The Painted Veil (2006) User Reviews

Watts and Norton present The Painted Veil in vivid, true to life colors

[Margie24 · 7/10 · 24 December 2006]

The Painted Veil has all of the elements a viewer looks for in a period piece set during the time of British colonial rule. Beautiful scenery and costumes, a cast of thousands, and enough background information to make you feel you are more educated about a time and place than you were before you saw the movie.

What this film offers the fortunate viewer that many other movies of its kind do not, are lead characters you can actually empathize with and grow to care about. "Walter" and "Kitty" are far more likable and worth rooting for than- I don't know, let's say- Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas in the English Patient (see? I don't even remember their characters' names.) The movie's tagline- "Sometimes the greatest journey is the distance between two people" succinctly points to the heart of this film, and what makes it work so well; the journey of a couple who married for the wrong reasons towards true intimacy with each other.

On one level, the plot is so simple and straightforward that a one line summary gives the whole story away, and for that reason, I will refrain from providing that information as much as possible. It is enough to know that it is the story of The Fanes- Walter, the shy, bookish bacteriologist, and Kitty, the shallow, haughty young woman he becomes infatuated in and persuades to marry him. Walter takes Kitty to Shanghai, where he works in a government lab. Circumstances lead Walter to re-locate them to a more remote area of China in the throes of a cholera epidemic. It is in this setting that the parallel stories unfold; the story of a doctor and his wife living in the house of a dead missionary's family as the doctor tries to get control of the conditions responsible for the epidemic, and the story of the couple's journey towards re-discovering each other.

The impressive skill that Ms. Watts and Mr. Norton bring to their work truly makes you believe that that the first challenge- combating cholera amid colonial unrest and nationalist hostilities is easier than the task of repairing a damaged marriage, and with each uneasy glance and every unsaid word, you feel what these two people feel. And that is the beauty of The Painted Veil. Fans of Ms. Watts and Mr. Norton will have reason to rejoice- this is a performance unlike any I have ever seen Ms. Watts give. There is nothing of what was becoming her trademark "emotionally fragile woman in shambles" persona on display here. And what of Edward Norton? Well, after his turn in The Illusionist earlier in the year and now "Walter Fane," all I can say is, move over, Ralph Fiennes- there's a new sexy "repressed, stiff-upper-lipped, sensually simmering under the surface" leading man in town.

The Painted Veil is an intelligently adapted, well-directed film with two charismatic, award-worthy lead performances and a strong supporting cast, including Liev Schreiber, Diana Rigg, and most notably Toby Jones as the Fanes' neighbor. It is also wonderfully entertaining, and a good introduction to the period piece/historical epic genre some viewers have been avoiding due to fear of suffocation.

Finely-observed colonial-era drama

[Chris_Docker · 8/10 · 18 April 2007]

When I was nearly eighteen, I married. To the prettiest girl at art college. Lack of confidence vanished with virginity. I loved her with unbearable, blinding intensity. We painted each other with unquenchable desire. What could go wrong?

Our film's title goes back to a stanza:

"Lift not the painted veil which those who live

Call Life: though unreal shapes be pictured there,

And it but mimic all we would believe"

Shelley's poem furnishes the title of Somerset Maugham's oriental love story. That classic, set in the 1920s, has three times been made a film. Our latest offering comes like five-year incense from Sinophile Edward Norton, with screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia) and producer Sara Colleton.

Two people, whose characters are a million miles apart, wed in London. They travel to Hong Kong. Suddenly they can no longer play the game that society has set them. Facing their own true natures is a journey of discovery greater than geographical distance. Visually and emotionally restrained (given the passions and breath-taking scenery involved) the Painted Veil shines with intellectual integrity. If only you can get excited enough about it.

Brilliant bacteriologist Walter Fane (Edward Norton) only occasionally gives way to anything as unscientific as showing feelings. Kitty (Naomi Watts) is warm and natural, but marries Walter more because it seems like a sensible thing to do than for any over-riding love. She enjoys tennis and nice things. Walter derides such superficialities. And Walter speaks only when he "has something to say." Kitty has an affair with government official Charlie Townsend, a charming and seductive married man who "made a science of popularity." Walter correctly labels her as stupid to think he wouldn't find out. Their trip to a cholera-infested village of Mei-tan-fu, a professional honour for Walter, becomes his journey of revenge.

Walter's sense of superiority is impenetrable. Even though he vomits at his first sight of suffering, he finds a way to save much of the village from disease. Kitty is meanwhile wasting away through loneliness. They have yet to discover the real vibrancy behind each other's mask. As they attempt to do so, the film challengingly asserts the contradiction of sexual versus spiritual love.

