I'll start with the positives first. Edward Norton is an amazing actor and lights up the screen with his talent. The music is exquisite, and the scenery is breathtaking. The actor portraying Waddington captured his character exceptionally well. Out of the three film versions of this novel, this particular version is the best.
However, I have a few major issues with this film.
First and foremost, much of the original message of the book is completely lost. The original book, published by Maugham around 1925, is NOT the story of a woman's self-discovery or of spiritual awakening, nor is it meant to be action-packed. It is NOT a political book about China or its issues. It is a character study of an adulterous woman and her husband, and more generally it is a study of relationships. One can compare, for example, Kitty and Walter's relationship to that of Waddington and his Manchu lady, or to Kitty's parents' relationship, or the relationship between the nuns and God.
In Maugham's original story, Kitty and Walter never fall in love with each other. Walter loves Kitty, she never loves him. It is arguable whether or not Walter is able to forgive Kitty by the end of his short life, but Kitty never truly finds a place in her heart for Walter or even cares much for him beyond a basic human level.
In the book, it is implied that Charlie, and not Walter, is the father of Kitty's unborn child, and it is also implied that the child might be a girl rather than a boy. This is particularly tragic because it is stated in the book that Walter very much wanted a child, whereas Charlie already had three boys with his wife (and who knows how many illegitimate kids he might have had, given that it is also directly stated that Kitty is not the only woman with whom he has committed adultery). The film also changes Walter's reaction to learning that his wife is expecting. In the book, Walter, though he acts calm and even noble by trying to send Kitty away, is devastated and destroyed inside upon learning that his wife is having a child that most likely belongs to another man. While the movie does show Walter as heartbroken, they also show him as being able to forgive Kitty's offense against him and they show him as being willing to accept that Kitty's child is most likely not his, which is not at all how he handled the situation in the book.
Further, it is also heavily implied that Walter commits suicide by medically experimenting on himself and giving himself cholera shortly after Kitty tells him that she is with child. The fact that Walter, who is admirable, noble, kind, and intelligent, is also completely unlovable is heart-wrenching but also true to life in the book. The film destroys this poignancy by "Hollywood-ifying" this film. The whole point of the book was a character study of people like Kitty and Walter. The novel made you stop and look at how you treated people (or at least it did in my case). Maugham's novel pointed out a few things which are still very true today: e.g., that many people go into relationships without truly knowing who the other person is, and many people dismiss good partners for more 'exciting' ones even though the 'bad boys'/'bad girls' are not good human beings. People fall for charm and insincerity and overlook kindness, decency, intelligence, and integrity. This is human nature, and Maugham does not sugarcoat it.
In addition, Kitty never really does change in the book. She goes back to Charlie while a guest in Dorothy's home and sleeps with him. She is just as frivolous and selfish and stupid as she was initially, but perhaps more honest with herself. She is callous and cold when Walter dies and simply feels relieved that he is gone and that she can start a new life. She also doesn't hesitate to impose on her own father, who, after her mother's death, finally has a chance at peace and freedom. She remains as selfish as ever. This is also true of many people in real life who are like Kitty; again, Maugham does not sugarcoat human nature, and I personally appreciate that. The original book is very dark and the filmmakers should have embraced this darkness instead of running and hiding from it.
The movie was a major disappointment because the original tragic beauty of the novel was completely erased. I also was annoyed that some of the characters differed from their original physical descriptions in the novel, but I could have lived with this if they had at least kept the original ending. At times, the accents of the non-English actors were a bit off and inconsistent,though Liev Schreiber does a good job with his and is probably the best at the accent.
All in all, there are points in the film that are lovely and enjoyable. In all honesty, had the film kept the original ending and had the film stayed more true to the nature of the characters, I would have given it a much higher rating. I hope that someday a good filmmaker *will* stay true to Maugham's original story; none of the three film versions made thus far really keep to the novel, which is sad because it really is a story worth telling.
However, I have a few major issues with this film.
First and foremost, much of the original message of the book is completely lost. The original book, published by Maugham around 1925, is NOT the story of a woman's self-discovery or of spiritual awakening, nor is it meant to be action-packed. It is NOT a political book about China or its issues. It is a character study of an adulterous woman and her husband, and more generally it is a study of relationships. One can compare, for example, Kitty and Walter's relationship to that of Waddington and his Manchu lady, or to Kitty's parents' relationship, or the relationship between the nuns and God.
In Maugham's original story, Kitty and Walter never fall in love with each other. Walter loves Kitty, she never loves him. It is arguable whether or not Walter is able to forgive Kitty by the end of his short life, but Kitty never truly finds a place in her heart for Walter or even cares much for him beyond a basic human level.
In the book, it is implied that Charlie, and not Walter, is the father of Kitty's unborn child, and it is also implied that the child might be a girl rather than a boy. This is particularly tragic because it is stated in the book that Walter very much wanted a child, whereas Charlie already had three boys with his wife (and who knows how many illegitimate kids he might have had, given that it is also directly stated that Kitty is not the only woman with whom he has committed adultery). The film also changes Walter's reaction to learning that his wife is expecting. In the book, Walter, though he acts calm and even noble by trying to send Kitty away, is devastated and destroyed inside upon learning that his wife is having a child that most likely belongs to another man. While the movie does show Walter as heartbroken, they also show him as being able to forgive Kitty's offense against him and they show him as being willing to accept that Kitty's child is most likely not his, which is not at all how he handled the situation in the book.
Further, it is also heavily implied that Walter commits suicide by medically experimenting on himself and giving himself cholera shortly after Kitty tells him that she is with child. The fact that Walter, who is admirable, noble, kind, and intelligent, is also completely unlovable is heart-wrenching but also true to life in the book. The film destroys this poignancy by "Hollywood-ifying" this film. The whole point of the book was a character study of people like Kitty and Walter. The novel made you stop and look at how you treated people (or at least it did in my case). Maugham's novel pointed out a few things which are still very true today: e.g., that many people go into relationships without truly knowing who the other person is, and many people dismiss good partners for more 'exciting' ones even though the 'bad boys'/'bad girls' are not good human beings. People fall for charm and insincerity and overlook kindness, decency, intelligence, and integrity. This is human nature, and Maugham does not sugarcoat it.
In addition, Kitty never really does change in the book. She goes back to Charlie while a guest in Dorothy's home and sleeps with him. She is just as frivolous and selfish and stupid as she was initially, but perhaps more honest with herself. She is callous and cold when Walter dies and simply feels relieved that he is gone and that she can start a new life. She also doesn't hesitate to impose on her own father, who, after her mother's death, finally has a chance at peace and freedom. She remains as selfish as ever. This is also true of many people in real life who are like Kitty; again, Maugham does not sugarcoat human nature, and I personally appreciate that. The original book is very dark and the filmmakers should have embraced this darkness instead of running and hiding from it.
The movie was a major disappointment because the original tragic beauty of the novel was completely erased. I also was annoyed that some of the characters differed from their original physical descriptions in the novel, but I could have lived with this if they had at least kept the original ending. At times, the accents of the non-English actors were a bit off and inconsistent,though Liev Schreiber does a good job with his and is probably the best at the accent.
All in all, there are points in the film that are lovely and enjoyable. In all honesty, had the film kept the original ending and had the film stayed more true to the nature of the characters, I would have given it a much higher rating. I hope that someday a good filmmaker *will* stay true to Maugham's original story; none of the three film versions made thus far really keep to the novel, which is sad because it really is a story worth telling.