The Painted Veil

This self-consciously old-fashioned drama was produced by its stars, Edward Norton and Naomi Watts, and they are indeed the guarantors of value in this enterprise. John Curran’s direction, the location shooting in China, the music and all the rest are competent support to the two central roles, which hold the screen admirably. Norton is a stuffy British bacteriologist who woos the flighty Watts, and wins her by providing escape from her familty to faraway Shanghai. But then of course she needs to escape from him, and takes Liev Schreiber as a lover. Norton discovers the affair and offers to let her go, but when that avenue is closed, insists she accompany him inland where he is going to combat a cholera epidemic. It’s not entirely clear whom he wishes to punish more, her or himself. Alone together in an isolated and deadly situation, they are forced to come to terms with each other, to know each other for the first time. Their relationship is beautifully and subtly and even wittily delineated, and their romantic doom is sealed with intelligence and passion. It’s all a bit stodgy, but moving nonetheless. (2006, dvd, n.) *7-* (MC-69.)

Talk about holding the screen admirably -- no one does it better than Garbo. TCM recently showed the 1934 adaptation of the same Somerset Maugham novel, starring Greta Garbo and Herbert Marshall and directed by Richard Boleslawski. It doesn’t explain the title any more than the other Painted Veil, but makes for an instructive comparison. The China is this film is strictly soundstage, to the point of having “Charlie Chan” as the army colonel, and the story is sanitized and given a happy ending. Doesn’t matter -- it’s Garbo, and therefore fascinating to watch.

While referring to TCM, I should also take note of their recent documentary, Brando, which was quite an interesting review of the great but reluctant actor’s life and work.