An emotionally unintelligent man discovering the tenderness and complexity of another human being, and a good (yet fairly shallow) woman appreciating her own potential - and the value of another's great mind. But the symbol of the 'veil' goes much further. Norton says he wanted to 'lift the veil' on issues facing China in the 1920s. "If you're going to make a film set in China during the period, I think there's got to be a reason for doing it other than the inherent romanticism of the location."

To Kitty, the work of the nuns (headed by Mother Superior, Diana Rigg) is laudable, especially with orphans. Walter, on the other hand, points out that they also pay parents for their children so as to indoctrinate them with Catholicism. Every Westerner is a colonialist of some sort, fuelling increasing resentment with the locals. Walter, carrying his torch of medicine rather than the fire of armaments, believes he is 'neutral'. He is somehow 'above' the armed soldiers that he relies on. Yet his rationalism is shallow, limited to believing that if only people would embrace Western ways they would have it so much easier.

Kitty stays with Walter initially out of 'duty' but comes to question it when the Mother Superior says, "Duty is only washing one's hands when they are dirty." The philosophical challenge, echoed from Maugham, is whether duty and love can become one. This is the central tenet of the film. Walter, indubitably, seems to be following a higher 'duty' in saving people from cholera. Yet it is the experiencing of love in one form or another that gives meaning and fulfilment. That 'love' must be genuine but also under the domain of duty - else it leads astray. Walter's initial 'love' is respectful, exact - and only with the lights switched off. Kitty's is that of a gifted dilettante.

The performances are finely chiselled. Watts combines convincing sensuality and tenderness yet still gives her character room to express deep emotion later on. When Walter discovers her sexual liaison with Charles (played by Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts' real-life partner), he goes into heartless-bastard-mode. Norton (who majored in history at Yale) produces a convincing portrait of someone who is sharply intelligent and as precise as a scalpel. His painful awakening to the fact that humans are more than complex microbes is superbly judged. Polar opposites of smooth sleaze-bag Charles and straight-as-a-die Walter are movingly adjudicated by Deputy Commissioner Waddington (Toby Jones). He has more insight into relationships than the rest of them put together, yet are we misled by his persona? "He is a good man," says the young Chinese woman that we saw him tussling naked and unashamed with moments earlier.

Going beyond what we believe another to be, whether we put them on a pedestal or in derision, may only be the first stage. Being away from familiar surroundings leaves nothing to fall back on. No painted veil.

This adaptation takes excusable liberties with the plot. It is true to the spirit of Shelley's poem (I had to look it up to fully appreciate that, I think). It is a finely observed colonial-era drama that holds attention with a subdued dignity, quietly resisting the enticement to do a Merchant and Ivory. To the casual viewer it sometimes hangs between wasted opportunity and insipidness. But its themes are lovingly executed with skill and exactitude.

My marriage lasted precisely one year. We both decided to travel. If we had been isolated in a distant country like the protagonists of this film, we may have discovered a more genuine love. Or killed each other. Unlike this sumptuous historical and emotional travelogue, the games we play don't always paint a pretty picture.

Maugham masterpiece

[ferguson-6 · 8/10 · 7 January 2007]

Greetings again from the darkness. This is a surprisingly wonderful adaptation of the W Somerset Maugham novel. Maugham passed away many years ago, but in his time was an incredibly famous and popular playwright and novelist. His best known work is probably "The Razor's Edge". Part of the surprise is the beauty of the film since it is directed by John Curran, who has no directing credits to his name since 1995's excellent "Babe, the pig". Curran's eye and talent are on full display here with the aesthetics of 1920's China and the devastation of cholera.

The story is simple, but oh so elegant. Edward Norton and Naomi Watts are a very odd couple whom circumstances bring to an ill-conceived marriage. They are quite the odd couple and not the least bit charming together, even in the good moments. Norton stumbles on an affair between Watts and Liev Schreiber and the next thing we know Norton and Watts are on a two week journey into the depths of a Chinese jungle where a devastating cholera epidemic is occurring. The horrible situation brings out the best in each as people and finally as a couple. Along the way, their lives are impacted by two rather odd acquaintances, Toby Jones (off his fine turn as Truman Capote) and the long lost Diana Rigg as the Mother Superior at the local orphanage.

The story is tight, interesting and believable ... all signs of a terrific writer. The acting is worthy of such fine material and direction. Mr. Norton is wonderful as the quietly simmering bacteriologist who lacks interpersonal skills and warmth until the tragic environment brings about self-discovery. Ms. Watts continues her amazing run of top-caliber performances and is one of our top 3 actresses today. She is so subtle at times that it is easy to take her skills for granted. Mr. Schreiber, Mr. Jones and Ms. Rigg are all excellent in their roles and lets hope that Ms. Rigg will continue to bless us with her screen magic. It has been 40 years since she was the sexy Emma Peel from "The Avengers", but her presence on the screen is very welcome and needed.

