The Painted Veil

W. Somerset Maugham isn't exactly a fashionable author today, but this adaptation of his 1925 novel proves that his work can still carry considerable power. In director John Curran's intelligent, elegantly appointed period drama, Edward Norton stars as Walter Fane, an earnest but bland government bacteriologist who weds Kitty (Naomi Watts), the flighty daughter of upper middle-class London parents, and then spirits his bride off to his new assignment in Shanghai. Before long, Kitty takes up with a slick, ambitious (and married) foreign service officer (Liev Schreiber), but when Walter discovers the affair, he offers his wife a choice: accept a scandalous divorce, or accompany him to a remote region to try to stem the spread of a cholera outbreak, a task that will be made even more difficult by the locals' determination to adhere to their traditions, as well as their general hostility towards foreigners. In this new environment, Kitty undergoes a transformation after becoming involved in the work of a group of French nuns, and her change in attitude eventually brings about a reconciliation with her husband that even survives her disclosure that's she's pregnant (the paternity is in doubt). Whether their newfound love can survive the epidemic, however, is another matter. Modern audiences may find it hard to identify with Maugham's characters—repressed souls acting out their lives in forced conformity to a stuffy code of behavior—but for those willing to settle back and appreciate the film's old-fashioned virtues, The Painted Veil will prove very satisfying. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)