Madonna has been trying to be taken seriously in Hollywood since she debuted on the big screen in 1985. “Desperately Seeking Susan” was followed the next year by the critical and commercial flop “Shanghai Surprise.” “Who’s That Girl,” “Dick Tracy” and “A League of Their Own” didn’t help. The 1996 musical “Evita” did — but she threw all goodwill away with 2002’s “Swept Away,” directed by her then-husband, Guy Ritchie.

The singer seems to have decided she’ll have better luck behind the camera. With “W.E.,” she’s aimed even higher, taking on one of the greatest — and most controversial — love stories of the last century, and with it England’s abdication crisis.