Film title:
The Painted Veil
Director:
John Curran
Starring:
Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones
Release date:
27 Apr
Certificate:
12A
Something of a love story in reverse, The Painted Veil is set in China in the mid 1920s: an English doctor (Norton) has married a society woman (Watts) who doesn't love him. They quickly come to despise each other after he discovers her affair with a diplomat (Schreiber) and drags her to a remote cholera-ridden rural area out of spite. Once there however, their passion is rekindled against a backdrop of colonial rebellion and perilously manky water. Based on a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil is a rather stiff and dry period piece that improves dramatically towards the end of the second act and is lifted by its stunning location photography and some exemplary performances. Both Watts and Norton's transformations from selfish, highly unlikeable sorts to people we come to care deeply about make the journey well worth taking. [Paul Greenwood]