"Vivid veil of love, reborn"

In a film industry bent on elaborate effects and abstract plotlines, the end of 2006 offered a movie that dares to be normal.

Despite inducing yawns and possible naps from most of the audience, "The Painted Veil" is a classically made flick that strays from recent years of adrenaline-fueled thrill rides, and that is what makes it so respectable.

Years ago, before "Pulp Fiction" and "Fight Club," there were movies with simple plots and straightforward storytelling, starting at the beginning and ending at the end. Directed by John Curran ("We Don't Live Here Anymore"), this film doesn't pretend to be anything more than clear-cut.

Based on the novel by W. Somerset Maugham, the story involves an awkward doctor named Walter Fane (Edward Norton, "The Illusionist") and his unfaithful wife Kitty, played by Naomi Watts ("King Kong"). After Walter discovers Kitty's relationship with bureaucrat Charles Townsend ("Everything is Illuminated"), the good doctor forces Kitty to join him on a medical mission to a cholera-infested village in rural China.

And that, in one paragraph, is the film. There are no large explosions, no quirky monologues nor smart and savvy dialogues laden with colorful words. The story wisely neglects to include a football team roster of characters and a twist. Its purpose is apparent within the first fifteen minutes.

What makes the film old school is that it expects the viewer to allow the story to unravel at its own pace. Curran respects Maugham's material enough not to rush it, while trusting his actors to handle the restrained scenes delicately.

Norton and Watts illustrate this beautifully, creating a large space of mutual hate for each other at the film's beginning, giving the story its conflict. After all, this is one of the most "adult" love stories ever written, for better or worse.

Watts continues to prove her diversity as an actress in Kitty, a self-absorbed socialite who is far from in love with her husband. Norton's restrained portrayal of Walter is surprisingly, and thankfully, emotional without any abrupt anger that deviates from the mood of the film.

Toby Jones ("Amazing Grace") steals a scene or two as Waddington, the lone neighbor of Kitty and Walter in the Chinese village. He serves as the comic relief, while also carrying some of the film's most important moments on his back as if they were nothing. Schreiber, for the time he is on the screen, paints the perfect picture of a chauvinistic yet undeniably charming man.

When considering the style of even the most serious and simple of films, it is a wonder that this one even got made. Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (best known for his '93 screenplay "Philadelphia") involves little subplot, focusing most of the film on the budding romance between the two spouses. The film's one downside is that it feels diligently planned and uneventful. There will be no surprises and that lack of anticipation lessens the viewer's involvement with certain parts of the film.

Ironically, Curran's underrated "We Don't Live Here Anymore" studied the destruction of marriage, while "The Painted Veil" studies the reconstruction of it. Both films pay tribute to his steady hand and execution of distinct goals. Curran seems to make the movies he wants to make, no more, no less.

In short, this film is one of the most well made films of 2006. The cinematography of China is breathtaking and convincing. The viewer is invited to sense the authenticity of the time period as composer Alexander Desplat's score sets a mystic background that accents the dreamlike beauty of this Eastern world.

Emotional involvement depends highly on the viewer. "The Painted Veil" does not force viewers to react to its story the way other quality films such as "Blood Diamond" or "The Departed" do, but rather presents a fresh, smooth adaptation of an old classic tale of romance and hopes it affects viewers the way it clearly affected those who were involved in its making.