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This is the second film version of W. Somerset Maugham
novel of the same name which could have been subtitled (with
apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez to "Love in the Time
of Cholera"). This unusual love story is really powered
by the acting. The 1934 film with Greta Garbo and Herbert
Marshall for all of its acting fire power was restricted
by being studio bound. The new version filmed on location
and directed by John Curran ("We Don't Live Here Anymore")
benefits top notch acting and the lush, lovely landscape
of China. Featuring a marvelous supporting cast including
Diana Rigg (as a nun!), Toby Jones ("Infamous") and Anthony
Wong Chau-Sang, "The Painted Veil" is an old fashioned melodramatic
love story like "The English Patient". ***
Kitty (Naomi Watts) marries bacteriologist Dr. Walter
Fane (Edward Norton) not for love or money but to escape
her mother's household. Fane takes his new bride back to
China where he is doing research at a government outpost.
Kitty quickly becomes bored and has an affair with the witty
dip0lomat Charlie Townsend (Live Schreiber). When Walter
finds out about the affair he tells her he plans on divorcing
her on the grounds of adultery. Kitty counters asking him
to give her a quiet divorce so she can marry Charlie. Charlie
refuses to divorce his wife. Now Kitty and Walter are stuck
together in a marriage built on anger and betrayal rather
than love. When an outbreak of cholera ravages a rural part
of the Chinese countryside, Dr. Fane packs up taking his
wife with him so he can study and perhaps put an end to
the outbreak. In this dangerous environment the two discover
respect and love for each other. ---
Image & Sound:
A top notch transfer for "Veil" the gorgeous Chinese
countryside is beautifully reproduced in the DVD. I did
notice some minor issues with pixilation but otherwise the
film looks extremely good. The audio compliments the wonderfully
rich score by composer Alexandre Desplat. ----
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