History Film / ThePaintedVeil

''The Painted Veil'' is a 2006 drama based on [[TheFilmOfTheBook the novel of the same name]] by Creator/WSomersetMaugham and stars Creator/EdwardNorton and Creator/NaomiWatts.

Kitty Garstin is a shallow {{socialite}} who decides to marry boring bacteriologist Walter Fane when she finds that she's out of suitors and her [[MyBelovedSmother mother]] pushes her to make the match. Walter's work takes him to UsefulNotes/{{Shanghai}}, and there Kitty settles into married life and embarks on an affair with Charles Townsend, the married British vice consul. Walter discovers the affair and offers Kitty two options: divorce on the grounds of adultery, or she can go with him to a small village out in the country where a cholera epidemic is in full swing. Realising [[{{Jerkass}} Charlie won't leave his wife for her]], Kitty accompanies Walter to the village, where she is forced to confront her previous illusions about Walter and herself.

''The Painted Veil'' is a 2006 drama based on [[TheFilmOfTheBook the novel of the same name]] by W. Somerset Maugham and stars Creator/EdwardNorton and Creator/NaomiWatts.

Kitty Garstin is a shallow {{socialite}} who decides to marry boring bacteriologist Walter Fane when she finds that she's out of suitors and her [[MyBelovedSmother mother]] pushes her to make the match. Walter's work takes him to UsefulNotes/{{Shanghai}}, and there Kitty settles into married life and embarks on an affair with Charles Townsend, the married British vice consul. Walter discovers the affair and offers Kitty two options: divorce on the grounds of adultery, or she can go with him to a small village out in the country where a cholera epidemic is in full swing. Realising [[{{Jerkass}} Charlie won't leave his wife for her]], Kitty accompanies Walter to the village.

* AdaptationExpansion: The movie adds a subplot where Kitty begins falling in love with Walter for real, with Walter gradually reciprocating. This doesn't happen in the novel, which is generally more about Kitty's internal CharacterDevelopment; while she does come to see Walter's worth and regret her actions, she cannot bring herself to love him as a man. Walter, meanwhile, remains consumed by bitterness throughout the novel [[spoiler: though it is ambiguous whether he manages to finally forgive her on his deathbed.]]

* StealthInsult: Waddington chats with Kitty about the Charlie Townsend, and nicest thing he can say about him is that he like his wife.

* AdaptationExpansion: The movie adds a subplot where Kitty begins fall in love with Walter for real, with Walter gradually reciprocating. This doesn't happen in the novel, which is generally more about Kitty's internal CharacterDevelopment; while she does come to see Walter's worth and regret her actions, she cannot bring herself to love him as a man. Walter, meanwhile, remains consumed by bitterness throughout the novel [[spoiler: though it is ambiguous whether he manages to finally forgive her on his deathbed.]]

* AdaptationalRelationshipOverhaul: The main couple, unexpectedly so. In the original novel Kitty does regret her previous shallowness but never comes to love Walter romantically. Also Walter in the novel is definitely less likable.

* AdaptationalRomance: The main couple, unexpectedly so. In the original novel Kitty does regret her previous shallowness but never comes to love Walter romantically. Also Walter in the novel is definitely less likable.

* BeautifulDreamer: Kitty stumbles upon Walter who has fallen asleep at his desk. This marks the point in the movie where she does start to feel affection towards him. The scene isn't in the original novel, however, and there's generally less of an indication that she has any feelings for him in the novel.

* HerHeartWillGoOn: [[spoiler: Kitty, after Walter's death.]]

* SceneryPorn: The scenes in rural China

* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: [[spoiler: Kitty regards her son as Walter's child and tells him about his father.]]

Kitty Garstin is a shallow {{socialite}} who decides to marry boring bacteriologist Walter Fane when she finds that she's out of suitors and her [[MyBelovedSmother mother]] pushes her to make the match. Walter's work takes him to UsefulNotes/{{Shanghai}}, and there Kitty settles into married life and [[YourCheatingHeart embarks on an affair]] with Charles Townsend, the married British vice consul. Walter discovers the affair and offers Kitty two options: divorce on the grounds of adultery, or she can go with him to a small village out in the country where a cholera epidemic is in full swing. Realising [[{{Jerkass}} Charlie won't leave his wife for her]], Kitty accompanies Walter to the village.