There is a haunting score that continues throughout the film and some tremendous piano work credited to Lang Lang. The mood of the music and the film setting work together to deliver the effect of reading the novel as we watch the film. Quite a knockout for director Curran, who hopefully will not now disappear for the next decade!

A Painted Marriage

[Chrysanthepop · 1 November 2008]

I found John Curran's 'The Painted Veil' to be an exhilarating and illustrious piece of cinema. Shot entirely in China, the film takes full advantage of the spectacular landscape. So beautiful and so natural does it look thanks to the breathtaking cinematography and an intense yet whimsical soundtrack. Though most of the story is set in China, even the scenes of England were filmed in China which is quite an interesting change (since it's usually the reverse).

'The Painted Veil' is essentially about the journey of a couple, a frivolous Kitty and a stubborn Walter, and how they grow during this ordeal. While some have stated that the film is too slow for their liking, it did not feel that way to me. Growth is best shown when the story takes its time rather than rushing. Meanwhile, there is plenty of other things to enjoy such as the exquisite sceneries and the witty and creative dialogues.

Edward Norton and Naomi Watts are terrific in the lead roles. They wonderfully demonstrate the transformation of Walter and Kitty. While they have the support of great dialogues and a fine director, it is their nuances and chemistry that stands out. The supporting cast is equally noteworthy. Toby Jones is outstanding while Liev Schreiber brilliantly fits the part of the charming caddish Charlie and Diana Rigg is amazing as the good Samaritan.

Curran's direction is quite remarkable. In addition to bringing it all together, I liked how he briefly tackled some themes by suggesting both sides of the issues. For example, the scene where Kitty tells Walter about the good deeds the nuns are doing, Walter brings up the problem of acculturation. Curran cleverly puts layers and depth into the film (unlike many period pieces which end up looking shallow and clichéd).

'The Painted Veil' is one of the few adaptations that work beautifully on screen. It's really a pleasure for the eyes and ears and a treat to the heart and mind.

Excellent Movie

[sweetartcat · 10/10 · 29 December 2006]

What an excellent movie - really exceptional. Norton and Watts are so believable and the supporting cast are amazing as well. Sets, scenery, music, and costumes are dead on. Character development and evolution make these characters well rounded and memorable.

The story is so realistic that it makes one wonder if it isn't based in fact rather than fiction, and the feelings of the time (hatred for imperialistic foreigners) is documented accurately. The only negative thing I can say is that there was a point when editing needed to be tighter because the movie dragged a bit in defining Kitty's boredom and isolation. The audience got the message much earlier. But this was only a brief irritation because the movie was so fascinating.

The movie does deviate from the novel in that the ending has changed somewhat, but few people have probably read this novel and most won't even notice. It's a longer than average movie and will probably play better in Europe than America. But for the thinking crowd, it's an absolute must see.

Exquisitely Layered, Haunting, and Clever Period Romance

[WriterDave · 9/10 · 14 January 2007]

John Curran's nearly pitch perfect film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's "The Painted Veil" begins slowly and patiently, with leisurely flashbacks that elliptically bring us to a singularly absurd predicament: circa 1925, a British doctor (Edward Norton in his second romantic lead following "The Illusionist") has brought his lovely young wife (an entrancing Naomi Watts) into the middle of a Chinese cholera epidemic purely out of spite. It's a wickedly clever little set-up that becomes increasingly more complex and absorbing.

The note-perfect and delicately layered performances of Watts and Norton, two thespians typically acclaimed for their edgy and independent work and playing against type, are anchored with the literary genius of Maugham and Curran's keen eye and steady hand behind the camera. It's all perfectly accentuated by the brilliantly subversive music score by Alexandre Desplat (doing his best work since "Birth"). These cleverly designed elements coalesce deliciously into a fully fleshed-out whole, and allow "The Painted Veil" to grow in your mind organically and slowly slip under your skin like an infectious disease.

Ron Nyswaner does a great job of translating Maugham's writing to the screen. Virtually nothing is lost. That keen British wit, the dramatic sense of irony, and the sincere exploration of many heady themes including loveless marriages, adultery, imperialism, charity, religion, and redemption are all captured beautifully by director Curran and screenwriter Nyswaner. Watts and Norton are given plenty to chew on, not only great lines, but great scenes full of lush scenery, and beautiful and textured visual details that serve as perfect backdrops for their complex and unpredictable relationship.

