Girl With a Pearl Earring

Rating:
Summary: Better than most films out there, but not perfect
Review: The shimmering city of Delft leaps from the pages of Tracy Chevalier's delicately descriptive novel onto the screen in the film 'Girl With a Pearl Earring'. 17th century Holland is recreated with breathtaking splendor. From the folds of the dresses to the attitudes of the day, the film stays in character and does not add Hollywood gimmicks to modernize the tale. Servants are servile and illiterate, though not necessarily unintelligent. The titular teenage maid does not have an insolent attitude.

Scarlett Johansson plays the young Griet, the daughter of a former tile painter who is sent across town to serve the Vermeer household. Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth), a painter, is drawn to Griet's quiet loveliness. Though few words pass between them, their mutual eye for aesthetics develops into strong attraction and deep appreciation. Her pure complexion also attracts Vermeer's vulgar patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson) and the young butcher Pieter (Cillian Murphy).

Each frame is a painting within itself, supported by a charming score (though some have called the music obnoxious). Though every scene is beautiful, Griet's position is not romanticized; her arduous labor is evident throughout the movie. Instead of altering the story to conform to a 95 minute film, sections of the story are simply deleted or unexplained. Particularly the character of Tanneke is underdeveloped, compared to the book character.

The acting is dramatic yet understated. Expressions are affectively portrayed without losing subtlety. Johansson expressively displays the young, almost timid side of Griet. Colin Firth is an attractive Vermeer; he has natural and exciting reactions. Tom Wilkinson is surprisingly low key as Van Ruijven, compared to the character in the novel; however, he still manages to be repulsive. Essie Davis's performance is also a standout as Vermeer's insecure wife, Catharina.

'Girl With a Pearl Earring' establishes its setting in an unforgettable light, and the story has enough magic to satisfy the patient viewer. Might I add that Cillian Murphy is beautiful.

Rating:
Summary: A painting in motion.
Review: What quietly compelling 2003 movie stars Scarlett Johansson and an older leading man having a platonic relationship in an exquisitely photographed, meticulously designed foreign locale? If you said, "Lost in Translation," you'd be right, but if you said, "Girl With a Pearl Earring," you'd also win the cigar. That "Lost in Translation" may be the second-best of the two indicates that "Girl With a Pearl Earring" deserves nothing but the highest praise. Johansson stars as Griet, a poor, illiterate young woman in 17th-century Delft who hires on as a maid in the household of the rising young painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). Slowly the moody, obsessed Vermeer begins to recognize in Griet a kindred spirit--someone who, though untutored, has a natural feeling for light, color and design. But their friendship is blighted from the start, thanks to Vermeer's jealous wife (Essie Davis), greedy mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt) and lustful patron (Tom Wilkinson). The performances are all quietly effective; the jury's still out on Johansson's range as an actress, but she is a singularly moving screen presence, and the camera adores her. Also deserving note are Davis, who makes Madame Vermeer both hateful and pitiable; Parfitt, a specialist in the portrayal of dragon mothers; and Cillian Murphy as Griet's boyfriend Pieter, a heartthrob in the making, who looks startlingly like the young Rudolf Nureyev. But the real stars of the production are the team of director Peter Webber, photographer Eduardo Serra and production designer Ben Van Os. Thanks to them, "Girl With a Pearl Earring" glows with a passionate beauty. Every single frame of the film looks like a Vermeer painting in motion, and the moment at which Griet poses for the eponymous painting will take your breath away with its perfection. Except perhaps for Tavernier's "A Sunday in the Country," I can't think of another feature film that brings art so vividly to life as "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Rating:
Summary: An excuse to put actors in period costume and win awards
Review: Warning: the following review was written by a person who had read the book before seeing the movie. Approach with caution!

Girl With a Pearl Earring was visually beautiful. This film deserves every nomination it ever got for anything related to cinematography, costume, art direction and lighting. Unfortunately, that's where its praise ends as far as I'm concerned.

