Based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier, Girl With a Pearl Earring imagines the story behind Johannes Vermeer's portrait of the same name. The subject of the portrait is a young servant girl named Griet, (Scarlett Johansson), who must clean Vermeer's (Colin Firth) studio without adjusting a single object, so as not to disturb the artist's vision. What Griet doesn't anticipate is the mutual dependency that develops between artist and subject, master and apprentice, when she herself becomes part of the artist's vision.
Girl With a Pearl Earring is a work of art in and of itself. The cinematography composed by Eduardo Serra is the very definition of what it means to paint with light. It is no wonder Serra is nominated for an Oscar for his work on this film, as every frame captures the light, texture and composition that characterize Vermeer's paintings.
With its meditative pace and haunting music, Girl With a Pearl Earring seems to be more of an assemblage of exchanged glances and tentative touches than a film. Instead of dialogue, it is Johansson's wide eyes and full lips that express the depth of Griet's passion, and they say everything. Firth, meanwhile, does what he does best by standing aside and brooding intently.
Chevalier's novel concerns itself primarily with the interior consciousness of the characters, which isn't easily translated to the screen. Luckily, Tom Wilkinson, as Van Ruijven, Vermeer's chief patron, and Cillian Murphy as Pieter, Griet's beau, shake things up as they weave their way in and out of the film.
The tagline for Girl With a Pearl Earring is, "Beauty inspires obsession." Unless you're a fan of the book, Johansson or Firth--or prefer movies more beautiful in execution than bountiful in action--Girl With a Pearl Earring may bore you. For art-house movie fans, it's a don't-miss.
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