The Painted Veil (2006) Trivia Quiz

Answer: She wanted to get married before her younger sister did.

It was love at first sight for Walter, but Kitty only became interested in him when her younger sister Doris got engaged to a rich surgeon's son. Kitty did not want to endure the humiliation of attending Doris's wedding as her older, unmarried sister. Also, Kitty's mom considered her a financial burden and wanted her to find a husband who could support her instead.

Answer: bacteriologist

He specialized in the study of bacteria but he also had a medical degree. This was helpful later when he moved to Mei Tan Fu. He was able to find the source of the vibrio cholerae bacteria in the water as well as treat patients.

Answer: Shanghai

He was stationed in Shanghai as an infectious disease specialist during the British colonial era in China. Walter's station overseas was the main reason Kitty found him appealing. She wanted to be as far as possible from her sister's lavish wedding. In the original W. Somerset Maugham novel, Walter was stationed in Hong Kong.

Answer: Charlie

Charlie Townsend was a British government official with a reputation as a playboy, despite being married with two kids. Kitty found him exciting in contrast to her quiet and shy husband. When Walter discovered the affair, he threatened to divorce her unless she accompanied him to Mei Tan Fu.

Answer: cholera

Walter asked to be transferred under the pretense of medical interest, but his real reason was to punish Kitty for her infidelity. Even though it was like a suicide mission, Walter also wanted to punish himself for having loved a shallow, unfaithful woman.

Answer: Waddington

Waddington was the British government official stationed in Mei Tan Fu and one of the last foreign survivors of the epidemic. He acted as a confidante for Kitty when she was on bad terms with her husband. Kitty learned from Waddington that Charlie Townsend was a cad and that Mrs. Townsend considered women who fell for her husband "second-rate".

This made Kitty feel ashamed and guilty about her affair.

Answer: orphanage

The orphanage was run by a group of French nuns and took in children whose parents had died from cholera. At first, Kitty only volunteered at the orphanage out of boredom, but she came to enjoy spending time with the children. This caused Walter to see her in a better light and was an important step towards their reconciliation.

Answer: True

After seeing all the work that Walter had done for the villagers, Kitty realized what a good, honorable man he was. Ironically, at the beginning of the movie, Kitty said that "a woman never loved a man for his virtue". In the novel, Kitty and Walter do not reconcile.

Answer: False

It was Walter who died and left a heartbroken and pregnant Kitty. She returned to London soon after, since she no longer had any reason to stay in Mei Tan Fu.

Answer: Walter

Several years later, Kitty encountered Charlie Townsend in London with her son. Charlie asked if the child was his, but Kitty said that her son was named after his father. Charlie also made advances towards Kitty, but she rejected them, showing how much she had grown since the beginning of the film.