FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
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
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