A stunning visual drama set in a period of turmoil, distrust, and imposition, with the added complexity and depth of fallible, emotionally and morally flawed main characters. NW and EN are a great pairing, deftly playing characters trying to forge their own paths in a new world, on the back of infidelity, anger, disappointment, and vengeful spite. With time and compassion their relationship evolves, as do their individual desires, and this adds a warmth to their relationship, whilst tensions around them grow and the mood darkens in the throes of a deadly epidemic... something they are both moved to try and quell

An old school romantic movie where a a spoiled immature cheating wife reconciles with her estranged husband in a time where China is experiencing an outbreak of cholera.

A flawless masterpiece. Definitely one of my favorites!

At the top of my list of all-time favorites. Having spent many years in China I have a certain bias, but the lush cinematography of the beautiful country side and the clear-eyed depiction of the poverty that exists side by side is also reflected in the extreme cruelty and the beauty of grace and forgiveness that makes the film, for me, unforgettable. The music and the score are equally lush and beautiful and at times foreboding and dreadful, but equally unforgettable. Well done. Also, the ending is a great improvement over the ending of the original 1934 version of the film.

I looked at some of the reviews here before watching the movie and was surprised at some of the views, as they don't seem to fit my impressions of the novel. The book is a masterpiece in many ways. For some reason the ending is completely changed in this adaptation, which very much dilutes the lasting message of the story - that of a woman who becomes independent and wants to do something to change the world, so that women would not have to go through the same struggles that she did.

(Spoilers) This is a movie I have a love/hate relationship with. It's beautifully directed, the actors are all amazing, a wonderful movie all around. It's just such a painful end... I want this romance to survive... Her pain at the end is palpable. She finally loves him, and he's dead... It makes you wish Walter survived...

On a brief trip to London in the early 1920s, earnest and bookish bacteriologist Walter Fane (Edward Norton) is dazzled by Kitty Garstin (Naomi Watts), a London socialite. He proposes; she accepts ("only to get as far away from [her] mother as possible"), and the couple honeymoon in Venice. They travel to Walter's medical post in Shanghai, where he is stationed in a government lab studying infectious diseases. They are ill-suited, with Kitty much more interested in parties and the social life of the British expatriates. She meets Charles Townsend (Liev Schreiber), a married British vice consul, and they have an affair. When Walter finds out, he threatens divorce for adultery unless she accompanies him to a village in a remote area of China where he has volunteered to treat victims of an unchecked cholera epidemic. Kitty begs for a quiet divorce, which he initially refuses, but later says only if Townsend will leave his wife Dorothy to marry her. Charles declines to accept, despite earlier claiming his love for Kitty. The couple embark upon an arduous, two-week-long overland journey to the mountainous inland region, which is considerably faster and much easier if they traveled by river, but Walter is determined to make Kitty as uncomfortable as possible. Upon their arrival in Mei-tan-fu, she discovers they will be living in near-squalor, far removed from the town. Their cheerful neighbor Waddington (Toby Jones) is a British deputy commissioner living in relative opulence with Wan Xi (Lü Yan), a young Chinese woman. Walter and Kitty barely speak. Except for a cook and a Chinese soldier assigned to guard her during unrest due to the Chinese Revolution, she is alone for long hours. After visiting an orphanage run by a group of French nuns, Kitty volunteers and she is assigned to work in the music room. She is surprised to learn from the Mother Superior that her husband loves children, especially babies. She begins to see him differently, that he can be unselfish and caring. When he sees her with the children, he also realizes she is not as shallow and selfish as he had thought. Their marriage begins to blossom in the midst of the epidemic. She soon learns she is pregnant, but is unsure who the father is. Walter – in love with Kitty again – assures her it doesn't matter... Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said the story seems "so unlikely for modern adaptation, particularly when, as is the case here, it hasn't been refitted with a contemporary hook or allegory for audiences who wouldn't know Maugham from Edna Ferber. Instead, as nicely directed by John Curran and adapted to the screen by Ron Nyswaner, this version of the story lulls you by turning Maugham's distaff bildungsroman into a fine romance. Even better, the new film gives us ample opportunity to spend time with Ms. Watts, whose remarkable talent helps keep movie faith and love alive, even in the tinniest, tiniest vehicles . . . An inveterate stealer and masticator of scenes, Mr. Norton is very fine here, especially early on, before his billing gets the better of the story and he begins riding around heroically on horseback . . . Whether through craft or constitution, [he] invests Walter with a petty cruelty that makes his character's emotional thaw and Kitty's predicament all the more poignant." Carina Chocano of the Los Angeles Times said the film "has all the elements in place to be a great epic, but it fails to connect, to paraphrase Maugham's contemporary E.M. Forster, the prose with the passion. It's impeccable, but leaves you cold." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone rated the film three out of four stars and commented, "If you're suspecting this third movie version of W. Somerset Maugham's 1925 novel may carry the infectious dullness of prestige filmmaking, rest easy . . . the film is a period piece propelled by emotions accessible to a modern audience . . . The Painted Veil has the power and intimacy of a timeless love story. By all means, let it sweep you away." Meghan Keane of the New York Sun said the film "may at times threaten to fall into an abyss of sentimentality, and it has moments that seem mere transitions to propel the plot, but it manages a charming historic portrait without insulting the audience's intelligence." Todd McCarthy of Variety thought the story "feels remote and old-school despite a frankness the two previous film versions lacked." He added, "Present scripter Ron Nyswaner makes some solid fundamental decisions, beginning with the telescoping down to the barest minimum the London-set opening . . . All the same, the film is still dominated by the stuffy, repressed personality of Fane, whose emotional stonewalling of his wife produces a stifling of Kitty's naturally more vivacious, if common, personality. Despite the extremes of human experience on view, there is a certain blandness to them as they play out, a sensation matched by the eye-catching but picture-postcard-like presentation of the settings . . . Even the ultra-capable Norton and Watts aren't fully able to galvanize viewer interest in their narrowly self-absorbed characters." I think that "The Painted Veil" is a strong period drama based on the 1925 novel of the same title by W. Somerset Maugham about love, relationships and adultery. There´s solid acting from Naomi Watts and Edward Norton. And we get beautiful sceneries from the Huangyao Ancient Town in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Yes, it´s also sentimental and maybe a bit stiff, but I didn´t feel it became an issue. Trivia: This is the third film adaptation of the Maugham book, following a 1934 film starring Greta Garbo and Herbert Marshall and a 1957 version called The Seventh Sin with Bill Travers and Eleanor Parker.

