6/10
THE PAINTED VEIL (2006). The idea that a Somerset Maugham novel should be made into a serious Hollywood project with stars like Edward Norton and Naomi Watts is both fascinating and surprising, yet the outcome is far better than we had any right to expect. The film is mostly set in China in the 1920s, with Norton as a bacteriologist and Watts as his shallow society wife. The story develops in unexpected ways , creating a deeper sense of emotion than you would expect.
