The Painted Veil
Mixed feelings about the film make me want to avoid blogging about it, but in all honesty I should say that I love it to pieces.
The mixed feelings are coming from this whole China thing. I don’t mind the beautiful scenery but I can’t help but think “What the heck are those white people doing in that idyllic landscape?” This is a little unfair to the film really. Much unlike your average “white people go to third world countries to find themselves” film, this film is honest about the damage of colonialism. The indigenous people are not just a pretty backdrop, there are actual conflicts with them and when they are shown as slaves or servants, it is always criticized. Also, both main characters try to help people (at some point) and rightfully become disillusioned about the motives of everybody who is there. Even though the nuns are being portrayed in a positive manner, the film is not afraid to point out that they are trying to “turn those children into little Catholics”. I really liked that, I think the film is really smart in portraying the China of 1925, and you can tell how much the people involved have studied this material. The film does not come with the usual superficiality and haughtiness of its genre, and the clichéd scenery shots in Guilin are just testament to how beautiful the country looks to the director and the producers. I read somewhere that Edward Norton wanted to make another “Out of Africa” but in reality “The Painted Veil” is nothing like it, and I am sure he is smart enough to know that too.
Story-wise, I absolutely loved the film. I liked all the changes they made to Maugham’s novel and I thought its execution was thoughtful and beautiful. The last scene with Townsend was also quite gratifying, so much more than the original book. Normally I am not a big fan of Hollywood turning a bleak story about human depravity into something more sentimental and lovely (unless it’s Game of Thrones where I think the books are just too bleak). “The Painted Veil”, however, works so much better as a story of people who hate each other slowly becoming closer when they get to know each other better. It’s a story of personal growth which happens slowly and in a believable manner, and I thought it was wonderfully romantic. This is amazing because I am a love at first sight type of person who is into steamy passion and typically disdains the idea of a slowly blossoming love, but “The Painted Veil” just may have changed my mind. Kitty says “As if a woman has ever loved a man for his virtue” in a derisive manner, and when we hear that we think it’s totally true, but we also know at this point in the film that this is exactly what happened to her. Like I said, I loved it.
I am also a huge fan of Edward Norton and Naomi Watts in this movie. I think you can tell that they were really into the story (both being producers for the show also), and I think that speaks highly for them. After it has been recommended to me by several people, I finally decided to watch this film after I had a random desire to see Edward Norton on screen again. He had an awesome role as the somewhat shy and lovesick, then serious and brutal, and then loving and protecting husband – I had so much fun watching that.
If anyone of you wants to watch a nice, hopelessly romantic love story, this is it. It seems that nobody seems to know about this movie, but at least it was a financial success.