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The Painted Veil (2006)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
19 January 2007 (USA) moreTagline:
Sometimes the greatest journey is the distance between two people morePlot:
A British medical doctor fights a cholera outbreak in a small Chinese village, while also being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Won Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(65 articles)
Schreiber And Watts Bond Over 'Catty' Comments (From WENN. 2 July 2009, 5:16 AM, PDT)
Twilight director doing Hamlet with Emile Hirsch
(From Scorecard Review. 8 June 2009, 3:54 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Exquisitely Layered, Haunting, and Clever Period Romance moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Catherine An | ... | Hostess | |
| Bin Li | ... | Te-Ming | |
| Bin Wu | ... | Student 1 | |
| Alan David | ... | Mr. Garstin | |
| Marie-Laure Descoureaux | ... | Sister St. Joseph | |
| Sally Hawkins | ... | Mary | |
| Juliet Howland | ... | Dorothy Townsend | |
| Toby Jones | ... | Waddington | |
| Lorraine Laurence | ... | Sister Maryse | |
| Johnny Lee | ... | Angry Chinese Man | |
| Li Feng | ... | Sung Ching | |
| Gesang Meiduo | ... | Amah | |
| Edward Norton | ... | Walter Fane | |
| Yin Qing | ... | Student 2 | |
| Ian Renwick | ... | Geoffrey Denison (as Ian Rennick) |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some mature sexual situations, partial nudity, disturbing images and brief drug content.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
USA:125 min | Argentina:125 minColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Malaysia:(Banned) | Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-11 | Ireland:12A | Hong Kong:IIA | Denmark:11 | UK:12 (DVD rating) | UK:12A (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42973) | France:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Sweden:11Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Continuity: During the love scene between Kitty And Walter, Kitty takes Walter's shirt off while they are kissing. In the next shot, Walter has his shirt back on and in the shot after that, when they are falling onto the bed, he has the shirt off again. moreQuotes:
Kitty Fane: It's raining cats and dogs.Kitty Fane: I said it's raining cats and dogs.
Walter Fane: Yes, I heard you.
Kitty Fane: You might have answered.
Walter Fane: I suppose I'm not used to speaking unless I've something to say.
Kitty Fane: If people only spoke when they had something to say, the human race would soon lose the power of speech.
more
Soundtrack:
Gnossienne No. 1 moreFAQ
What does the title refer to?Is the story original with Maugham?
To what does "The dog it was that died" refer?
more
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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.