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The Painted Veil

How do you rate The Painted Veil

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Edgy DC Jun 12 2007 09:42 AM

Ed Norton and Naomi Watts co-produce and co-star in this W. Somerset Maugham adaptation. I think it's the first Hollywood film shot in China in ages.

sharpie Jun 14 2007 10:24 AM

Saw this on the plane on the way to Las Vegas. Good performances, purty scenery, interesting characters. Glad I saw it.

Willets Point Jun 14 2007 11:43 AM

Read the book. Not interested in the movie.

Batty31 Jun 14 2007 07:52 PM

I haven't seen this yet, but plan on renting it. So why don't you want to see the movie, Willets? Is it because you hated the book or you don't think the movie could live up to the book?

Edgy DC Jun 14 2007 08:09 PM

I sensed the same ambiguity.

Willets Point Jun 14 2007 08:45 PM

I feel ambiguous about the book and reviews of the film made it sound like they "prettified" the story in a Merchant/Ivory way. Let's just say I'm not interested.

Batty31 Jun 14 2007 08:52 PM

Thanks for the clarification. Hmmm...now I'm wondering if I would like the movie or not. What did you think of it, Edgward?

Edgy DC Jun 14 2007 09:18 PM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jun 15 2007 08:40 AM

I liked it fine. I think they took the book for what it was --- not a great work, but a good jumping off point for film-making. Excellent (or at least highly respected) films often come from mediocre (or lesser respected) literature --- The Godfather, Rebecca. They took what they had to and left behind the rest. I'm OK with a lot of James Ivory's films, not so much with others --- and he does often work with great source material from which to adapt.* Though the river valley of China is remarkable, I didn't consider it prettified. At least, not so much as I see in many films. It could have certainly been uglier (we're talking an epidemic here). To the extent that there was restraint in the disease and suffering, I thought it thematically tied to the restrained themes of the film, depicted in the cold marriage, and the keeping-up-appearances stiff British dignity.Maybe everything is so pretty in films (even ugliness) I don't see it any more. *His American-themed films have been generally disastrous, and I wonder if (1) that's perhaps because he's tied to lesser literature rather than Forster, or (2) we perhaps see through him as well as perhaps the Brits see through his British-themed films. I fiound it shocking to find out Ivory's an American. Shocking.

Batty31 Jun 14 2007 10:33 PM

Thanks for the commentary. I'm ok with Ivory films as well. I like your insight suggesting perhaps it's the material he's worked with...sounds quite logical to me. I agree about his American films. I feel that's tied to the material as well. Judging from your review, I think I would enjoy this film. I would say that my enthusiasm for British films/tv series might make me biased, but I think my mind would be open enough to judge the movie without prejudice. I'll check back in when I get to see it.

Edgy DC Jun 15 2007 08:03 AM

It turns out the producers largely had their hands tied by their Chinese government hosts regarding what they'd be allowed to depict as far as disease and Chinese insurrections against their colonial overlords.

Willets Point Jun 15 2007 08:22 AM

Edgy DC wrote: It turns out the producers largely had their hands tied by their Chinese government hosts regarding what they'd be allowed to depict as far as disease and Chinese insurrections against their colonial overlords. The pros & cons of filming on location.