Back in the heyday of Merchant-Ivory, it seemed like this type of literary minded period-piece was a dime a dozen. There hasn't been a hugely successful film of this type since 1996's "The English Patient." We haven't seen a worthwhile film in this genre since Neil Jordon's underrated "The End of the Affair" in 1999, which not coincidentally was an adaptation of one of the great novels from Maugham's fellow Brit and contemporary, Graham Greene, and addressed many of the same themes.

What "The Painted Veil" lacks in epic sweep it makes up for in scores with its nuanced performances and subversive outlook on romance and true love. Its finely landscaped images of China are transfixing, but it's the look on Norton's face when he realizes the woman his wife has become, and the glimmer of a tear forming in Watts' eye when she realizes what she's done that will haunt you.

Period and Chemistry

[littlemartinarocena · 6/10 · 23 December 2007]

Naomi Watts and Edward Norton are very good, no question of that, but a film that aspires to transport us into the past in a far distant land for a story of torturous love and redemption needs to fix the basics to take the audience along for the ride. Norton and Watts, good as they are, have not a sexual chemistry to write home about. His broken heart doesn't compel us because translated into images, Edward Norton's character emerges as a petulant bore of a child. An unrecognizable Diana Rigg, as the Mother Superior, tells Watts that her husband loves children. If Mother Diana hadn't told her, I wouldn't have known. That's what I mean. There is no genuine kindness in him, not even when he's kind. Naomi Watts's Kitty is a society girl of her day, isn't she suppose to be? Yes. But she stands up from her chair to shake hands with Toby Jones, the move was so out of period and class that it distracted me, I kept thinking that it meant something that sooner or later was going to be revealed. The character's transgression was serious but not unheard of in its day. Standing up to shake hands with a man was. I like Watts and Norton enormously but not here. Exotic locations and a delicious Alexander Desplats score provide a much welcome help to the proceedings.

Remake of Garbo Classic

[mercywright · 10/10 · 6 December 2006]

Naomi Watts is every bit as good as Garbo was in the 1934 version, and Ed Norton is outstanding. Great supporting cast as well - Diana Rigg is almost unrecognizable as a Mother Superior, and Liev Schreiber is, as always, terrific as a slimy lowlife. Based on one of Somerset Maugham's best stories, this is a movie that will satisfy anyone looking for an old-fashioned, romantic drama about love lost and love earned. The social quandary of British women after the first World War, which created a generation of unwilling spinsters, is taken as seriously by the filmmakers as the emergence of a new China standing up to its Colonial oppressors. Watts' character's journey from spoiled, selfish Daddy's girl in 1920's fun-loving London to a mature woman in a deprived, cholera-infested third-world country is harrowing.

Lovely to Look At

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 17 August 2009]

Gorgeous cinematography of China, an excellent cast and performances are the stars of "The Painted Veil," a 2006 version of a Somerset Maugham story. The film concerns an unhappily married couple, Kitty and Walter Fane (Naomi Watts and Edward Norton). He's a doctor, and in love with her, but she only married him to get away from her domineering mother. She drifts into an affair with another man (Liev Schreiber). When her husband finds out, he blackmails her into going to a cholera-ridden area, where he plans to help fight the disease. She has no choice - it's either that or have her paramour named in a divorce case.

Now totally detesting her, Walter gets her into the area going the toughest, most tortuous route and most probably hopes she gets cholera and dies. She doesn't, but she becomes bored and volunteers to help the nuns, led by the Mother Superior (Diana Rigg). Along the way, she finds out what people think of her husband and grows to admire him.

Somerset Maugham is never easy to film. This isn't the kind of movie that goes down well with many types of audiences today - it's slow-moving without a lot of action. However, I liked it. The performances all around are excellent, including that of Toby Waddington, who plays a neighbor, and Schreiber, as the ex-lover. Watts and Norton create believable characters. For me both actors are underrated and prove again that they are capable of astonishing performances.

Worth seeing for sure.

A most transporting film.

[bellisland · 10/10 · 30 December 2006]

I think is the tone of the film –– and by that I mean everything from the cinematography to the dialogue the music and, most of all, the nuanced performances –– which, because it is so consistent and so consistently sublime renders the film far apart from the ordinary.

I was interested to see that Naomi Watts and Edward Norton produced this film. No matter which of them (or, for that matter, any one of the film's fine cast) is on the screen, we are fully involved: they invite us into their story, they invite us to care.

Even if one were to strip away the performances and the story there is still the sheer beauty of the Chinese countryside, filmed to perfection.

Just go, and see for yourself.