Although I had my problems with the book, I was able to recognize it as a fine achievement nonetheless and gave it five stars in a previous review. Not so with the film version. This movie is a very shallow interpretation of the themes, events and emotions presented in GWAPE the book. The screenwriter(s) apparently ignored huge chunks of/ events in Griet's past life, a few characters and scenes in the plot's present time and rearranged elements of the story to their liking. We don't see the maid Griet's little personality quirks that make her so unusual for her time, like a preoccupation with sanitary habits and a view of the world that is rather independent and unique. We don't know about her sad family situation, in which her father lost his sight and his own artistic ability with it, her brother (with whom she was quite close once) left to apprentice as a tilemaker. We don't see the little dinner scenes in which her parents push her engagement with the butcher's son so that they can have meat. Basically, we never meet the young woman named Griet, only a pale shadow of her. The result of all this is great disappointment to anybody who's read the book beforehand, and a much more simplistic story that focuses on Griet's dilemma as a thwarted crush on her master, painter Vermeer -- rather than the thwarted romance with her true love, Art.

If the movie had appeared to at least try, then failure would have been understandable. I don't think readers generally expect a perfect interpretation of the written word into a visual medium like film. But...the movie didn't even try. The director, writers, team et al. cut the heart and soul of GWAPE to leave us with a very mediocre Hollywood romance set in a costumed historical time period. All style and no substance.

On the other hand, if you've not read the book, go ahead and see this movie. It's not bad as a simple historical romance story, and as I've already said, it is beautiful to watch. Without raised expectations from the novel you might enjoy it.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

Rating:
Summary: A softspoken, beautiful masterpiece
Review: What seems like another movie, where nothing really happens, this is a gem in the sea of unappetizing costume movies, with harsh fake lighting and CG effects.

We see the Vermeer family through the eyes of Griet, played by Johansson. The doe eyed pale girl, hardly speaks yet conveys so much emotion. Her purity stands out in this role, she is labored by hard chores, a woman hungry patron, who's interested in her (he commissions the painting, of which this movie takes title of) Vermeer's jealous wife, and her relationship with the young man, who's a butcher.

What made this movie spectacular, was the crisp, organic, and sometimes muddy when needed cinematography. The lighting, costumes, interiors, looked so appropriate, not fake or harsh, with everyone moving and speaking just so, that I felt as if I was watching a real life scene form 1600's! That is rare in today's Hollywood blockbusters.

I'll recommend this quiet, beautiful movie to anyone who likes to look at enchanting things.

Rating:
Summary: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME
Review: I am amazed, as in my-jaw-hit-the-floor overwhelming amazement, that people actually found enjoyment in such a confused and poorly sculpted film. No words can describe my dissapointment in renting this movie and finding not one single shred of commemorable performances, even from the main character who only had a handful of lines. The pace if horrendously slow, the script itself confused as to what and who the storyline is actually about, and the relationships stupidly portrayed. Huge issues take place such as adultery, rape, and virginity, and NOT ONE of the characters seems altered and these events are never referred to ever again. It seams as if bratty spoiled kids tormenting the maid is monumentally more important than the touchy issues I mentioned previously. Don't get me wrong, I'm not playing the card of devil's advocate here going against these past raving reviews...I just honestly and genuinely felt 500 times less intellgient after watching this dreadful, dreadful, dreadful movie.

Rating:
Summary: Static movie fails to come alive.
Review: The novel, "Girl with a Pearl Earring," by Tracy Chevalier, was deservedly acclaimed by the literary world. Chevalier captured the atmosphere of 17th Century Holland perfectly, and she brought the characters of Johannes Vermeer and Griet, the maid who loves art, to vibrant life. The book inspired discussion groups, a gorgeous exhibit in the Met, and many newspaper and magazine spreads. It was a cultural phenomenon.

The film, alas, although beautiful to behold, is slow-moving and too shallow to do justice to the book. The director, Peter Webber, evokes little emotional resonance from his actors. Griet is supposed to be a very intelligent and intuitive young woman with strong artistic leanings. A restrained Scarlett Johansson plays Griet as a timid and bewildered maiden. Colin Firth is a disheveled and distracted Vermeer, who fails to impart the genius behind the man.

The story takes place mostly in the house of the great Dutch painter. Vermeer is surrounded by a passel of women, including his sharp-tongued mother-in-law, Maria Thins, his fertile wife, Catharina, his resentful daughter, Cornelia, and numerous other children and servants. Thins is constantly pressuring her son-in-law to paint faster, since the family needs money to maintain their costly lifestyle. Vermeer, however, is a perfectionist who works slowly and deliberately. He refuses to churn out assembly-line paintings. Although the playful butcher's son, Pieter, is courting Griet, her heart belongs to Vermeer and his art.

