The Painted Veil (2006)

O An excellent must-see
X Good video rental
O Mediocre
O Rent something else

Review by Jason Pyles / May 8, 2007

“The Painted Veil” is a drama that has a hint of romance and the passing suggestion of a thriller. Though it begins with a lot of stamina, “The Painted Veil” tends to drag here and there. Nevertheless, this movie is still worth seeing if you enjoy good dramas.

“The Painted Veil” begins at point H, flashes back and catches us up from point A to point G, then continues on to point Z. This technique is wonderfully effective at drawing us into the story.

The year is 1923. Kitty (Naomi Watts) is rich, miserable and unmarried. Her older sister married well, and Kitty’s nagging mother is pressuring her to also “leave the nest.” A timid bacteriologist, Dr. Fane (Ed Norton), comes courting and proposes to Kitty. She doesn’t love him, but Kitty accepts so she can escape her mother.

When Fane later finds that his discontent wife is having an affair, he volunteers to treat a cholera epidemic in a small town in rural China. He, more or less, forces her to accompany him to the dangerous, diseased wilderness.

That’s the storyline, but that’s not what the movie is about. The most important developments in this film are subtle.

Directed by John Curran
Naomi Watts / Edward Norton / Liev Schreiber
125 min. Drama / Romance
(Original MPAA rating: PG-13)
Edited version age recommendation: 14 and up

DVD release date: May 8, 2007
Copyright 2007.
JP0110 : 199