Rating: 
Summary: Vermeer in motion
Review: There are some movies where the photography is such, that we don't care about anything else. Some of Peter Greenaway's work comes to mind under that context.
Take a great photography, exquisite play of light, meticulous recreation of the period, an absolutely adorable Scarlett Johanssen, and the result left me gaping for the whole time the movie lasted.
In Hannibal, his nurse has this dream 'To see all existent Vermeer paintings, once" I now know why; I now share the same wish.
The entire movie IS a Vermeer painting; the lighting is so carefully planned, from homes lit only from windows during the day, candles at night. The attention to detail, exquisite, from the knuckles on Ms. Johanssen's hands, to the manufacture of the pigments.
A must for any DVD collector. I just loved this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Visually Stunning
Review: Definitely a mood piece, this lemon-tinted celluloid confection relating to the genesis of Vermeer's masterpiece, "Girl With A Pearl Earring", provides mere mortals not only a glimpse into 17th century Flemish life, where the formula creating great art relies on the not-so-constant variables of fickle patron, tight-fisted mother-in-law, and an insecure ever-pregnant wife, but a silent communication between a visionary and his inspiration.
For dialogue plays second-fiddle to lusciously crafted cinematic moments infused with expertly-rendered replications of Vermeer's famous settings -- we watch Griet, the newly hired maid, reach to wash the studio windows and "Woman with A Water Jug" materializes from concept to canvas. Conversation between the players merely enhances an already ionically charged scene, explaining the pressures--pressures that transcend period and are equally threatening in the 21st century--- of Vermeer's overextended household where secondary character moter-in-law Maria Thins, finds herself in the omnipotent managerial position og balancing her budget, salving her daughter's self-persecuting vulnerability, securing further commissions, turning a blind eye to patron Van Ruijven's lascivious appetites and understanding Vermeer's need for a form of intimacy with his muse in order to produce his great art.
Colin Firth, ever smouldering, plays Vermeer with a quiet acceptance of his circumstances; his impatience to create supercedes his desire for making the explanations pleaded for by his wife. But Scarlett Johansson as the teenaged Griet and lead, provides the ethereal quality so necessary to the success of this film. Her upturned face shines with her character's pride---cold and translucent with the perfect symmetry of the full moon, yet imploring and nascent in her innocence. Her dialogue is unnecessary, in fact, seeing her in the accompanying music video somewhat ruins the illusion created by that last shot of her face.
Those of you who enjoy silences, watch this film in silence with no distractions; savor the textures, the colors, the shadows and most of all the light. Remember it is a fantasy, wrought by novelist Tracy Chevalier and brought to life, slice by delicious slice by documentary maker Peter Webber. Recommended to all thos who want to partake of the recreation of a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: The Painting Comes To Life
Review: A stunning film done with the same care as a master painter, painting a picture. The acting is understated and well done. It is not always what is actually said, but what is conveyed in body language and eye contact. Under the surface the same sexual tension that was so obvious in the book, is very real and very present. Collin Firth has made a name for himself playing brooding and somewhat dark characters. His Vermeer is just that.Scarlet Johansson plays young Griet, caught between the world she knows as a peasant and the world of her Master. She is caught between the forbidden feelings and connections she has with her Master and Peter the butcher's son who is so clearly in love with her. The film is like a painting, in that it has many layers. It is not a complicated movie but one that is so beautifully told it is hard not to like it.
Rating:
Summary: painting in motion
Review: This movie brings to life the untold story behind the Vemeer painting "Girl With a Pearl Earing." The story of Griet, a girl who must leave the security of her family home and become a servant in the Vemeer household. Her unfavorable position is not sugar coated as the viewer is shown her obnoxious charges, arduous labor and the upper class characters she must deal with.The acting is superb in this film as is the filming itself. Each scene looks like a painting unto itself. The colors and lighting are enticing and draw you into each scene. Indeed the reason the painting is commissioned is the repulsive lust of Vemeer's patron. The sensuality of this work fairly jumps off the screen. The scenes between Vemeer and Greit are among the most intense as you see Greit trying understand this enigmatic man while still remember her station in their world. The story was hard to follow in places making me assume much was cut out from the original book. I hope reading the book will fill in the gaps and add depth to the characters that so intrigued me in the movie. I will definitely be checking out the book but the movie was a visual feast and a true enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Movie
Review: 'Girl With a Pearl Earring', by first-time director Peter Webber allows for a higher level of beauty and artistic film-making. Based on the novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier, the movie tells the story of a young maid working in the house of the Flemish painter Vermeer, and how she became the subject of a painting. The story is not wordy or burdened with dialogue, but instead is told mostly by focusing on the expressions of Griet (Scarlett Johannson), and how her uneducated mind can look around her and see beauty and almost painting-like surroundings that are around her. She daydreams while she works and becomes lost in the world of her master. The story progresses slowly but interestingly as we are given insight into daily life around a lake where gondolas are used, and how it freezes in winter, to the clothes they wear, and the heirarchies of the household. Griet works in her master's studio all the while, knowing that she should be cautious when cleaning the windows as it may change the light, and leaving everything exactly as it is. Eventually she forms a relationship with her master and learns how the camera obscura works, and learns how to mix his paints, and learns how complex the beauty of the world is. When asked about the colors of the clouds, she says they are yellow, blue, and grey, and she understands. While there is a definite attraction between Griet and Vermeer, it is never fulfilled, and it stays only as glances. The story progresses and she becomes the subject of a new commission thanks to the lascivious ways of the patron Van Ruijven. To do the painting, Griet must wear the pearl earrings worn by his jealous wife. She finds out and the plot reaches it's climax as Vermeer paints Griet. The movie accomplishes greatness thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, the director for placing the silent barriers between Griet and the household of her master, the score which is graceful and soft, Scarlett Johansson's facial expressions and the final one that so closely mimics the girl's in the painting that for a moment they seem to look very similar, and the cinematography. The cinematography is the most important aspect of the film, as it really sets the period and makes every scene look like a moving painting. This is perhaps the most aesthetically brilliant movie of all time, and certainly the best in recent memory.
