Review of The Painted Veil (2006) by Tatjana T — 21 Feb 2011

A real find, I dislike settings in Asia. But this one I will make an exception to. The Painted Veil is a quiet look into a relationship forced upon an aging young girl in the UK due to parents that feel they "can't support her anymore".

Acted and produced by Edward Norton, Naomi Watts among others, with screenplay by Norton.

From the pen of classic novelist extrodinaire W. Somerset Maugham comes The Painted Veil. If anyone has felt guilty about living at home, watch this movie! Pressure to marry be damned. If you settle for someone, let you decide that, not your parents!

A moving portrait of an unhappy marriage in the 1930's or there abouts. Couple marrys and moves to China where the husband (Edward Norton) trys to help a rural Chinese village stop a cholera epidemic.

Doesn't sound like your routine love novel does it? Well, this one, if you have the patience to watch it all the way to the end is great. Shortly after meeting earnest, socially awkward bacteriologist Walter Fane (Norton) at a party, vivacious, vain London socialite Kitty Garstin (Naomi Watts) enters into a loveless marriage with him at the urging of her domineering mother. Following a honeymoon in Venice, the couple go to Shanghai, where the doctor is stationed in a government lab studying infectious diseases.

Very well done, acted, filmed... a might too long... but worth your time indeed. Unless you can't get interested in romantic drama.

NOTES on the film:

1 This is the third screen adaption of the Maugham book, following a 1934 film starring Herbert Marshall and Greta Garbo and a 1957 version called The Seventh Sin with Bill Travers and Eleanor Parker.

2 Actor Edward Norton became involved with the project in 1999. Norton explained his attraction to the project, "It's very much a story about people getting beyond the worst in themselves and figuring out how to look at each other honestly, forgive each other for their failings and get to a better place... When I read it, I was very affected by it because in it I saw my own failings.".

3 When the Chinese production company reviewed the film, it was unhappy with the depiction of the Chinese uprising and the cholera victims, requesting that the scenes be revised. Norton and Curran expressed concerns that their studio accepted the censorship too quickly, with the director threatening to remove his name from the film. Their pressure resulted in limiting cuts from the film to only 38 seconds' worth.

4 Filming took place on location in China. The director did not want to build a set for the cholera-stricken village, instead seeking out an untouched parcel of land in China. He found Huang Yao, which served as the location for the village. The director described the location, "Even the Chinese crew members were amazed at the place we found... It was like going back in time.".

5 Composer Alexandre Desplat won the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

Cast.

Edward Norton as Walter Fane.

Naomi Watts as Kitty Garstin Fane.

Toby Jones as Waddington.

Diana Rigg as Mother Superior.

Anthony Wong Chau Sang as Colonel Yu.

Sally Hawkins as Mary.

Liev Schreiber as Charles Townsend.

Crew.

Directed by John Curran.

Produced by.

Edward Norton.

Naomi Watts.

Sara Colleton.

Jean-François Fonlupt.

Bob Yari.

Screenplay by Ron Nyswaner.

Edward Norton (uncredited).

Based on The Painted Veil by.

W. Somerset Maugham.

Music by Alexandre Desplat.

Cinematography Stuart Dryburgh.

Running time 125 minutes.

Budget $19.4 million.

Gross revenue $26,809,273.