Beautifully evocative, restrained, and sometimes too much of both...but still excellent

[secondtake · 7/10 · 8 August 2012]

The Painted Veil (2006)

I'm not sure any author has been adapted to film as much as Somerset Maugham, nor so many so well. (I include even such obvious shoe-ins as Ian Fleming and Agatha Christie.) And here is another that depends, and succeeds, on the basis of his writing. Maugham's novels and stories are often praised and criticized equally for their thinly evoked melodrama, for their lack of progressive Modernism. But they make great reading, and what perfect fodder for the movies!

Here we have what is gleaned from his own experiences--he started life briefly as a doctor, and later travelled widely in the old stomping grounds of the British Empire and beyond, including China where this is set. It is the mid-twenties, and so the set design and music are often richly tactile and moving. And the plot is about a British doctor, played by Edward Norton, who goes to the hinterlands of China to work on a cholera epidemic. He is a noble figure if a bitter one, and Norton plays it a little too close to the chest. Still, we get his dedication and withdrawn fortitude easily.

The bigger conflict and emotional involvement for the viewer is his wife, Kitty, played with unusual clarity by Naomi Watts. Maugham sets his romantic conflicts in interesting places without letting you forget that it's the interpersonal stuff that matters, not the cholera. Not really. Watts plays the misplaced and a bit lost-at-sea wife really well, though the movie keeps her, as with Norton, in check most of the time. Some will say it's the British reserve, the stiff upper lip, but that's only a public face. Here the director John Curran makes it complete, even behind closed doors.

Some will find this movie too careful, too slow, too pretty, too literate. And those are some reasons it works. It's a really fine film. It breaks no rules, it feels a bit old fashioned like many Merchant-Ivory films do, but like those, it sucks you into this other world and illuminates it as if from within. It may seem at times precious, or even a bit canned (some obvious things have to happen in an epidemic where some townspeople not to mention rustic warlords don't get modern science so well), but overall it makes well-proportioned dramatic sense.

This is a joint Chinese/British enterprise, and the filming is entirely in China, even the studio stuff. That might help account for the political delicacy of the whole enterprise, but it's a great collaboration and a good dip into one small piece of the complicated Chinese Twentieth Century.

A complex, moody film that draws you in on many levels and does not let go

[tomasganz · 9/10 · 26 December 2006]

Set in China in the 1920s during a cholera epidemic and the nationalist uprising, the film explores the stormy relationship of a dry British doctor and his seemingly incompatible fun-loving wife. They interact with engaging characters that include French nuns, British expatriates and a Chinese doctor and military officer. The tension is increased by the ever-present threat of death from the epidemic and the political and military unrest that is about to explode. The film is shot with a hazy green look that makes the lush Chinese countryside even more mysterious and beautiful. The film is accompanied by well-chosen music with a particularly gripping main theme by Satie. Norton and Watts do a splendid job in the leading roles.

Fight with cholera epidemic and with an unfaithful wife...

[Thanos_Alfie · 7/10 · 25 September 2015]

"The Painted Veil" is a drama movie in which we watch a British doctor who is going with his wife to China in order to fight a cholera epidemic. But in this fight another one will come out as he will find out that his wife is unfaithful.

I really liked this movie because it represents very well the truth about this very serious epidemic which destroyed many villages and killed so many people. The direction which made by John Curran was very good and because of this many things which I believe was important shower in a very nice way. Edward Norton who played as Dr. Walter Fane was for one more time simply outstanding and the same I can say about the interpretation of Naomi Watts who played as his wife.

Lastly I believe that "The Painted Veil" is a very nice movie which combines very well drama with romance and shows us what a person has to get through in order to become better. To become better person not only for the others but also for himself.

*warning, contains major spoilers for the book and the film*

[GratefulAlthea · 5/10 · 14 January 2011]

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.

Simply Beautiful

[MrsClarenceWorley · 10/10 · 20 December 2006]

Such a level of intimacy between character and viewer is so seldom achieved, that I could not help but be overwhelmed by it. I was moved and shattered by how well I knew these characters, how much I commiserated and empathized for them, and how deeply involved I was in their anger, fears, and love.

The camera often loomed within a dark room, filled only with soft light and the characters clothed in light-colored costume. This ciaroscuro, contrast between light and shadow, created elegance and simplicity that is nothing short of beautiful. Most incredible of all were the zoom shots onto a particular character's face or eyes, emphasizing the sweat on his/her brow or a particularly telling expression on his/her face.

The musical score was very powerful and in-tune with the story told and the amazing characterizations.

I simply LOVED this film. If you are interested in a slow-moving, deep and emotionally stirring film, The Painted Veil is just that film!

I saw this movie and LOVED it!

[shiraanne · 10/10 · 25 October 2006]

My girlfriend and I went to a free movie screening - you know, the kind they pass out flyers for. In our case, it was an offer from a survey website.

