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The Painted Veil

  • 2006
  • PG-13
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
94K
YOUR RATING
Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil (2006)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer0:31
2 Videos
60 Photos
DramaRomance

A British medical doctor fights a cholera epidemic in a small Chinese village, while being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.A British medical doctor fights a cholera epidemic in a small Chinese village, while being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.A British medical doctor fights a cholera epidemic in a small Chinese village, while being trapped at home in a loveless marriage to an unfaithful wife.

  • Director
    • John Curran
  • Writers
    • Ron Nyswaner
    • W. Somerset Maugham
  • Stars
    • Naomi Watts
    • Edward Norton
    • Liev Schreiber
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    94K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Curran
    • Writers
      • Ron Nyswaner
      • W. Somerset Maugham
    • Stars
      • Naomi Watts
      • Edward Norton
      • Liev Schreiber
    • 265User reviews
    • 129Critic reviews
    • 69Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 11 wins & 13 nominations

    Videos2

    The Painted Veil
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch The Painted Veil
    The Painted Veil
    Trailer 2:13
    Watch The Painted Veil

    Photos60

    The Painted Veil (2006)
    The Painted Veil (2006)
    Toby Jones in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Edward Norton in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Edward Norton in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Toby Jones and Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Edward Norton in The Painted Veil (2006)
    Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in The Painted Veil (2006)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Naomi Watts
    Naomi Watts
    • Kitty Fane
    Edward Norton
    Edward Norton
    • Walter Fane
    Liev Schreiber
    Liev Schreiber
    • Charlie Townsend
    Catherine An
    • Hostess
    Bin Li
    • Te-Ming
    Bin Wu
    • Student 1
    Alan David
    Alan David
    • Mr. Garstin
    Marie-Laure Descoureaux
    • Sister St. Joseph
    Sally Hawkins
    Sally Hawkins
    • Mary
    • (scenes deleted)
    Juliet Howland
    Juliet Howland
    • Dorothy Townsend
    Toby Jones
    Toby Jones
    • Waddington
    Lorraine Laurence
    • Sister Maryse
    Gwing-Gai Lee
    • Angry Chinese Man
    • (as Johnny Lee)
    Li Feng
    • Sung Ching
    Gesang Meiduo
    • Amah
    Yin Qing
    • Student 2
    Ian Renwick
    • Geoffrey Denison
    • (as Ian Rennick)
    Diana Rigg
    Diana Rigg
    • Mother Superior
    • Director
      • John Curran
    • Writers
      • Ron Nyswaner
      • W. Somerset Maugham
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Edward Norton personally recruited Naomi Watts for her role in this movie.
    • Goofs
      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.
    • Quotes

      Walter Fane: It was silly of us to look for qualities in each other that we never had.

    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Painted Veil/Miss Potter/Perfume: The Story of a Murderer/Notes on a Scandal/The Curse of the Golden Flower/Pan's Labyrinth (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Gnossienne No. 1
      Written by Erik Satie

      Licensed by BMG Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

    User reviews265

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Exquisitely Layered, Haunting, and Clever Period Romance
    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.
    helpful•151
    28
    • WriterDave
    • Jan 14, 2007

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    FAQ3

    • What does the title refer to?
    • Is the story original with Maugham?
    • To what does "The dog it was that died" refer?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 19, 2007 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • China
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Official site
      • Warner Bros.
    • Languages
      • English
      • Mandarin
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Al otro lado del mundo
    • Filming locations
      • Yizhou, Guangxi, China
    • Production companies
      • WIP
      • Stratus Film Co.
      • Bob Yari Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $19,400,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $8,060,487
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $51,086
      • Dec 24, 2006
    • Gross worldwide
      • $26,910,847
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 5 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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