December 02, 2008.

A Gem.

Rating: 5
It is an absolutely wonderful movie. It's not for everyone, only those who like a character driven story measuredly unfolding in front of their eyes. It is romantic, but unsentimental, smart, has depth and texture. Every aspect of the movie is perfectly done.

December 29, 2008.

a lesson in forgiveness.

Rating: 4
The Painted Veil is truly a lesson in forgiveness. As the couple is full of resentment and hurt, they see each in other in a different light after traveling abroad. The doctor brings out the best in his wife, and the wife sees how dedicated and loving he is. Their love grows as time passes. It's inspiring and moving. The scenery is simple and beautiful.

December 29, 2008.

Good!!.

Rating: 4
My 2 friends that I purchased this movie for loved it. They thought it was very good.

December 10, 2008.

A Simple Beautiful Story.

Rating: 5
True Love story fully living up to all my personal expectations of a story in this subject. Sometimes the only way to deal with the hurt of a betrayal, is to fully put oneself in a suicidal situation in the hopes of dying. And at that point in the midst of that fiery passion, one can grow in forgiveness wings of an unexpected flight. Sometimes the confrontation of death, can trail an access point directly to the heart & soul. Most movies which tried to capture love, always left me shaking my head at the ignorance of at least one scene or another, more often than not of which one disgraceful scene after several others. However, I'm sure most may not be able to appreciate the beauty in this simple story, but as for me I give it all 5 stars.

December 03, 2008.

Not Maugham's ending, but very good.

Rating: 5
Hollywood just can't leave well enough alone. Way back in 1925 Somerset Maugham wrote a truly forward-thinking feminist story about a vapid woman who comes to realize there's more to life than the empty fun that she's always craved and been led astray by. Ever since, Maugham's ending has been twisted by filmmakers to make it a second-chance-at-love romance. This version even adds a little Chinese political subplot that was entirely absent from the book. So the Chinese background gets modernized, while women are thrown back into love story land in the last reel. So it goes.

But when a movie is this well put together, who cares? The screenplay--despite my quibble with the direction the end takes--is very sharp. The scenery is magnificent, and the acting is stellar. Naomi Watts captures Kitty Fane's vapidity and makes her not just understandable but sympathetic. Edward Norton is likewise great as her husband Walter, a man who in his anger at being cheated on decides to take them both on a suicide mission to a cholera-plagued area. The supporting cast is excellent--especially Toby Jones and Diana Rigg.

The movie holds up to repeated viewings because the performances are so good, and the mood created by the director is mesmerizing. Music plays a big part in its success. The selective use of a piano piece by Satie is enhanced by a score that sounds as if Satie had composed the whole thing. I actually scrambled to find out whether the waltz featured in the score was Satie's--it wasn't. Just beautiful.

It's sad that movies like this don't meet with more success in the movie theaters.