Griet is fascinated by the complexities of painting. How are beautiful colors mixed, and how does an artist decide to place his subject in a particular position or in a certain light? Vermeer finds Griet to be an apt and eager pupil and she secretly becomes his assistant. She also becomes his model when the lecherous Van Ruijven, played with relish by Tom Wilkinson, commissions Vermeer to paint her. The result is the timeless work of art that has captured the imagination of the world.

The lighting, cinematography, and costume design in "Pearl Earring" are all breathtaking. However, it takes more than surface beauty to make a memorable motion picture. If the director and the actors had dug deeper into the book's themes to better explore the tempestuous emotions that lay beneath the surface, they might have imbued the film with a bit more animation and depth.

Rating:
Summary: Lighting and cinematography at its best!
Review: Based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier, 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' tells the story of the seventeenth-century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) and Griet (Scarlett Johansson) a peasant girl who is forced to work as a maid in Vermeer's home. Griet's understanding of art combined with her beauty draws Vermeer to her. Her beauty also attracts the butcher's son, Pieter (the beautiful Cillian Murphy). Vermeer's obsession with Griet becomes obvious to Catharina, (Essie Davis) his jealous and possessive wife and her scheming mother. Vermeer's lustful patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson) agrees to continue his patronage if Vermeer will paint Griet. Therefore, Griet becomes the subject of one of Vermeer's most famous pieces.
The acting is very good; each actor portrays his or her character just as they should be represented - separated by a strict class system. From a female perspective, it was entertaining to watch the sexual tension and the evolution of the relationship between Griet and Vermeer. You long for them to end up together, but it would have been out of the question in such a society. The most notable component of this film is the lighting and cinematography. It is so delicate, so precise, and so atmospheric that it feels as if you are watching a painting in motion. Unfortunately, the script is lacking and the pace is dreadfully slow.
'Girl with a Pearl Earring' is aesthetically pleasing and delivers the sensation that you are right there in seventeenth-century Holland. Take time out to watch and appreciate this beautiful film.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful scenery, more content needed in the screenplay
Review: Watching GWPE is like diving into a painting- rich, sensual colors dominate the world of Delft as young Griet(Johansson)is forced to work as a maid in the house of famous painter Johaness Vermeer (Firth). Griet's own love of color and light fuses a special relationship with her master, much to the chagrin of his spoiled and jealous wife, Catharina (Essie Davis), heavy with her 6th child. Catharina's mother, Maria Thins (Judy Parfitt) has a hold of the household's purse-strings, and is constantly prosituting Vermeer's work to Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), the man with the deepest pockets in Delft. His purchase of Vermeer's paintings keep food in everyone's belly, and he knows it. But Vermeer paints for the sake of painting, and it's obvious Griet understands this. She is cautious when cleaning his studio, careful not to move things or clean the windows, which could alter the lighting. Her understanding eventually gets her more responsibilities from Vermeer, grinding and mixing colors, changing aspects of his paintings, and fetching him items he needs from the chemist. All this is done under the watchful eyes of Cornelia, the spoilt middle child, who promptly runs to tell her mother everything she sees.

When Van Ruijven wants a portrait of Griet for his personal study, Vermeer is grudgingly compliant. After all, how can he refuse? But Catharina finds out, and all hell breaks loose. Rather than give away the ending, see the movie for yourself and watch the inevitable conclusion.

For those of us who read the book first, there is much in the screenplay that was deleted from the novel by Tracy Chevalier. Certain facts, such as Griets brother and sister, are not pivitol to the plot. Others, such as Vermeer and Griet's original meeting, lend more to the story and help you to understand why Catharina hates Griet from the start, and says in the movie, "This is just a trial- nothing has been decided yet." Read the novel before you see the movie, if possible. The movie will make more sense if you do.

Rating:
Summary: Impossible to take your eyes of the screen
Review: Have you read the book? Then watch the movie. Have you watched the movie? Then read the book. They complement each other. Tracy Chevalier's story is greatly transported to the big screen by director Peter Webber. But that's not what's best about "Girl with a pearl earring".

Like Leonardo's Mona Lisa, nobody is sure about who was Jan Vermeer's model for his most famous portrait. Tracy Chevalier's story took care of that. The book is very enjoyable, leaving the reader's imagination work free, but when you're reading about Vermeer, and his paintings are an important part of the plot, you feel something is missing. And this "something" are concrete visions of his fantastic works. Some of them were displayed in the movie. But Peter Webber went further, and, with help of Director of Cinematography Eduardo Serra, transformed the whole movie in a Vermeer painting.

