The Painted Veil (2006 film)
- Naomi Watts: Kitty Fane
- Edward Norton: Walter Fane
- Liev Schreiber: Charlie Townsend
- Toby Jones: Waddington
- Diana Rigg: Mother Superior
- Anthony Wong Chau -Sang: Colonel Yu
The Painted Veil (Original Title: The Painted Veil ) is a film drama from 2006 by director John Curran starring Naomi Watts and Edward Norton in the lead roles. The film is based on the novel by William Somerset Maugham.
Action
Kitty is a young woman from the English upper class. In 1923 she taught at a ceremony in London bacteriologist Walter Fane to whom she later marries. However, not out of love, but because of pressure from society, in particular the insistence of her mother. Kitty accompanies her husband Walter in 1925 to Shanghai, where he will help in the fight against an epidemic.
One evening are both invited to the British Vice-Consul Charlie Townsend and his wife. Kitty falls in love with Charlie, but he is not willing to leave his wife for her. Walter gets the affair and presents them to task. He threatens her to get a divorce on grounds of adultery by her, if she does not accompany him to his contaminated by cholera of use in a rural area of China. After some time, Kitty noticed the selflessness of her husband, she more and more impressed. She regrets her selfish behavior and by the time she falls in love with all my heart in her husband.
As her pregnancy is detected, it is not sure whether Charlie or Walter is the father of her child. Walter now sees over it and forgives her. Just when everything seems to be a happy ending and the couple has reconciled and love, Walter infected with cholera and dies. Kitty returns to London. She has become a different person. When they happen to Charlie runs one day about the way she refuses an invitation from him and walking with her son on alone.
Background
- Filming began in November 2005. The film was shot in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangxi.
- Production costs were estimated at about 19.4 million U.S. dollars. The film played in theaters worldwide about 26.5 million U.S. dollars, of which about 8 million U.S. dollars in the United States.
- Theatrical release in China was on 29 December 2006, in the U.S. and Canada on January 19, 2007. In Germany, the movie does not hit cinemas, but was released on 19 February 2009 on DVD.
- The original book was previously filmed twice: in 1934 under the same title The Painted Veil with Greta Garbo in the leading role, and in 1957 under the title Hong Kong was their destiny ( Original title: The Seventh Sin).
Reviews
- Andreas Zankl wrote on schnitt.de: The film focusses on the mysterious and ambivalent relationship between Walter and Kitty. [ ..] It's main aim is to show how two people who have actually lost their interest in each other, fall in love again with each other and re- learn to appreciate the proximity of the partner again. [ ..] The film wants the estranged couple back together lead on the one hand, piece by piece, so that they find a reason to feel good in spite of the foreign culture. On the other hand, he problematizes the bad relationship between Europeans and Asians, and can thus be understood as a kind of critique against the prevailing power relations.
- Daniela Leistikov wrote on filmstarts.de: " The Painted Veil" is soulful cinema with wonderful pictures and good leading actors. Minor weaknesses in the plot and the partially peculiar behavior of the characters can be a film that would be great to slip off a bit, because he can not hold at any point in the story the full attention of the audience.
- Encyclopedia of the International Films: Epic Beziehungsmelodram, detail- equipped on a story by W. Somerset Maugham, played excellently, says clever with some flashbacks.
Awards
Alexandre Desplat won a Golden Globe Award 2007 in the category Best Film Music, and he also won a Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award 2006. Ron Nyswaner won a National Board of Review Award 2006. Edward Norton won a San Diego Film Critics Society Award 2006. Edward Norton and Ron Nyswaner were nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2007.