Wednesday, June 13, 2007

The Painted Veil: more cholera, please

It seems I'm the only person around who was underwhelmed by this highly-touted film. I was in turns irritated and bored by the couple at the center of the story, and as with the dreadful pretty-boy/girl leads in Titanic, I wanted them both dead as soon as possible. Sadly, as in Titanic, only one ultimately obliges -- and then, only after making me wait two hours.

I knew this movie was much acclaimed, which is why I forced myself to finish watching it. I should have trusted my instincts after the first 15 minutes. Okay, five minutes.

All that said, the scenery, camera work, and some of the music were quite nice. And, oh yes, Diana Rigg, is always a joy to see. What a lovely surprise to find her refreshing presence in the alternating tedium and chaos of this film.