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.

I absolutely loved the 2006 version w/Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, & Liv Schreiber. I so loved the 2006 version that maybe I was a bit prejudicial in my judgement at first. However, since reading the the book, I have come to redetermine the outcome of both. I have always said "I can make a better movie in my head, than any film producer, Director, Etc ever could" because I would always choose to go with the story that compelled the public (by the author) in the first place. In most cases I have read the book first. Thus, I would want the film to end with what W. Somerset Maugham chose as an ending in the 1st place. The 2006 version made me weep---the 1st didn't even come close---it was a pale imitation--even though it wasn't imitation.

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

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.