Girl with a Pearl Earring (film)
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| Girl with a Pearl Earring | |
|---|---|
 Poster for Girl With a Pearl Earring |
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| Directed by | Peter Webber |
| Produced by | Andy Paterson Anand Tucker |
| Written by | Olivia Hetreed (screenplay) Tracy Chevalier (novel) |
| Starring | Colin Firth Scarlett Johansson Tom Wilkinson Essie Davis Cillian Murphy Judy Parfitt |
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
| Cinematography | Eduardo Serra |
| Editing by | Kate Evans |
| Distributed by |  Lions Gate Films Pathé |
| Release date(s) |  December 12, 2003 January 16, 2004 |
| Running time | 95 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom Luxembourg |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12,000,000[1] |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Girl with a Pearl Earring is a 2003 United Kingdom/Luxembourg drama film directed by Peter Webber. The screenplay was adapted by screenwriter Olivia Hetreed based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson and Cillian Murphy.
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[edit] Plot
Griet (Scarlett Johansson) is a young woman living in the Netherlands in the 1660s. Her father was a ceramic painter who has recently gone blind, rendering him unable to work and the family is in dire straits. Griet is subsequently sent to work as a maid in the home of the painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth).
In the course of their interactions as master and servant, Vermeer and Griet become casually acquainted and he learns of her interest in painting and her knowledge of color and artistic composition. Vermeer subsequently begins giving her lessons in mixing paints and other tasks, taking care to keep their meetings secret from his wife Catharina (Essie Davis). On a routine trip outside the house, Griet also befriends a young man named Pieter - the Vermeers' butcher's son - (Cillian Murphy), who is quickly taken with her, though she is slow to return his affections. Vermeer's patron van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson) sees Griet on a visit to the Vermeer household and asks the painter if he will give her up to him to work in his own house. When Vermeer refuses, Van Ruijven commissions him to paint a portrait of Griet for him. Vermeer accepts the commission, both to remain in Van Ruijven's good graces and because of his own fascination with Griet.
As Vermeer secretly works on the eponymous painting, he and Griet grow closer, while his relationship with his wife declines. Griet suffers with her feelings towards Vermeer, and has to fend off Van Ruijven's attempt to rape her (which is thwarted when Catharina calls for Griet). After a painting session filled with unrequited sexual tension where Vermeer pierces Griet's earlobes so she can wear his wife's pearl earrings for the portrait, Griet runs to Pieter to make love. In the afterglow, Pieter proposes marriage, but she does not answer and leaves him with a kiss. Vermeer's daughter discovers Griet is modeling for the painting, and tells her mother. Filled with jealousy, Catharina demands to see the painting. Vermeer responds that she does not understand art like Griet does. Insulted at being considered more ignorant than a common servant, she orders Griet to leave their household. At the close of the film, the pearl earrings are mysteriously delivered to Griet who has moved back to her home. Unlike the novel we are left wondering if she ever marries Pieter or not.
[edit] Cast
- Colin Firth as Johannes Vermeer
- Scarlett Johansson as Griet
- Tom Wilkinson as Piet Van Ruijven
- Judy Parfitt as Maria Thins
- Cillian Murphy as Pieter
- Essie Davis as Catharina Vermeer
- Joanna Scanlan as Tanneke
- Alakina Mann as Cornelia Vermeer
- Chris McHallem as Griet's father
- Rollo Weeks as Frans
- Anna Popplewell as Maertge
- Anaïs Nepper as Lisbeth
- Melanie Meyfroid as Aleydis
- Nathan Nepper as Johannes
[edit] Awards and Nominations
[edit] Wins
- 2003 - Camerimage Bronze Frog - Eduardo Serra
- 2003 - Dinard British Film Festival Audience Award - Peter Webber
- 2003 - Dinard British Film Festival Golden Hitchcock - Peter Webber
- 2003 - San Diego Film Critics Society Award - Best Cinematography - Eduardo Serra
- 2003 - San Sebastián International Film Festival - Best Cinematography - Eduardo Serra
- 2003 - C.I.C.A.E. Award - Peter Webber
- 2004 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award - Best Cinematography - Eduardo Serra
[edit] Nominations
- Academy Award for Best Art Direction
- Academy Award for Best Cinematography - Eduardo Serra
- Academy Award for Costume Design - Dien van Straalen
[edit] Soundtrack
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For more details on this topic, see Girl with a Pearl Earring (soundtrack).
The soundtrack was released in 2004 and composed by Alexandre Desplat.
[edit] Differences between the novel and the film
- In the novel, when Griet is sexually harassed by van Ruijven, the one who stops him is Cornelia, Vermeer's daughter, by asking them what they were doing. While in the film, the one who stops the incident is Catharina, by calling out for Griet.
- In the novel, Griet decided to leave the Vermeer house by herself, after the painting is discovered by Catharina. In the film, Catharina orders Griet to leave the household.
- In the novel, it is abundantly clear that Griet has married Peter, and has had children with him. Nonetheless, in the film there's no hint about Griet and Peter's marriage, let alone children.
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
The rags Griet receives the pearls in at the end of the film, are almost the same colors she describes the clouds are earlier in the film. She says they are yellow, blue and gray, and the rags are yellow, blue and white.
[edit] References
- ^ Delesse, Olivier. "Dinard Awards Two Top Prizes to 'Girl' (Pathé film budget)", Dinard British Film Festival, FilmFestivals.com, 2002 October 3-6.