Rating:
Summary: A subtle, sumptuous film... recommended!
Review: A radiant, visually rich fictionalization of the life of famed Renaissance painter Johannes Vermeer, or, rather, of a brief segment in the life of Vermeer, the period in which he painted the picture after which the film is titled. This is a pleasantly eliptical film, light on exposition and packed with gorgeous cinematography and hotly charged, not-too-subterranean emotional complexities, all set against the canvas of a man creating great, immortal art. Nice to see they still make intelligent, well-crafted films like this... and bravo to Scarlet Johanssen for continuing to pick such classy roles. This is another fine feather under her cap.
Rating:
Summary: "Disturb nothing, leave all just as it is"
Review: This year, 2003, will be remembered as the year in which Scarlett Johansson made her debut in the big screen with astounding success. Her roles in "Lost in Translation" and in this movie gained two nominations for the Golden Globes, and even though she did not win any of them, everyone recognized her talent. It is particularly enlightening to the Johansson playing two roles that are complete opposites, a married young woman in the twentieth century in Japan and an introverted young maid in seventeenth century Holland. Griet (Johansson) is an adolescent that has a blind father and is forced to leave her home and go work for a wealthy family when the economic situation warrants it. The master of the house is no other than the painter Johannes Vermeer, who lives there with his wife, several kids, his mother in-law and a myriad of servants. The madam of the house and her eldest daughter receive Griet in an unfriendly manner, but she receives the "gift" of being in charge of cleaning Vermeer's atelier. She is mesmerized by the paintings and treats everything with immense respect and reverence. Vermeer takes his time with each painting, having to constantly fight with the pressure his wife and mother in-law put upon him when the funds become meager. Now he has received the news that his patron Peter van Ruijven will not pay for another painting right away, but will go with another painter instead. He then seeks to find a new source of inspiration and thus starts a peculiar relationship with Griet. This film has various admirable attributes, like the impeccable settings, the uplifting music and the fascinating details presented about the life in Holland in the seventeenth century. Moreover, the description of how the colors and the paintings were created is extremely interesting. For those of you that are bothered by a movie with a slow pace, I have no other choice but to recommend you to stay away from this one, but everyone else should watch it. As a final recommendation, I would advise you to go online and look at Vermeer's paintings before watching the movie, especially "The Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "Young Woman with a Water Pitcher".
Rating:
Summary: Slow,But Very Good.
Review: Back in the 1600's Johannes Vermeer painted a painting.The origins of the painting are unknown and it's interestng in that sense.A few years ago,a writer made up a fictional story and quite obviously it was turned into a movie.Colin Firth(Love Actually) stars as Vermeer,a brilliant painter.Then we have
Scarlett Johansson(Lost in Translation,The Perfect Score),
a maid who becomes the object of Vermeer's obsession.Now a lot of people might not like this movie.It's very slow and never lets up.The art direction of the film is spectacular and no doubt would have won if it wasn't up again "The Return of the King." The score is light and well done and the costume design
is great,but like I said earlier,I liked the movie...but if you didn't like "Lost in Translation" you probably won't like this.
Co-starring Tom Wilkinson(Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,
In the Bedroom).B.
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Movie
Review: This movie was very beautiful and very well filmed. I was also very surprised by Scarlett Johannson, since I had only seen her in the abysmal Lost in Translation. She is actually a wonderful actress given a competent director and good script. This movie is definitely worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: A Lustrous Pearl of a Film
Review: We watched the movie with some friends (a medievalist, a French language student, art historian, etc.). All agreed that it was pitch perfect: superb acting, settings, composition, and mood. A film that will remain in our thoughts and on our favorites list. Convincing and highly recommended!
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