I can't say enough about how much we loved this film. The cinematography was absolutely stunning. The story was compelling and heart-wrenching and masterfully portrayed by both Ed Norton and Naomi Watts.

I was a little leery at first when I realized that Ed Norton was going to have to use an English accent throughout the film. But to my untrained ear, it sounded very authentic and did not detract from the film at all.

My friend and I have been looking out for The Painted Veil ever since we saw it. Meanwhile, it's already almost November and we haven't heard anything about its release.

We both strongly recommend that you see this movie when it comes out. You won't be disappointed. (By the way, there were some men in the audience and they also thought it was excellent, so it's not necessarily a chick flick.")

Masterpiece

[harry_tk_yung · 8 January 2007]

(Watched in Toronto)

I am so impressed with this second rendering of one of Somerset Maugham's shorter novels to the big screen that I'm tempted to call it a "masterpiece", even when it has received only one Golden Globe nomination (original score).

The movie opens with an absolutely silent frame that has a thunderous impact – standing absolutely still, figures hero and heroine clad in white against the lush, magical landscape. The stunning visual and body language translate immediately into palpable tension.

Those who are familiar with the novel can easily surmise that this is where microbiologist Walter Fane (Edward Norton) and unfaithful wife Kitty (Naomi Watts) are en route to a cholera-infested, backward interior area of China. Alternating flashback crisply unveils the events in the last two years that has lead to this sad state of affairs - how they met, got married, moved to Shanghai (was Hong Kong in Maugham's novel) and took on this almost suicidal expedition as his way of "punishing" her infidelity.

Set against the backdrop of political instability in China in 1925, this is a very personal story. The backdrop is what it is – a backdrop. Although China's political turmoil and anti-British sentiments are briefly touched upon, the movie never lets you lose sight of the fact that this is an intimate story of Walter and Kitty Fane, as is with, say, Yuri Zhivago and Lara Antipova. Actually, the "big picture" plays a much smaller part than in "Doctor Zhivago".

This movie is flavoured with far more romance than originally intended by Maugham, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What we have here is a romance that has the worst possible start, a marriage of convenience (at least on her part, as woman's helpless economic status in 1925 did not seem much changed from the "Pride and prejudice" days) and an unfaithful wife. There is beautiful character development when each of the two, through a cheerless journal and a perilous destination, mature and find each other, learning mutual tolerance and appreciation. The story is beautifully told and superbly acted, with both Norton and Watt (particularly) deserving at least an Oscar nomination.

This movie is slow but absorbing, and will be particularly rewarding to those who appreciate attention to details and simple dialogue that have immense effects on the protagonists. It is when Kitty heard indirectly her lover's wife's offhand comment that the husband's mistresses are "CONSISTENTLY second-rate" that she finally tosses away all illusions about the affair. Another example is the seemingly inconsequential opium-smoking scene when Walter and Kitty chat aimlessly with their only other countryman in the area, deputy commissioner Waddington (Toby Jones). This scene provides the necessary bonding between Kitty and Waddington to support the scene at the end when Kitty seeks paternal solace from Waddington after losing her husband.

In the supporting cast, Liev Schreiber is somewhat wasted as Kitty's lover. Jones, who "dares" to play Truman Capote ("Infamous") right after Philip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar win, cuts quite a figure with Waddington. Most delightful is watching Diana Rigg playing the enlightened and enlightening Mother Superior. At 68, "Mrs Peel", despite a few inconsequential wrinkles, still has that look in the "Avenger" days. Another delight is Anthony Wong Chau-sang, Hong Kong's closest to Jack Nicholson, playing a not-too-small roll as Colonel Yu.

Sensible melodrama based on classic novel with finely acting for starring duo

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 21 September 2008]

This engrossing update of a W. Somerset Maughan novel concerns about a disillusioned wife named Kitty(Noami Watts, also producer along with Norton) . Her lovesick husband named Walter Fane(a brooding Edward Norton) is a bacteriologist medic.They travel to Shangai where the adulterous spouse turning to the affections of another named Charlie Towsend (Liev Schreiber, married in real life to Naomi Watts). But the lives of a small Chinese village are turned upside down when a deadly ill invade it, then he proposes himself as medic. Kitty very reluctantly accompanies him. The unfaithful wife redeems herself during a cholera epidemic, developing a vivid description of the life inner China and the existence into a convent.

Leading performances such as secondaries are played by talented actors, they're extraordinaries. Noami Watts makes a splendid acting as adulterous wife mending his way. Edward Norton as self-sacrificing medic portrays quite effectively. Liev Schreiber as lover is good and special mention Toby Jones, he's frankly magnificent. Emotive score , including a sensible leitmotif by Alexander Desplat. Glamorous cinematography ,reflecting luminosity from mysterious Orient.The film is generally well-made by John Curran, though occasionally tedious and lengthy. The picture does justice to the story and is an absolute must for Naomi Watts and Edward Norton fans.

