The Film Love’s Veil: The Paradox Of Human Relations

The novel The Painted Veil by William Somerset Maugham had been filmed twice before the 2006 film was released. In 1934, our own Greta Garbo starred, while Eleanor Parker played in the version from 1957. The third film version, where the film received the Swedish title Painted Veil , gave Naomi Watts chance to assume the role of Kitty Garstin, Maugham’s flawed heroine.

Cultural shocks and unrealistic expectations are just some of the many themes addressed in the film. It is a fascinating costume drama, where infidelity and guilt form the basis for a powerful emotional journey. Edward Norton and Naomi Watts have both produced and starred in this film adaptation of Maugham’s novel.

When the newlyweds leave England to start their new life together in Shanghai, they make a journey that goes beyond geographical distances. Hidden passions are revealed when their lives take an unexpected turn. What originally seems to be a revenge act instead begins to shape the growth and development between the two main characters.

What does the title mean?

Maugham’s novel begins with the quote that inspired its title. It is taken from a sonnet by the English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), written by the famous author Mary Shelley (the author of Frankenstein). The poem begins with the following words: ” Do not lift the painted veil which the living call life. “

In many different cultures, the veil is a symbol of the distinction between life and death. Shelley warns us not to lift the veil because there is nothing behind it. He also believes that each person shapes their own life (the veil) according to their own beliefs (available colors). For Shelley, people are painted veils under which they hide themselves.

And that’s what the Veil of Love is about: a mask game, trying to be who we are not, becoming a pale shadow of who we really are and falling in love with an ideal. It is only when we lift the veil that we realize that this game often ends in painful disappointment. It’s fascinating to see all the different connections between Shelley’s poem and Kitty’s journey from the frivolous existence she lives at the beginning of the novel to the more authentic life she discovers at the end.

The importance of appearance in the film The Veil of Love

At the beginning of the film, we see Kitty Garstin reject several suitors, because she thinks that someone better will eventually appear. But her mother (Maggie Steed) is becoming increasingly concerned about her future prospects.

Kitty will soon receive a marriage proposal from a man she just met. Walter Fane (Edward Norton) is a young doctor who is in London on leave from his work as a bacteriologist in a civilian laboratory in Shanghai.

Walter is completely captivated by Kitty (Naomi Watts). But for her, he only becomes a means to an end, so that she can get married quickly. When they move to Shanghai, Kitty quickly falls in love with English Deputy Consul Charles Townsend (Liev Schreiber), and the two start an affair.

However, Kitty does not know that Townsend has no intention of formalizing her relationship with her. When Walter discovers her infidelity, he decides to take revenge. He takes her to a remote village in China that has been destroyed by cholera and claims that they are there to provide medical help.

To rediscover oneself

The film The Veil of Love is a story about personal growth and forgiveness. Both Walter and Kitty share the blame for the catastrophic state of their marriage. However, it is the problems that force them apart that ultimately cause the two to reunite with each other.

For her part, Kitty’s work with orphans in a local convent forces her to grow up. At the same time, Walter has arrived in the village with the best of intentions, however, his methods are seen as unacceptable as he does not respect the religious beliefs of the natives. He only manages to move forward as he learns to work with the locals.

Kitty learns to appreciate her husband’s courage and begins to see him in a new light. For the first time, she begins to show a genuine interest in him.

Adversity and self-discovery in the film The Veil of Love

When she arrives in the remote village of Mei Tan Fu, Kitty is unsure if it is nationalists, boredom or anger that will kill her first. There is no quick fix to repairing her broken relationship with Walter. At first, both are overwhelmed by the harsh reality of their new home. However, it is the difficult circumstances in their new situation that lead them to a sudden insight and an intimate understanding.

Getting love to blossom with new romance is never easy. In time, however, Kitty discovers Walter’s virtues: his devotion to his patients, his kindness, and his moral endurance. She finally sees how wrong she has acted and eventually falls in love with him.

The mistakes she makes along the way make Kitty all the more credible in her struggle for self-improvement. No one has ever been able to claim that she is perfect. However, she matures throughout the film and learns from her mistakes to become a stronger and wiser person.

Before she arrived in China, Kitty could never think of anyone but herself. For the first time, she is now facing real suffering and everything her husband stands for finally gets a true meaning. It also becomes a revelation to Walter, who eventually realizes that his wife was worth meeting after all.

With these new feelings of intimacy comes a renewed sense of passion that makes the two love as husband and wife for probably the first time in their marriage.

An atypical love story

Kitty gets pregnant and since she does not know who the father is, she entrusts herself to Walter. Deeply remorseful that he judged his wife so harshly, he assures her that the child will be theirs regardless, and without further questions or comments.

It can be said that the Veil of Love is an atypical love story. Even if they are married, it is about two people who should never have been able to find harmony. But despite all the differences, they still manage to find a common ground.

When Kitty seeks out her marriage for suspense and adventure, all she finds is vulgarity and falsehood. Her failure to appreciate her husband is quickly punished. With little time, she has to work hard to overcome adversity. In the desperate circumstances of their fight against cholera, both Kitty and Walter find something in each other that they never knew existed there.