2/15/07

The Painted Veil

There is something about a love story between a husband and wife...

This is the latest version of a classic Somerset Maugham story which stars Edward Norton ("The Italian Job" and "The Illusionist") as a middle-class doctor who marries a flighty, spoiled upper-class woman, played by Naomi Watts ("King Kong" and "Mulholland Drive"). He is certain that she will fall in love with him AFTER they marry, and she just wants to get away from her conniving mother. This is not an auspicious beginning for any marriage, but when he moves them to a 1920s Shanghai, things go from bad to worse. To punish her for her frivolous escapades with Liev Shreiber ("The Manchurian Candidate"), he forces her to trek with him to the inland of China where they are confronted with a cholera epidemic.

Toby Jones ("Infamous" and "Amazing Grace") is a British official, gone to seed; and Diana Rigg ("Mystery" and "The Avengers") is a Catholic nun who runs the local orphanage. Of course, their work is flawless. With five leading actors of this caliber, you just can't go wrong.

The two leads are also the producers of this movie and they have done a marvelous job. The movie was shot on location in China and once again, I am reminded that the unbelievably steep mountains depicted in those stylized Chinese prints are NOT an exaggeration! The cinematography is stunning!

This one is a keeper...