GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
Directed by: Peter Webber.
Produced by: Andy Paterson & Anand Tucker.
Written by: Oliva Hetreed, based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier.
Director of Photography: Eduardo Serra.
Edited by: Kate Evans.
Music by: Alexandre Desplat.
Released by: Lions Gate.
Country of Origin: UK/Luxembourg/Canada. 95 min. Rated: PG-13.
With: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Cillian Murphy & Essie Davis.

Examining the hardships and morals of 17th century Dutch life, this graceful, pretty, and ultimately flaccid film is much like the slim bestselling novel from which it is based. Griet, well played by wide-eyed Scarlett Johansson, is sent by her impoverished family into servitude - a maid in the large, cash-strapped household of painter Johannes Vermeer. Her youth is an immediate threat to Vermeer’s jealous wife, Catharina (Davis). One of her duties is to clean the master’s inner sanctum, his studio, which is off limits to the rest of the house. There, Griet suggests the removal of a chair from a portrait, improving the composition and gaining her master’s respect. At his behest, Griet mixes paint colors, rising above her station. Having become his confidant, their relationship does not go unnoticed by the other members of the household, causing Griet to contend with Catharina, his conniving daughter, as well as the advances of Vermeer’s lecherous patron, Van Ruijven (Wilkinson), who lustily observes her talent for "grinding and stirring." Meanwhile, Peter (Murphy), the local butcher's son and Griet’s suitor, points out her limited options by warning her, "Just remember who you are." However, Van Ruijven insists that Vermeer capture Griet’s beauty in a painting for him. Vermeer covertly does so, lest Catharina should find out, compromising both master and maid. The competent ensemble is cast to type, though brooding Colin Firth portrays Vermeer with an ironic lack of color and verve. Albeit this film is a beauty, the story line is, to quote a character, "a tune we all know." And its pace is deliberate throughout, never with a sense of urgency. The director of photography Eduardo Serra deserves much of the credit for the real success of this film, it's look. Whether it's the soft northern light through a window, the frosty glaze on the canals of Deft, or Vermeer's painting coming to life, every frame is a meticulous visual. David Nudo, The New York Times, Book Advertising Manager
December 12, 2003