THE PAINTED VEIL
****
PG-13 for some mature sexual situations, partial nudity, disturbing images and brief drug content.
2 hrs. 5 min.
written by: Ron Nyswaner (from a novel by W. Somerset Maugham)
produced by: Sara Colleton, Jean Fracois Fonlupt, Edward Norton & Naomi Watts, & Bob Yari
directed by: John Curran
Finally got around to seeing this one. I remember when it came out it received four stars and I bookmarked for my future movie queue. Since the movie has some capable actors, takes place in a certain period and has location going for it, I figured it's quite possible that it would warrant this high rating. I was pleased that it did indeed earn such a rating. Hey, that's always a good thing cuz there sure are a lotta crap movies out there. It's a '20's era drama set primarily in China that starts out great and ends up beautiful.
Upon writing this review I found out that this movie was adapted from a W. Somerset Maugham novel which was previously made into a movie of the same title back in 1934 and starred Greta Garbo. Surprise surprise! The story initially plays with some back and forth in time as Kitty (Naomi Watts) a London well-to-do, reflects on how she met her husband, Dr. Walter Fane (Edward Norton) while traveling in China. As the film progresses we see just how she came to be where she is and how she met her husband. Her reflections show how she dreams of escaping the charade of her families social gatherings and gossip for a simpler life enjoying theater and dance.
At one of these gatherings Walter sees her and falls instantly in love but the shy bacteriologist (and infectious disease specialist) isn't the best when it comes to courtship. Still he's determined and is only in London for a short time due to his government position back in Shanghai, which compels him to ask Kitty to marry him saying he will do anything in his power to make her happy. At first she is a lil shocked since she doesn't even know him but still she'd rather get away from her family and she could see he obviously loves her. So, she marries him without even loving him. You could see where this will go....
Their sputtering marriage dissolves but what is interesting is what Watts and Norton bring to the characterization of their roles. Both of them have their flaws and sure Walter is a lil stiff and kinda boring but you can tell he is trying and he's a good guy. Kitty feels trapped and has an adulterous affair with an acquaintance, Charlie Townsend (Liev Schrieber) after they connect on a double date at the theatre. She and Walter become even more distant and resentful toward each other especially when Walter calls her out on her affair. He gives her an understandable ultimatum for the state of their marriage....he'll file for a divorce for her adultery or she can come with him to a remote Chinese town along the Yangtze River to research a cholera epidemic. Turning to Charlie, she is met with anything but the reaction she had hoped from him. She agrees to go with Walter and that's where we find them in the beginning of the film, on their way to this small, condemned village.
In the village, Walter gets to work right away testing the town's water supply for nasty microbes while Kitty stews in a pot of boredom in their bungalow. The only neighbor they have is a frumpy, kind British officer named Waddington (Toby Keith) who checks up on Kitty and is one of those characters that you see stationed in a small desolate area for years. There are also the Catholic nuns who work in the orphanage led by Mother Superior (Diana Rigg, I couldn't believe it!), I'm not jokin' that's her name. Kitty eventually crawls out of her boredom amid nationalist upheaval and starts to see Walter's selflessness and nobility. In turn, he sees Kitty helping out with the children in the orphanage and remembers what he originally saw in her. It sounds kinda cheesy but director John Curran excels at making it real. Their time in this place turns out to be a surprising tribulation of growth and understanding for both Kitty's void recoil and Walter's headstrong brashness. It's hard to get over the aesthetic splendor providing the film's melancholy romantic nature. Cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh's visual achievement is purely mesmerizing. There's such a simple, wispy vigor within the shots, not so much enchanting for the mountainous scenery but for the way even simple interior scenes are shot. Sure, the epidemic happens to take place in a lush, glistening locale but it could have had a drab look to it. Instead the colors and light of the film provide a great place for composer Alexandre Desplat to thrive and experiment, giving an aural richness needed to complement both the drama and the emotions. Considering all that, the film resonates a timeless narrative reminiscent of classic Hollywood romance. As I watched it, I found myself thinking this would be something that back in the day maybe Peck and Hepburn might have been in. It's intelligent characterization combined with a sweetness that won't send you to the dentist. I liked that it wasn't heavy-handed politically or even emotionally, there weren't any high-impact scenes or pretentiously potent scenes for me to swallow amidst such a bittersweet tale of subdued punishment. When they do occur though, the scenes are delivered with a quiet strength and respect for where these two have come from. Curran's newest piece takes a gracefully gentle pace with understated, nuanced performances atypical of the two leads.
Without a doubt, the protagonist and star of the film is Naomi Watts. An actress I've always liked and preferred over her gal-pal Nicole Kidman. This could be the movie she met her current beau and father of her newborn, Schrieber. She plays Kitty with great complexity and muddled emotion in order to fully immerse herself in the central conflict of the film. At the start, she's an empty shell, focused on surface eccentricities and an undemanding escape from her life. Watts nails down that persona very well, displaying ample timidity and hollowness. When Kitty starts looking beyond herself, she starts to see what she's capable of and what really matters. It's a role that at times requires deterring vacancy, and Watts handles her with supple poise.
Because Watt's performance is so good, she needed to have an equally capable actor and indeed Norton is well up to task. I felt he even had the English accent down Through his sensibly crafted performance, his realism and integrity shine. Norton has to sit on his emotions because Walter is basically emotionally constipated. Instead of unchecked rage like his outings in "Fight Club" and "American History X" Norton adheres to careful, quiet electricity for Walter. All these performances make me feel like he will be able to handle the currently filming "The Incredible Hulk" movie. In this film, he partners wonderfully with Watts' equally delicate performance, bringing a decisive dance between the two that lends to an eventual atonement for each. The lack of aggression from both Kitty and Walter perfectly suits the state of their marriage, their characters, and the period in which this all occurs. I really have no desire to see the original because this movie did it for me. I don't wanna see it done any other way. With it's wistful splendor and delicate, sweeping beauty, it holds no doubt a bittersweet tale about the writhing, correctable mistakes of misguided lovers. "The Painted Veil" could have easily been melodramatically saccharine but instead is pure romanticism in the classic cinematic sense. That's what makes this film's narrative so pleasant. Sure, there's a remotely predictable ending in sight but that doesn't matter when watching these two characters come undone amidst such a horrible epidemic. I was absorbed in this world regardless of whether or not I liked the characters and that's a testament to not only the actors but the story and the filmmakers.