Amazon.com: You wouldn't think a movie could look like a Vermeer painting, but Girl with a Pearl Earring is filmed with an amazing range of luminous glows that evoke the Dutch artist's masterworks. Of course, it helps that much of the movie centers on Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Ghost World), whose creamy skin and full lips have a luminosity of their own. Johansson plays Griet, a maid in the household of Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth, Bridget Jones' Diary, Fever Pitch), who finds herself in a web of jealousy, artistic inspiration, and social machinations. Though the pace is slow, Girl with a Pearl Earring genuinely conveys some sense of an artist's process, as well as offering many chaste yet sensual moments between Firth and Johansson. Also featuring Essie Davis as Vermeer's bitter wife and Tom Wilkinson (In the Bedroom) as a wealthy patron with eyes for Griet. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - If Vermeer Was Brit
This beautifully made film is worth seeing for the heavily meditated transmission of 17th century Dutch art to the screen, a stunning achievement. Delft is wonderfully recreated based on the works of Vermeer and many other painters. The basic story line about a Calvinist girl warily going into a Bohemian artist household is fine, and Scarlett Johanson is very good, as is her butcher's apprentice boyfriend.
The only problem is that this isn't Vermeer -- they should have simply used another ... Read More
Rating: - If You Like Seeing People Standing Around Wide Eyed and Gaped Jawed, This Movie is for You.
Everyone else do yourself a favor and avoid it. I'm just happy that I saw it on IFC and didn't rent or (heaven forbid) buy the stupid thing. I was hoping for a movie that would be both visually and intellectually stimulating (like The Agony and the Ecstasy) but instead only got one that was pleasing to the eye. I kept hoping that the story would show up but it never did, unless of course the script read "Scarlet Johansson stands wide eyed and fearful for the next hour and a half." The romance (if that ... Read More
Rating: - Good, but no depth as book had
This movie was okay, but it did not portray the book as I would have imagined. They left out important scenes from the book. Scarlett Johannson did not embody the main character well. She did not show any of the bravery or integrity as in the novel.
Rating: - Disappointed
While I think that the film was beautifully filmed, I was more than disappointed by the screenplay. If you have read the book, you will realize that many interesting points were omitted. From the beginning, the scene where Vermeer "interviewed" Griet at her home and hired her after seeing her arranging the vegetables according to colors. For me, this set the stage for their relationship. Unfortunately, it was omitted. The mother-in-law was a strong personality in the book but played down in the film. The book ... Read More
Rating: - Key film for movie lovers
The images of this film are unique and make it a master piece for movie lovers.Scarlett is great