Review of The Painted Veil (2006) by Michael Y — 21 May 2011

The Painted Veil is a good period, historic drama. It may include the story elements that we're all used to, but it's Naomi Watts and Edward Norton's performances that sells the movie and makes it very enjoyable.

Dr. Walter Fane, a bacteriologist, meets a young woman named Kitty at a party, and asks her to marry him the next day for he must go to Shanghai for his research and may not have another chance to marry anytime soon. Because Kitty is 25 and expected to marry, for her reputation (and to get away from her pressuring family) she accepts Walter's proposal, but as soon as they move to Shanghai, Kitty has an affair. Walter and Kitty then move to China to help an outbreak of cholera. Now he's stuck between difficult natives and his wife, whom he hates her guts. The beginning of the movie moves quite fast, just about as awkwardly paced as the main character's marriage and Walter proclaiming his love for Kitty. It moves a little too fast even, but the movie just gets better and more interesting as they try to learn to live with eachother in a cholera deseased China. It's a pretty expected drama, but a nice and different character study which reflects even better through the terrific performances from Naomi Watts and Edward Norton. They really do make the movie and they work wonderfully together.

The Painted Veil looks incredible, that just say that first. It achieves greatly not only as a period set movie but also one that takes place in a small Chinese villiage. When we see the movie on the rich side of town, costumes and sets look incredibly colourful, vivid and detailed. When we're in the villiage, things are less colourful, less glamorous and not as appealing. Yet it's ironic that it's in such a depressing place where are main characters can come out and find a sort of peace. The cinematography looks great, and how could it not in such a simple, green and hillcovered countryside. The movie looks ofter gritty, smoky and not too comfy, which fits perfectly. Like I said, the pacing of the movie seems rushed at the beginning, but things settle down and move very naturally when the characters finally get to where they are going. And I especially liked the slow and calming music score.

The Painted Veil is a pretty good drama. It's not really anything unexpected and it didn't get nominated of any Academy Awards like I'm sure it tried to do, but the story is a little different and the performances of the characters are definitely intriguing enough to make The Painted Veil a good movie and interesting to watch.