** In the book [[spoiler: the baby was definitely Charlie's]].
* YourCheatingHeart: Kitty chests on her husbands and part of the plot is him punishing her for it.
** Charlie Townsend often chests on his wife with meaningless affairs.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Walter Fine is more of a jerk in the original novel; while he is rightly upset and betrayed by his wife's infidelity, he is depicted as utterly consumed by bitterness and unable to forgive her despite her CharacterDevelopment and clear efforts to atone, and while Kitty gradually comes to respect his better qualities she never really likes him, much less loves him. In the film, he gradually softens up as Kitty engages in CharacterDevelopment and comes to forgive her, and they fall in love for real. He's also generally depicted as a lot more humane and caring, whereas in the book his approach to the cholera epidemic is more cold and analytical.

** In the book [[spoiler:It was definitely Charlie's]].
* YourCheatingHeart

* Bait and switch: During the Chinese play, Charlie flirts with Kitty translating what the main actor is singing, which should be a sad story about slavery and a loveless future that obviously parallels Kitty's unhappy marriage. Kitty is moved by these words and asks if that's really what the song is about. He then confesses that he actually has no idea of [[FauxFluency what the actor is singing at all]].

* MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow: Seen with the Fanes' neighbour Waddington and his Manchurian lover Wan Xi.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Walter Fine is more of a jerk in the original novel; while he is rightly upset and betrayed by his wife's infidelity, he is depicted as utterly consumed by bitterness and unable to forgive her despite her CharacterDevelopment and clear efforts to atone, and while Kitty gradually comes to respect his better qualities she never really likes him, much less loves him. In the film, he gradually softens up as Kitty engages in CharacterDevelopment and comes to forgive her, and they fall in love for real.
* AdaptationalRomance: Kitty never falls for Walter in the novel. She comes to see his worth and regrets her actions but cannot bring herself to love him as a man.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Kitty is much more attracted to shameless flirt and womanizer Charlie than her devoted husband. Gradually subverted in the film, where she gradually falls in love with Walter the more she learns her true character, and comes to regard Charlie as contempt. Played with in the original novel; there, she comes to respect and admire her husband but cannot love him, and though she later succumbs to Charlie's advances again towards the end she is thoroughly disgusted with both herself and him for their shared superficiality.

* AdaptationalRomance: Kitty never falls for Walter in the novel. She comes to see his worth and regrets her actions but cannot bring herself to love him as a man.

* TheUnfairSex: Averted. The film is pretty much on Walter's side and makes Kitty earn her forgiveness. Granted, he is depicted as a bit overboard with his punishment.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Kitty is much more attracted to shameless flirt and womanizer Charlie than her devoted husband.

* AdaptationalRomance: Kitty never falls for Walter in the novel. She comes to see his worth and regrets her actions but cannot bring herself to love him as a man.

* TactfulTranslation: The CrowningMomentOfFunny in an otherwise mostly serious movie comes when Walter, with his government-assigned translator Col. Yu, goes to a local warlord to request his cooperation in fighting the epidemic. When the warlord responds with an angry tirade, Walter tacitly invokes this trope to let Col. Yu take over negotiations. The Colonel proceeds to "translate" an insult into a tactfully-worded ''threat'' that gets the result they need:

--> '''Colonel Yu''': This Doctor respects you greatly, and you are right. It is quite a mess, this epidemic. But my superior said if your men cannot control it, then our army will be happy to come out here and help you. After seeing this place, it's so overwhelming, I'm afraid once our soldiers are here they won't want to leave.

* TheUnfairSex: Averted heavily. The film is pretty much on Walter's side and makes Kitty earn her forgiveness. Granted, he is depicted as a bit overboard with his punishment.

* LovingAShadow: Walter loves Kitty at first sight, though he comes to realize he has no idea who she actually is after her affair.

* TheUnfairSex: Averted heavily. The entire film is pretty much on Walter's side and makes Kitty earn her forgiveness.

''The Painted Veil'' is a 2006 drama based on [[TheFilmOfTheBook the novel of the same name]] by W. Somerset Maugham and stars Creator/EdwardNorton and NaomiWatts.

''The Painted Veil'' is a 2006 drama based on [[TheFilmOfTheBook the novel of the same name]] by W. Somerset Maugham and stars EdwardNorton and NaomiWatts.

* HiddenDepths: The central story of the film is Walter and Kitty each discovering the other is much more than they initially thought.

''The Painted Veil'' is a 2006 drama based on [[TheFilmOfTheBook the novel of the same name]] by W. Somerset Maugham and stars EdwardNorton and Naomi Watts.