Photo by: Warner Indepenedent Pictures
In a slump of brainless, predictable films, it is refreshing to see one as beautiful and intelligent as “The Painted Veil.”
The film, starring Naomi Watts (“King Kong”), Edward Norton (“The Illusionist”) and Liev Schreiber (“The Omen”) tells the story of a young English couple struggling to make their relationship work through a tangle of deception and contempt.
When Walter Fane (Norton), a middle class doctor proposes marriage to the beautiful, upper class Kitty (Watts), she accepts to spite her mother.
The couple moves to Shanghai, and it isn’t long until Kitty falls in love with a married business associate of her husband.
Their heated affair gives Kitty the love and affection lacking from her stale marriage, and she dreams of someday living her life with him.
However, upon discovering his wife’s infidelity, Walter gives her a choice: either move with him to a distant village in China where he has just volunteered his services in the heart of a deadly cholera epidemic, or he will publicly divorce her.
Kitty grudgingly moves with her husband, and the two become even more spiteful toward one another. As the health of the villagers deteriorates, so does the marriage between the malicious doctor and his woeful wife.
The acting in the film is enchanting. A beautiful Watts impeccably portrays the lonely Kitty Fane with a tremendous amount of grace and strength.
Edward Norton moves away from his usual character type to convincingly depict the cold hearted doctor, intent on making his wife suffer for what she did to him.
The chemistry between the couple never falters, and their pain, longing, spite and love are compellingly portrayed. Watts looks magnificent throughout the entire film, and her acting matches her elegance on the screen.
Perhaps the most gripping part of the movie is the absolutely gorgeous cinematography. Not usually one to enjoy a film simply based on aesthetics, I left the theater totally mystified by the beauty of the scenery.
The plot dragged on in parts, but the beauty of each and every scene made the movie unwaveringly captivating.
The movie, filmed entirely on location in China, fully displays the magnificent beauty of the country.
Furthermore, the serenity of the scenery added drastically to the general composure of the film.
The movie is a little on the long side, but assuming you are willing to sit through it, it is truly worth every minute. “The Painted Veil” is welcome proof of the modern existence of enchanting, beautiful period films.