Another adaptations about this interesting story are the following : The classic version(1934) by Richard Bleslawski with Greta Garbo(Naomi Watts role), Herbert Marshall(Edward Norton role) and George Brent(Liev Schreiber) and remake by Ronald Neame(1957) with Eleanor Parker, Bill Travers and George Sanders.

Are you ready for this?

[jpschapira · 9/10 · 12 February 2007]

Interestingly, I got to this film not because of its two leads but because of its director. The man is John Curran, an independent director with a profound vision who is riding the right path and if he continues to do so, I dare to say he'll be among the big names soon. That's, of course, if he decides to work more constantly. He's done three full-length features that have garnered awards and recognition.

I've seen two of them; "We don't live here anymore" and now "The Painted Veil", the life of a couple in the 1920's, where a man came to a woman after knowing her for a day and said: "I came here to ask you to marry me". This is what Dr. Walter Fane (Edward Norton) proposes to Kitty (Naomi Watts); and she agrees, of course because it's a chance to get as far away from her parents as possible. Fane is a microbiologist or something like it, however she doesn't care. He takes her to Shanghai, where she meets Charlie Townsend (Liev Schreiber).

Something awful and predictable happens. It hurts a character and the viewer and it lets Curran to deal with a theme he knows well; adultery. Anyway, this is just the beginning of a silent suffering and of a silent life with limited conversations. But strong conversations, coming from Ron Nyswaner's intelligent script, based on W. Somerset Maugham's novel. Overlooked by the Academy, Nyswaner's work allows the characters to expose their feelings mercilessly; which is exactly the way John Curran makes films.

In "We don't live here anymore" the images were violent. "Do you absolutely despise me?", Kitty asks Walter. "No, I despise myself for allowing myself to love you once", he answers. In scenes like this one, Curran's close-ups are daring; but he's also able to measure his shots to give us some beautiful landscapes. Going back to Nyswaner, he achieves the turn of the story perfectly, providing us a big gallery of characters (Toby Jones as an unpredictable neighbor, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang as a harsh Chinese colonel, Diana Rigg as a caring nun) as he deals with strong issues like terminal diseases and social differences.

Sometimes recognized as the most intelligent man in the industry, a versatile and underrated actor, Norton produced the movie (in which he's absolutely brilliant, with the English accent included) and made sure Naomi Watts was in it…Every time she appears on screen in a film she looks different; although we know it's her. Her range is more surprising by the day. Not so long ago, Watts said in an interview that she was tired of dramatic roles where she had to cry all the time; she wanted to get a big paycheck in "some stupid romantic comedy". Even so, she produced Curran's previous movie (where she was also great) and co-produced this one: she must care a little bit.

Ultimately, with all the things it covers, "The Painted Veil" is a beautiful story about love found, as in discovered; a story about regret and the purest forgiveness. I also want to comment that after watching two of his pieces, Curran has something going on with streets in last scenes.

Love (and irrigation) in the Time of Cholera

[hellokristen · 7/10 · 19 December 2006]

Very beautiful scenery of China. Interesting and educational about the world of the 1920s -- British marriages, Catholic orphanages, Chinese Nationalists and Warlords.

Good for Edward Norton and Naomi Watts for developing their own material. Edward is lean as a whippet here and Naomi is good -- but doesn't have the glam appeal of Greta Garbo (who starred in the 1934 original).

Speaking of glam appeal, the man next to me murmured "Can you imagine that Mother Superior in thigh high black boots?" Ummm, not really. Diana Rigg is wonderful as the wise no-nonsense head nun -- but with no makeup at all and a baggy habit she does not resemble the sexy young thing in a catsuit in the 1960s "The Avengers".

The film builds to a revelation (unveiling?) of love which gives you a warm glow.

Richly Enjoyable Spectacle

[bob_gilmore1 · 10/10 · 23 January 2007]

Few films is the multiplexes today pack the sheer grandeur of "The Painted Veil" the well written and conceived adaptation of the Sommerset Maugham novel of the first part of the 20th century.

My wife cries at most films. In fact she often cries during the previews of a particular emotional scene. Needless to say the waterworks were on not only for her but myself as well as this film meets it dramatic climax.

