staid and rather dull affairs. Not Madonna's. The huge conference room was packed, snappers jostled for position along the sides and a mountain of TV crews bulged from the back wall. As the rookie director took to the stage a round of spontaneous clapping and cheering broke out.

After half-an-hour or so of pleasantries, the proceedings were brought to an end, at which point something truly extraordinary happened.

What must have been 500-or-so members of the press left their seats (and their senses) en masse and flooded forward to the stage where Madonna was sitting, frantically waving their programmes in the air and begging for an autograph.

I have never seen anything like it.

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"You're given a few attributes and then you're not allowed to have anything more than that," added the singer and film-maker.

Madonna said her ex-husbands - movie directors Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie - had encouraged her creative ambitions and been "very supportive".

She added that any initial worries about being pre-empted by The King's Speech - which also touched upon Edward VIII's abdication - soon dissipated.

"I thought, 'oh dear, if someone else is making a movie about the same time-frame, then who would be interested in my movie?'" she told reporters.

"But then I saw the film and I saw that it was from a completely different point of view.

"I view the success of that film as sort of laying the groundwork for my movie. There is a little bit of history and a little bit of knowledge and we are not starting with a blank slate."

Writing for the Daily Mail, showbusiness columnist Baz Bamigboye said W.E. was "exquisitely done" but was sure to be divisive because of Madonna's involvement.

"It also happens to be one of the best-dressed movies of the year," he adds. "The costumes, as you would expect from the original material girl, are eye-popping."

Britain's Andrea Riseborough portrays Simpson in Madonna's second outing behind the camera, which has its official Venice premiere on Thursday evening.

Roman Polanski's new film Carnage will also have its premiere on the Lido, Venice's sea-facing island and base for the annual 10-day festival.