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*This is my first review, so please forgive its imperfections*
I came across this film when scrolling through my video library on a rainy afternoon, and let me just say, if I judged a book strictly by its cover, I would have passed this without a second glance and forgotten it completely. Not that the DVD cover isn't stunning, depicting some enchanting Chinese scenery, but the image of a couple snuggling on a rowboat, I have to admit, had me sighing a little. I remember thinking, Oh God, this is going to be the Chinese version of Australia, a film that shoves some competent cinematography and landscape shots down your throat to distract from an eye-rollingly corny love story.
Again, if I was sold on appearences alone, I would have left this film in the dirt, but being a woman and having my weaknesses, I decided to try it out with the knowledge that Edward Norton (known for being choosy when taking roles) was the lead. I was prepared for a hackneyed romance told mainly through montages (one of my personal pet peeves) and some overdramatic music. I will say, the film DOES open in a somewhat typical fashion. Boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy marries girl, but ahhh, girl doesn't fall for boy. However, the film at this point veers dramatically from where one would expect a movie with said scenerio to head. The wife of Edward Norton's character, played in a wonderful turn by Naomi Watts, is vein, selfish, and unfaithful, but portrayed so as not to make her hateful to the audience. For some actors, this is easier than for others, and Watts shines in creating a beautifully rounded character that transforms from a spoiled daughter of high society to a devoted and powerful wife and woman. I'm going into as much detail as I am because the character development is one of the many great aspects of this film. Each character is written with as much virtue as flaw. No one is perfect, yet no one is unlikeable. Edward Norton is mesmerizing as he has been in every film I have ever seen him in. I truly believe this is one of his most powerful, and sadly underrated, performances. He pulls off a flawless accent and powerfully communicates the resentment he feels for his philandering wife, but what makes the perfomance memorable is how internal most of it is. Norton's eyes play as great a role as his mouth, for there is not a scene in this movie where his tortured betrayal is not evident. He and Watts play off each other with ease, which is ironic because a great chunk of this film has them at each others' throats. The movie boasts an outstanding supporting cast, including Liev Schreiber as the seductive albeit underlyingly slimy lover, Toby Jones (who I have never seen in a role this pivitol since) as the couple's neighbor and sort-of conscience, and the fabulous Diana Rigg as the Mother Superior of the French convent. A lot of times in movies, the nun character is employed to offer sentimental words of wisdom, which Rigg does here, but her perfomance keeps the character from being cliche and she easily wins the best line of the film with her speech to Watts' character about faith and how it prevails with the help of love.
As much as I'm raving about the performances, I don't want this film to come across as one only watchable for its actors, because as I discovered within the first ten minutes of this nearly two hour picture, it has so much more to offer. Based on the 1925 novel by W. Somerset Maugham (which I understand takes a far less romantic turn in its finale than the film version), The Painted Veil tells the story of a shy, young bacteriologist named Walter Fane (Norton), who has returned from his work in China in hopes of taking a wife. He instantly falls for the beautiful but spoiled Kitty (Watts), and abruptly asks her for her hand in marriage. Accepting his proposal(for far less romantic reasons), Kitty is immediately disappointed in Walters' mundane lifestyle and his apparent lack of passion, and wastes no time in seeking it out elsewhere, namely the charming(and married) Charlie Townsend (Schreiber). The lovers are seperated, however, by Walter's discovery, who, as punishment for her behavior, drags Kitty along with him to a small Chinese Village (the name of which is escaping me at the moment) infested with a mammoth outbreak of Cholera. Walter volunteers to be the town's doctor, with the self-pitying Kitty confined to the solitude of their isolated home, her only company the being the non-english-speaking Chinese house-maid and their neighbor, Mr.Waddington, whom she comes to befriend. Walter, his fondness for Kitty now replaced with bitter distain, seeks refuge in his work, but runs into obstacles with the townspeople condemning him as a white imperialist good for nothing but corrupting their tradition. As the film progresses, it is the obstacles faced by the two individuals that bring them to a new understanding of themselves and their realizing that they are both at fault for the marriage's failure through both wanting the other to be something they aren't. The relationship between Walter and Kitty is both complex and beautiful. It undergoes several beatings, but ultimately prevails as one more powerful and romantic than I was prepared for. The love story avoids cliche by taking its time to really manifest itself, and by that I mean it truly had me on the edge of my seat in anticipation for the two characters to finally give in to their feelings. It is something special, as we watch two people, who become more than just characters but emalgums of both human frailty and strength, discover their ability to love. The third act of the film I will not elaborate on because I want everyone to experience it on their own, as well as the rest of a film that has criminally flown under the radar for far too long.
As one who compulsively studies film-making and the factors that determine its greatness, I will wrap up this review by complimenting the stunning production design of the movie. Every shot is strategically framed, pulling no distracting camera cuts like one might see in one of Scorsese's lesser films. And although this film, for me, earns the right to boast some unbelievable shots of the Chinese countryside, at no time does it rely on them to force a reaction. The word to describe this film, in its design atleast, is subtlety. The director, the cinematographer and the production designer let the film speak for itself in how wonderous it is, and Alexandre Desplat lets his score serve as a backdrop rather than a mood-setter. This film is a rare pleasure, and all I can say is I wish there were more out there with as much poise and tenderness as this one possesses. This is a film worth setting time aside to watch, because it is one that demands full attention in order for the viewer to full appreciate what it is trying to do, which is not to wack them over the head with its sentimentality, but rather cradle them with its quiet and tender beauty.
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Damaged!
This review is for the product quality from this seller, not the movie itself. I love the movie and wanted to have my own copy. When it arrived the shrink wrap looked sketchy like it was re-shrink wrapped. I should’ve taken a photo of the shrink wrap but did not. I could hear that the dvd was sliding around inside the case. The dvd has scratches, the box itself has scratches and a slit on the back. The label looks like it has been glued on. I’m not even sure if this is a legit copy or a burned copy. I tried watching it on my Mac and a message appeared on the screen that it was skipping over damaged areas and it never began playing. I’m including photos. Very disappointed.
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PRO:
1. Trama
2. Recitazione
3. Scenografia
CONTRO:
- Nessun aspetto negativo
CONCLUSIONI:
Una perla del cinema. Non può mancare nella videoteca!
SPECIFICHE TECNICHE:
1. Durata: 120 minuti (contenuti speciali: Dietro le quinte - Interviste - Trailer Italiano e Originale)
2. Formato: 2.35:1
3. Lingua: Italiano Dolby Digital 5.1, Inglese Dolby Digital 5.1 (sottotitoli: Italiano, Italiano per non udenti)
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Beautiful adaptation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 26, 2008