At about the thirty-minute mark, the story came alive. Absorbing. Be patient. I understand why The Painted Veil received a high approval rating. You know a movie is good when you sense the sights, sounds and smells. At times, unpleasant. When the soundtrack…and the music…are so perfectly blended that you rarely notice they exist. And they succeed at lifting everything. Each character wears their full person on their sleeve for the audience to enjoy. Lush.

Dramma che offre una finestra su luoghi sconosciuti e selvaggi; e li rende parte integrante della trama. I personaggi di Norton e della Watts sono interessanti in quanto abbastanza originali e con caratteristiche peculiari e non banali. A tratti un po' scontato, comunque nel complesso offre una visione delicata e poco esplorata della vita di una coppia dopo un tradimento, in una terra straniera. Ottima fotografia e buoni costumi.

I loved this movie. The photography, the story, the characters, the historic events, the beauty of scenic. And what is not less important, it is a love story that seems real! Far away from traditional cliches.

Es una película muy bien realizada; la trama es buena, la música es sublime y las actuaciones de Naomi Watts y Edward Norton son excelentes; muy recomendable.

Some great performances and stunning scenery can make even a story about cholera interesting to watch

Fantastic is all I can say--One of my all-time favorite films. Thank you Edward Norton !

A movie for our time. A masterfully crafted story about two very flawed people finding an unlikely path to grace through a cholera epidemic in China in the 1920's.

The nuanced characters and beautiful scenery make this movie unique and interesting.

I am not usually much of a romance film enthusiast however the drama is good enough to have made me enjoy this film as i do enjoy films where there is some sort of epidemic and the romance is not too heavy like in god awful romcoms. Also they way the characters become in love with each other is in the end nicely done.

Lagged a little in spots, but otherwise well-acted and a beautiful film showing how one can love for someone's merits, rather than romantic affection.

Falls a bit flat for me. I think it's the performances of Norton and Watts that just don't bring the subtlety that the writing calls for. I didn't believe them, which kept me at a distance.

Wonderful photography! Naomi Watts and Edward Norton deliver an almost as equally wonderful performance as the photography. A touching story, yet at times not engaging enough.

4/5 Ratings for The Painted Veil F: 74 % R: 26 % Romance 30% Drama 70%