For Edward Norton 2006 will be remembered as a banner year (though no Oscar nominations) He was a cool guy in "The Illusionist" and the ultimate nerd in this film portraying a bacteriologist who takes his unfaithful wife to the heart of China to deal with of all things a cholera epidemic. Dangerous for a young wife, one might conclude. Norton's character does not care as the love hence felt for his wife has been supplanted by hatred and a thirst for revenge. Naomi Watts is also pitch perfect as the woman who comes to understand her husband and fall deeply in love with him. The resolution of this development is something that I will not spoil here.

Visually the film is one of the most appealing in release as the camera extracts pastels and muted colors from the beautiful landscape (earning a cinematography nod)As with Merchant Ivory like films, "The Painted Veil" is here briefly to be cherished as they are making fewer and fewer like it. The "wait till it comes out on DVD" excuse is ill advised here as the splendor would be lost, lost even on a 60 inch plasma....

A so-so melodrama, partially redeemed by strong performances

[Potty-Man · 6/10 · 26 December 2006]

I don't know if it's just my personal taste - period melodramas are not among my favorite genres - but I found the movie to be quite boring. The only reason I went to see it is because I am a die-hard Edward Norton fan, and I watch all of his movies.

The first half hour or so I thought was laughable. The acting and the dialogue were so melodramatic that at points it felt like a soap opera. The scenes were well structured - they contained real drama and not just small talk, like in a lot of movies nowadays ("Little Children" for example). Each character had an objective, and a set of actions to match. But the dialogue itself was horrible - a lot of the time they were saying out loud what should have been their subtext. That's the first half an hour.

After that, it gets significantly better, and I do believe that if you're the type of person who enjoys such movies (like "The English Patient" or "Memoirs of a Geisha" for example) you will be entertained and maybe moved. I wasn't.

The ingredients are all there: stunning cinematography, a beautiful soundtrack, three-dimensional characters, and very strong performances by both Norton and Watts. I did get a kick out of Norton's coldness and apathy towards Watts, and it even got a few laughs out of me. They were both a pleasure to watch, especially during scenes where not everything was said out-loud, and you could feel the tension under the surface. It's the story that was the problem - I just wasn't engaged by it, and the whole thing seemed to move too slowly.

All in all a decent effort, but not an entirely successful one. 6 out of 10.

A terrific flick...great cinematography...fine acting

[jwjansen · 10/10 · 27 December 2006]

If you're an Edward Norton fan, (and I am) then you will have a fine time seeing this movie. Norton's blistering focus and concentration serve him well here. Naomi Watts is also fine, as is Toby Jones. It's nice to see Diana Rigg again, too. Sure it's melodramatic, but what's wrong with that? When done well, melodrama is a great treat. And this is done VERY well. It sure beats the dreadful Seventh Sin of the 50's and even tops the Garbo version from the 30's. Filming in China adds a lot, and the really beautiful cinematography helps immeasurably. With all the many good movies out there this time of year, I fear this one might get overlooked--and that will be a shame.

slow moving drama...

[MLDinTN · 7/10 · 8 January 2008]

but still entertaining enough. The story revolves around a husband and wife whom live together but emotionally far apart. Walter, a microbiologist, marries Kittie, a rich socialite. They move overseas where Walter finds out she is having an affair. Instead of divorcing, he moves to a section of China facing a cholera epidemic. Walter is studying the disease and trying to eliminate its spreading while Kitty sits at home. Over time, Kitty becomes interested in Walter's work and goes to help the nuns watch the kids. She gradually falls in love with him while he is learning to forgive her. This is not a Disney movie, so no happy endings. Living in a cholera epidemic: it's easy to guess what will happen.

I thought the acting was good. I really liked Ed Norton in this. He had a very good British accent. The scenery is very pretty also. It could have been a little shorter.

FINAL VERDICT: If you are a fan of Norton or Watts, this is worth checking out.

Repainting At The Time Of Cholera

[ccrivelli2005 · 5/10 · 24 December 2007]

The vintage tale of unrequited love, rediscovered love, sacrifice, honor and betrayal gets a new coat of paint giving the whole forced yarn an unconvincing tone. It was difficult for me to get into it because I couldn't get over the artifice. Although I believe it was shot on real locations - and the locations look great - the actors seem dressed an coiffed by a first class metropolitan expert. I didn't have a sense of hardship, I was told it was awful, but we didn't feel it. Naomi Watts gives her character a contemporary slant that it's not out of the rebellious spirit of a Garbo or Hepburn or Davis but of a miscalculation of the filmmakers. Edward Norton's timid monster is at times unbearable. You don't want this two people to get together because there is not a single moment in which I believe that the implied love is sincere. The lingering shots of the dying doesn't help one bit to make the artificial emotional storm any deeper. Everything happens too quickly although the pace goes from slow to very slow. Strange that after all said and done, compared with the recent film offerings, this is not all bad. However, I longed for the William Wyler of "The Letter"