There evidently is an enormous care taken concerning historic portrayal. Watching the movie, the viewer feels he's in 17th century Delft. The supporting cast is great in the sense that it helps creating the ancient atmosphere. For example, the maid Tanneke (who was the model for Vermeer's "Milkmaid") is played by Joanna Scanlan, who really looks (at least in the movie) like a dutch maid from 350 years ago. The figure, the scenery, the chosen colors, all great. Many of the frames are purposedly created to resemble Vermeer's paintings: the light, the objects, the gestures of the people. Sometimes, during the movie, I caught myself with a hanging jaw, truly emotioned by the beauty of the scenes.

All this bonded together by the simple soundscore, present always at the right moments, and by rising star Scarlett Johanson's acting: strong, objective, believable. She's the center of the movie, and rightly so.

"Girl with a pearl earring" is one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen.

Grade 9.0/10

Rating:
Summary: THAT EVANESECENT DELFT LIGHT...
Review: ...it permeates and imbues the masterpieces that flowed from the brush of Johannes Vermeer - and it breathes life and subtle but tangible vitality into this wonderfully filmed adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's best-selling novel of the same title. Chevalier says that her book looks at the creation of a painting - one of the great works of art of the 17th century - and imagines the story behind it. Working closely with the author, Olivia Hetreed has produced a script that skillfully converts the images of Chevalier's glowing prose into light and images and actions on the screen - a daunting task, especially in this case. Choosing to illuminate the differences between the classes at play in this story through images more than dialogue placed an additional burden on the shoulders of the director and actors - but they have managed it very nicely indeed.

Scarlett Johansson is nothing short of luminous - appropriate in a Vermeer subject - in the title role of Griet, a seventeen year-old girl who has come to live in the home of the artist and his large, continuously growing family. Aside from the dynamics at play between the classes - masters and servants - there are emotional and psychological forces involved as well. The artist's wife is a stunningly beautiful by neurotic and insecure woman. Her mother, who lives with them and manages the household with a necessarily tight fist, is so dedicated to their collective financial survival (bankruptcy claims neighbors, and looms over the Vermeer household ominously) that she is willing to accept her son-in-law's obsession with Griet in order that he be inspired to create yet another great painting - the commission of which is of vital monetary importance to the family.

Colin Firth is cast well as the great master, Johannes Vermeer - he plays the 'tortured artiste' angle gently but realistically, never going over the top with it. He obviously loves his wife - but his almost immediate fascination with Griet blossoms into a driving obsession. Without acting on their feelings by more than an occasional touch or a lingering glance, the two learn from and inspire each other immeasurably - Vermeer is astonished to find within Griet a kindred spirit, the soul of an artist in the body of a serving girl. The film hints at her understanding of the interplay of colour and light - the novel, understandably, goes into it in much greater detail - but the script and the fine work of the cast and crew pull it off very well indeed.

The dark force at play in this story is Vermeer's patron and benefactor, Master van Ruijven, portrayed with oily excellence by Tom Wilkinson. A man whose wealth is seemingly out of reach of any potential creditors, van Ruijven revels in his position, in his ability to coerce and direct the actions of Vermeer and his family as if they were marionettes. When he first sets eyes on Griet, the dark lust within him can be seen to smoulder - and he sets about machinating stress and anxiety in the Vermeer household as if it were his personal toy.

Griet's family background is portrayed with much more detail in the novel - her father is a former artisan, a tile maker, blinded in an accident, depending on the meager support offered by the Guild to sustain his family. When it becomes clear that this small stipend will not be enough for them to survive, the decision is made that Griet should go to work for Vermeer - and arrangement made through the Guild. When she moves into the artist's home, she takes with her a lovely tile that her father had made years before, as a physical token of his presence and importance in her life.

The pace of the film is slow and careful - befitting the mood and look of Vermeer's paintings. The cinematography is gorgeous throughout - as pointed out by other reviewers, there are many scenes that come as close as commercial cinema can come to the atmosphere of one of the master's paintings. It's a stunningly beautiful film, and a captivating story - all in all, a job very well done.

The DVD edition available at this time doesn't boast many extras - but a nice bonus is the 'Anatomy of a scene' feature from the Sundance Channel, which takes the lavish banquet scene from the film and examines the 'hows' and 'whys' of the methods used in filming it. It features snippets of interviews with the director, author, screenwriter and Johansson - some longer versions of these interviews would be nice in a later edition.