The Painted
Veil
Director/Studio/Author: John Curran/Warner Home Video/w. Somerset Maugham
Original release date: May 8, 2007
Format, Genre and length: DVD/Drama/125 minutes
Publisher/Industry Age Rating: PG-13
Overall
Personal Rating: ★★★★★
The time
is 1925, the place China. Dr. and Mrs. Walter Fane, having lived in Shanghai
for two years, are traveling to a remote area of the country because of a
cholera epidemic, despite the fact that Walter Fane (Edward Norton) is a
bacteriologist, not a physician. He and Kitty Fane (Naomi Watts) have lived in
China since they were first married.
The trip
to the cholera-infested village is a far cry from that of their arrival, as
there is a palpable tension between them. It seems that Kitty was unfaithful to
him with the Vice Consul of Shanghai, Charlie Townsend (Liev Schrieber). When
Walter tells her of the epidemic he has volunteered to help with, she informs
him that is no place for a woman, and refuses to go... until he tells her if
she does not, he will file for divorce, which would be a heavy blow to her
social position.
The
Painted Veil, based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, explores the
relationship between Walter and Kitty against the backdrop of the epidemic. I’ve
covered the story in more depth in my review of the book. When I saw there was
a film, I was curious to know how well it was adapted to the screen.
The story
has been fleshed out somewhat, of necessity, as the novel is in Kitty’s POV,
which does not tell us as much as we’d like of Walter and his mindset. I think
the screenwriter bridged the gap rather well, and Edward Norton brings him to
life, endearing him to me in a way the novel never did.
Naomi
Watts plays Kitty well. She begins the film as a shallow, empty-headed woman
whose sole goal in life is to be married, not for love but because it’s the
thing to do. She justifies her affair to herself because she doesn’t love
Walter, and she believes herself in love with Charlie. Well, Walter helps her
to see Charlie for what he really is. Her journey is one of self-discovery. At
the beginning, Walter loves her very much and she barely sees him, but over the
course of the film, she comes to realize his true worth, as well as her own, as
they find one another.
Can love
make everything right? Unfortunately, some things are beyond its ability to
heal, and the film has a bittersweet ending.
It is a
well-done adaptation of the novel, and even though it romanticizes their
relationship at the end, I think I prefer the changes, which make a potentially
depressing film into a sad one. It may not be action-packed—Maugham’s stories
seldom are—but it possesses a definite depth of character. Look for Toby Jones
(Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Waddington, the Englishman that becomes Kitty’s
confidante in a strange land.
The
cinematography is beautiful, and so is the music that is used in the
soundtrack.
I highly
recommend this film if you enjoy such films as The English Patient.
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