The Painted Veil

The Painted Veil is based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It was previously made into a movie in 1934 starring Greta Garbo. In the current version Edward Norton stars as the doctor, Walter Fane, who marries the immature Kitty, played by Naomi Watts. The film was directed by John Curran, who had previously directed We Don't Live Here Anymore. Dr. Fane travels to China to help fight a cholera epidemic after the chief medic there passes away. Against this backdrop Dr. Fane and Kitty are struggling to keep their marriage from following apart.

This small soap opera set in China starts off pretty rocky, but it grows on you if you stick with it. The dialogue in the first 15 minutes of the movies comes off as very stiff, but may have been straight out of the novel. I don't know for sure. But once the film moves to China it gets a lot more interesting. The plot is not especially interesting but the acting keeps you interested and brings the story to life. Norton and Watts convincingly pull off the task of portraying a couple trying to understand each other and failing. We are given a lot of information about China and the cholera epidemic and this helps to make The Painted Veil a much richer movie than it might have been. The film was filmed in China, and the beautiful landscapes and backdrops are used for good effect throughout the movie.

You can write James Harper at movielover77061@yahoo.com