Admirable film.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Blistering performances.

It's a spectacular film, and its magic almost endures until the end, which unfortunately falls flat, abandoning Maugham. You can't do that to Maugham.As far as I know, every single story of his that was filmed, and they were many, were great films, and this is the only one raising a question mark. Was that miserable phony syrup happy end really necessary? Garbo carries the whole film on her shoulders, her magic is here more shining and almost blinding than ever, especially in the beginning, before she gets married, which of course has to end up in disaster - you can't marry a Garbo, not even Herbert Marshall, who actually tries and makes the best of it, but apparently he learned nothing from his previous failure with Marlene Dietrich in "Blonde Venus", where he made the same mistake and got furious of jealousy, but here at least he is not vindictive but rather sacrifices himself, and almost gets Greta Garbo lynched by the Chinese mob as well. Still, he is greatly to be preferred to the even more wooden George Brent, who hasn't found his Bette Davis here yet. Still he seduces Greta, although he is married, and when Herbert Marshall wants to divorce Greta, George Brent doesn't want to divorce HIS wife, which complicates the situation...There were several fantastic Chinese films made in the 30s, and this was just another of them and in some ways the most outstanding of them all. They all do resemble each other, Sternberg's "Shanghai Express", Capra's "Lost Horizon", Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth", Sternberg's "The Shanghai Gesture", Mankiewicz' "The Keys of the Kingdom" and perhaps the greatest of them all, although it took place in Singapore, another great Somerset Maugham film, William Wyler's "The Letter" with a very proper Chinese vengeance on Bette Davis; but this one maybe comes closest to China in the 30s, the scenes from Hong Kong are a joy of genuineness, and the chaos scenes from the interior that finalizes the film complete the Chinese situation of the 30s.It's one Garbo's most unusual films, suddenly she is quite a normal woman, but what a woman! No wonder both men go mad about her, her natural beauty as a normal Austrian is even more striking here than in "Christina", and it's a great film in its intensity and passion and above all its successful and impressive capture of the 30s of China.

The first film that Garbo made in the heyday of the censorship codes was THE PAINTED VEIL by Richard Boleslawski, based on the novel by M. Somerset Maugham. Although it is partly a remake of her silent WILD ORCHIDS (1928), the film is worth seeing throughout thanks to two key aspects: Garbo's presence of course and a very moral content. It may be said even that THE PAINTED VEIL is one of the most moral films with Greta Garbo.Some people say that there are better or worse performances that Garbo gave. Partly it is true, she did great jobs in CAMILLE, GRAND HOTEL, NINOTCHKA, QUEEN Christina or ANNA KARENINA. But if you see her in THE PAINTED VEIL, her performance will amaze you as well, though in a slightly different way. Throughout the movie, she looks beautiful and plays very naturally. This time, however, she does not play a vamp like in FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1926) nor the queen like in QUEEN Christina, but a simple young woman, Katrin, attached to marriage. Other cast who play by Greta's side do not give outstanding performances. Garbo's leading men, George Brent as Jack Townsend and Herbert Marshall as Dr Walter Fane, give much poorer performances than Garbo. Unfortunately, this creates contrast among the performances. Marshall is better than Brent, but both appear to be clearly in the shadow of the outstanding Garbo, who does an unforgettable job in the whole China sequel as well as at the beginning in the Austrian sequel. She beautifully expresses her loneliness and striking desire for happiness throughout. The unforgettable moment is when she forgives her husband concentrating on some other virtues in him, like the sacrifice for the ill. Maybe it can seem exaggerated that I particularly mention Garbo's performance, but the way she played was absolutely timeless. Garbo is still treated as the model of perfection in acting. And let it be so...The plot is also in no way dated. The moral that can be inferred is: look for love, believe in it and don't give up when it disappoints you. In the long run, it is love that wins. Katrin (Garbo) is exposed to difficult choices. She marries Dr Walter Fane but this marriage consequently leads her first to China and then to the cholera zone where her husband works. There appears another man in her life, Jack Tonwsend. First, it seems that she loves him more than Walter, but later, she realizes that her husband is a more valuable person, someone who does not only look for a personal career. Although the end is different than in the novel, the director shows an interesting circumstance. It is Katrin's husband that dies in her arms hearing "I love you" from Katrin's mouth. Sometimes, death breaks the borders of our indifference...Except for some factors that may seem far from perfect (cinematography, shots), THE PAINTED VEIL is a nice movie, still interesting to watch. For those who like moral movies from the 1930s, it is highly recommended, for Garbo's fans, it is a must see, particularly now, in September 2005 marked by her 100th birthday. 8/10

Married to a distracted English scientist, a beautiful Austrian finds forbidden love beyond THE PAINTED VEIL in China.Based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham, this MGM film is soap opera of a high order, featuring excellent production values & acting. The dialogue is also refreshingly literate & thoughtful, something of a surprise in a film which might be pigeonholed as just an elaborate potboiler.Fascinating as always, Greta Garbo is at last showcased in a film whose backdrop & setting matches her for exoticism. Enervated by the overwhelming cultural saturation of pre-war China, she seems freed to be essentially herself - shorn of all needs to bewitch - and is able to give herself over to the seriousness & drama of her character's dilemma. What the viewer is left with is one of her best performances.The two men in Garbo's life are excellently portrayed by Herbert Marshall & George Brent. Neither characters are without faults, but the actors make them intimately human, revealing some of the loneliness in each man's heart. These actors had distinct similarities, making it something of a bold move for MGM to put them in the same film, but also enabling the viewer to understand why Garbo could love both.Excellent support is given by gentle Jean Hersholt as Garbo's kindly father; Forrester Harvey as a happy-go-lucky embassy employee in China & Warner Oland as a sympathetic Chinese general.Movie mavens will recognize Keye Luke as a young doctor and Mary Forbes & Ethel Griffies as British ladies in Hong Kong - all uncredited.The Chinese scenes show MGM at what it did best - creating another world, utterly realistic, in its back lot.

This film is a good adaptation of Maugham novel. I liked it because of Garbo and Herbert Marshall. If you are a fan of the writer you will like the film. I know there is a lot missing in the film, but there is so much can be put in 85 minutes. I highly recommend it for Garbo fans because in this film she does not play the role of a glamours person. She is a very normal but attractive housewife. I think this is one of her most believable acting.