The film, The Painted Veil, starring Ed Norton and Naomi Watts is based on the novel of the same name by Somerset Maugham. The setting is mostly the interior of China (the Hunan Province) during the 1920s. It is an unlikely love story of a socialite and a bacteriologist who find themselves in China’s interior fighting, not only an influenza epidemic, but also both sides of the Communist Revolution as well as the cultural traditions of the villages they intend to help.
As an English teacher, I find this a rich text on many levels: aside from the major theme of the power of love as a redemptive force, there are the minor themes of technological, medical and societal change in China in the 1920’s. Come to think of it, it would be interesting to discuss in a history class as well, particularly the role of American diplomacy in the far East in the 20’s, the parallels between the technological and medical changes in China and those in America during the Industrial Revolution, and the Communist Revolution’s affect on the Civilian population as compared to that in the Soviet Union.
The film does a beautiful job of encapsulating the time period: both the physical and cultural settings. Again, as an English teacher, I would be sure to compare and contrast the three major settings of London, Hong Kong, and the Hunan Province.
I must add a brief warning: a major part of the plot is the influenza epidemic. This means that there are some graphic scenes. Also, this is a love story (on several levels) and includes some scenes that are rather suggestive—including a subplot of an American diplomat and his Chinese “wife” smoking opium and drinking. However, as W. Somerset Maugham’s novel is on the senior reading level, this shouldn’t present too much of a problem. Still, it does carry a PG-13 rating and should be properly prefaced before use in the classroom.
[Edit by="llowe on Mar 25, 8:45:42 AM"][/Edit]
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