Directed by Mike Newell. Starring Javier Bardem and Giovanna Mezzogiorno. Rated 14A. Opens Friday, November 16, at the Cinemark Tinseltown

In the realm of quality movies, the most commonly heard phrase may be, "The book was better." Occasionally, though, the attempt is so philosophically in tune with the author's best intentions, the cinematic version can be forgiven any evident flaws.

There are a few shortcomings in this sumptuous English-language take on Love in the Time of Cholera, breezily adapted by Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) from the novel by Colombia's Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez and directed with great humour by Mike Newell. But they are mostly found in the usual omissions that come from turning a 350-page novel into a movie.

The most crucial thing it gets right is in the casting of Spain's Javier Bardem as Florentino Ariza, a man whose passion for one woman is so consuming that it takes a lifetime to play out. The object of this ardour is one Fermina (Italy's Giovanna Mezzogiorno), the flighty daughter of a crude, self-made tycoon (John Leguizamo, the only serious misstep in casting). Naturally, the low-born Florentino–a 20-year-old telegraph operator still living with his mother (Brazil's wonderful Fernanda Montenegro) in Cartagena in the 1880s–isn't good enough for such a lady, although she likes him quite well enough to be sent away.

We stay apprised of Fermina's doings in the countryside with her more free-spirited pal (Catalina Sandino Moreno), and she is then courted by a wealthy doctor (a surprisingly terrific Benjamin Bratt). But the tale focuses more on how Florentino fills his time waiting for Fermina, against a rarely intruding backdrop of sickness and civil war–beautifully shot by Brazilian cinematographer Affonso Beato.

In the end, the movie passes no judgement on the life-altering decisions made by these self-absorbed characters. The viewer is left to wonder why this man of few, yet potent, qualities should be with such a vain, shallow woman. What it does convey is the almost spiritual nature of romantic love. It may not be better than the book, but it reads like a thing of beauty.

Links: Interview with Cholera director Mike Newell
Love in the Time of Cholera official site