"The Painted Veil" effectively blends highbrow literary pretension with powerful cinematic drama an evocative, passionate romantic triangle set among Brits living in 1920s China.
December 19, 2006 (Press Release) --
Like the more successful Merchant-Ivory period dramas, "The Painted Veil" effectively blends highbrow literary pretension with powerful cinematic drama an evocative, passionate romantic triangle set among Brits living in 1920s China.
Much of the story takes place in a village ravaged by a cholera epidemic, not exactly feel-good turf. Yet director John Curran who also directed "We Don't Live Here Anymore," a very contemporary drama of betrayal and infidelity infuses such ardency, that what could have been a phenomenally depressing story emerges as an oddly invigorating and even hopeful one.
Along with excellent performances from Naomi Watts and Edward Norton (both producers on the film) and Liev Schreiber and Toby Jones, "The Painted Veil" is beautifully designed, from costumes and sets to Stuart Dryburgh's lush cinematography.
Those accomplishments are all the more impressive given it was a rare Hollywood film shot entirely in China, where it's harder to come by the resources to which Western movie crews are accustomed.
Adapted from W. Somerset Maugham's novel by screenwriter Ron Nyswaner, the story opens with a prologue in London, where spirited, well-to-do Kitty (Watts) is in danger of becoming an old maid, to the shame of her mother, who's been urging her to find a husband.
Longing to break away from rigid British social conventions, Kitty accepts a marriage proposal from awkward but adoring Dr. Walter Fane (Norton), a bacteriologist about to head back to his research work in Shanghai.
"I think I improve greatly upon acquaintance," Walter meekly tells Kitty when she initially balks at his proposal.
It's a nice change for Norton, who plays an earnest, gentle, boyish soul as skillfully as the darker, more dangerous roles he's known for.
In China, Kitty quickly finds British colonial life as stifling as what she left behind in London. And though Walter is a respectful husband, their marriage lacks fire.
Kitty finds solace and passion in an affair with a British vice consul, Charles Townsend (Schreiber). Not the weak cuckold Kitty took him for, Walter reacts severely when he learns of her adultery, accepting a post in a remote, cholera-plagued village and compelling his wife to come with him.
There, Kitty pines for her lover, seethes over her husband and finds unlikely friendship with a neighbor, British colonial official Waddington (played by the scene-stealing Jones, who starred as Truman Capote in this fall's "Infamous").
Diana Rigg also pops up unrecognizably as the mother superior at a convent where Kitty eventually makes herself useful, helping out in the classroom with children there. Kitty also re-evaluates her relationship with both her husband and lover, surprising even herself with some of the choices she makes.
Source: http://www.msn.com
Much of the story takes place in a village ravaged by a cholera epidemic, not exactly feel-good turf. Yet director John Curran who also directed "We Don't Live Here Anymore," a very contemporary drama of betrayal and infidelity infuses such ardency, that what could have been a phenomenally depressing story emerges as an oddly invigorating and even hopeful one.
Along with excellent performances from Naomi Watts and Edward Norton (both producers on the film) and Liev Schreiber and Toby Jones, "The Painted Veil" is beautifully designed, from costumes and sets to Stuart Dryburgh's lush cinematography.
Those accomplishments are all the more impressive given it was a rare Hollywood film shot entirely in China, where it's harder to come by the resources to which Western movie crews are accustomed.
Adapted from W. Somerset Maugham's novel by screenwriter Ron Nyswaner, the story opens with a prologue in London, where spirited, well-to-do Kitty (Watts) is in danger of becoming an old maid, to the shame of her mother, who's been urging her to find a husband.
Longing to break away from rigid British social conventions, Kitty accepts a marriage proposal from awkward but adoring Dr. Walter Fane (Norton), a bacteriologist about to head back to his research work in Shanghai.
"I think I improve greatly upon acquaintance," Walter meekly tells Kitty when she initially balks at his proposal.
It's a nice change for Norton, who plays an earnest, gentle, boyish soul as skillfully as the darker, more dangerous roles he's known for.
In China, Kitty quickly finds British colonial life as stifling as what she left behind in London. And though Walter is a respectful husband, their marriage lacks fire.
Kitty finds solace and passion in an affair with a British vice consul, Charles Townsend (Schreiber). Not the weak cuckold Kitty took him for, Walter reacts severely when he learns of her adultery, accepting a post in a remote, cholera-plagued village and compelling his wife to come with him.
There, Kitty pines for her lover, seethes over her husband and finds unlikely friendship with a neighbor, British colonial official Waddington (played by the scene-stealing Jones, who starred as Truman Capote in this fall's "Infamous").
Diana Rigg also pops up unrecognizably as the mother superior at a convent where Kitty eventually makes herself useful, helping out in the classroom with children there. Kitty also re-evaluates her relationship with both her husband and lover, surprising even herself with some of the choices she makes.
Source: http://www.msn.com
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