GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Peter Webber Producers: Andy Patterson and Anand Tucker Writer: Olivia Hatreed Director of Photography: Eduardo Serra Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy, Essie Davis Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew.

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Review by: Laurel Williams
12/7/03

Girl With A Pearl Earring is one of those delicious period pieces where all the characters are repressed, and some of the most daring and important moments are confined to the brush of a hand or a meaningful look. If you don't like this kind of film, then stay away.

The film is a faithful adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's best-selling book, which follows the story of a maid who goes to work in the house of 17th Century Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer and is the model and inspiration for his most famous painting, "Girl With A Pearl Earring". Griet (the maid, played by Scarlett Johansson) enters the house when Vermeer's wife, Catherina (Essie Davis), is pregnant with their 7th child and the family, particularly Vermeer's mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt), is very tense over financial matters. Vermeer (Colin Firth) is dependent upon the patronage of his lustful benefactor, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson). Griet is in charge of cleaning Vermeer's studio, and soon she and Vermeer form a connection over art which grows into infatuation. She begins secretly assisting him, hiding her activities from the jealous Catherina and from Griet's own boyfriend, Pieter (Cillian Murphy), the butcher's son in town. Things spiral out of control when Catherina finds out what is happening, and when Van Ruijven takes a lascivious interest in Griet and wants her to be in his next Vermeer painting.

Johansson is mesmerizing as Griet, and indeed looks eerily like the girl in the actual painting. She hardly speaks, but instead curtsies, bites her tongue, and thinks intense thoughts. The moments when the film really sizzles are in the studio with Griet and Vermeer as they stifle and sublimate their attraction for each other. Peter Webber also did an amazing job filming the story, wherein he seems to pay homage to Vermeer. The saturated colors, and the amber and brown hues echo Vermeer's paintings. In the moments when Vermeer is actually painting the portrait, Webber chooses to hold on Johansson for a long while and it is difficult after a few moments to know whether we're still looking at Johansson or at Vermeer's original.

The only problem with this film is that it is almost too confined. At times it felt like a BBC Masterpiece Theatre rendition. This may be because this is Webber's first feature, coming from a background of television; but is more likely because the drama takes place almost entirely in the house. The rare moments of action really stand out, and could even be taken further before your desire to break free is satiated.

(A Lions Gate Films release. Opens in New York and Los Angeles on December 12, 2003. Expands to more cities at later dates.)