London, England

04 DECEMBER 2003

Notable filmic attempts to depict the muse at work in the life of the painter are not new. Whether we consider the example of Carol Reed’s The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965), depicting Michelangelo’s struggles with the fresco in the Sistine Chapel, or Julie Taymor’s vibrant and stunning biography of Frida Kahlo, Frida (2002), the challenge to the filmmaker remains: how does one provide a representation of artist and artwork that serves both equally?

Adapted from the best-selling novel by Tracy Chevalier, Girl with a Pearl Earring attempts to avoid such challenges by focusing on the subject, and limiting the exposure of painter and painting. Set during Holland’s ‘Golden Age’, Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Ghost World) plays a young woman forced to leave her family’s home and take employment as a servant in the household of master painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth).

Beyond the regime of her daily duties Griet grows evermore curious of the master’s technique and sensibilities, until Vermeer secretly -and acting against the protocol of his day- accepts her as his apprentice. While he inspires her to think and feel differently about herself and station, he obsessively considers her as subject. Somewhere between desire and resolution, an awkward subplot involving a sinister patron concludes with Vermeer completing the eponymous portrait.

With a screenplay that strategically shuns dialogue, director Peter Webber wisely defers to the photography of Eduardo Serra. Gritty staging and period costumes usher us into this other time. Scene after scene beautifully replicate -as closely as film can- the composition and lighting of 17th century Dutch painting; but this emphasis on the visual does not compensate for the lack of narrative. Mysterious, but illusory, this film -like many before it- leaves us wanting more than innuendo.

Adam Christopher Snow © 2003