(Bethan) They like "Young Adam".... That was a very well done movie. Depressing, but well done. Can't fault 'em for liking that.

Daily Telegraph review Girl With a Pearl Earring, directed by Peter Webber and based on a novel by Tracy Chevalier, is the second film in successive weeks that stars Scarlett Johansson. A fictional biography of the mysterious subject of Vermeer's greatest painting, it seems to have been mad e expressly for the purpose of showcasing the talents of this farouche and supremely fascinating young actress. Johansson plays Griet, a 17-year-old girl in 17th-century Delft, who leaves behind her poor parents to go to work as a maid in the Vermeer household. Her father is blind, but she likes nothing better than to look at the world around her and in small ways to rearrange it. She washes dirty windows to let more light enter the building. She mops the floor with the same care as a painter passes his brush across canvases. Soon she attracts the attention of Vermeer (a remote-seeming but competent Colin Firth), much to the annoyance of his wife (Joanna Scanlan) and his malicious daughter (Alakina Mann). Griet goes on to have a fairly tepid romance with a local butcher boy. She's also attacked by Vermeer's bullying patron (an underused Tom Wilkinson). Not much else happens. It doesn't matter. This is a film about atmosphere and texture and light, an avant-garde movie masquerading as a historical drama. Vermeer offers the young girl an aesthetic education, showing her how a camera obscura works and discoursing about perspective and illusion. At the same time, he is inspired by her beauty, inquisitiveness, and eye for detail. The scene in which he pierces her ear is wonderfully erotic. Who better to play the maid's role than Johansson? This is a film that proceeds at a languorous pace at the best of times; when she appears on screen, it stops dead. She's a forcefield sucking in all the energy. We peer at her eyebrowless face, her alabaster skin, her inquiring eyes. She holds our gaze, and returns it - with interest. Rarely does she speak (just as well: her accent sounds like that of Ren�e Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary). She ends the film as mysterious and inscrutable as she began it. The other star of this film is cinematographer Eduardo Serra, who counterposes the ordure-strewn lanes and the market-stall pigs' heads with rapturous, light-saturated interiors. Girl With a Pearl Earring is intelligent, ably acted and wonderful to look at. But it's also too becalmed and aloof in tone to truly captivate. Still lives are one thing; inert ones are a different matter. � Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004. Terms & Conditions of reading. Commercial information. Privacy Policy.

much to the annoyance of his wife (Joanna Scanlan) OMG! Did they really print that? Shame, shame. competent Colin Firth Well it's positive. ;-) Girl With a Pearl Earring is intelligent, ably acted and wonderful to look at. I'm hard pressed to see that this is what they were getting at in the review, but I'll take it. Thanks, Bethan.

Major disappointment! CF is no longer named as a guest on JR's Radio 2 show this Saturday. - He appears to have been replaced by a comedian I've not heard of.:-(((((

Get that frame ready, Bethan! Peter Bradshaw Friday January 16, 2004 The Guardian 4 out of 5 stars In her last three major films, it has been 19-year-old Scarlett Johansson's destiny to evoke menopausal longing in older men, and what's not to long for? Billy Bob Thornton was obsessed by her in the Coens' The Man Who Wasn't There; Bill Murray was entranced by her in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation. And now it is the turn of Colin Firth, playing a stubbled, romantic-looking Johannes Vermeer in this speculative imagining of the 17th-century Dutch artist's relationship with his unknown model, to be captivated by the bloom of her untouched loveliness. Even when she was in the 2002 horror movie Eight Legged Freaks, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I remember seeing some of the older male giant monster-spiders looking at Scarlett piningly, exchanging shy smiles with her, before scuttling off home to contemplate the desolate reality of their monster-spider marriages and careers. Be that as it may, this movie - taken from the Tracy Chevalier novel - is a stunningly designed piece of work, with hauntingly beautiful cinematography from Eduardo Serra of the sort that often gets called "painterly" and here really deserves it. This film is a tremendously intelligent and detailed homage. The production design by Ben Van Os is outstanding. Films about artists don't have to look like their art, of course; that can look self-satisfied and obtuse - like the clever but faintly redundant pastiche sequences in Julie Taymor's Frida - and to be frank, the sheer mass of controlled visual detail sometimes threatens to refrigerate and paralyse the movie. There were times, in fact, when I wondered what a movie about Vermeer's life that wasn't trying to imitate his art would look like. Exactly the same, maybe? Can the detail of his paintings be used as primary, real-world source material? It is into this gilt frame, at any rate, that Scarlett Johansson daintily steps, playing Griet, a girl from a dignified but impoverished Protestant family, forced to take a post as domestic help to the Catholic Vermeer household in the prosperous town of Delft. "Keep clear of their Catholic prayers!" hisses her mother before Griet sets off. "Stop your ears!" She conceals her gorgeous hair within a modest traditional Dutch headdress, and does her best to fit in as a servant in a house full of dominant women. Essie Davis is Vermeer's highly strung, perpetually pregnant wife Catharina; Judy Parfitt is his formidable clay-pipe-smoking mother-in-law Maria Thins, and Joanna Scanlan gives a tough performance as Tanneke, the raw-boned serving woman who is the nearest thing Griet has to a friend. Colin Firth, as Vermeer, must reconcile the domestic calm of the painter's family life with the life-force romantic-artist image that the director has evidently decided should be his look. He's the sort of long-haired, moody, intense-eyed guy who looks like he should be roistering around town and painting can-can dancers, but actually stays in en famille , reading and drinking contemplative mugs of beer while small children scramble on and off his lap, doing everything but watching television. Webber's masterstroke is the use of Vermeer's eerie, empty studio, familiar from so many paintings but here untenanted except for the uncanny, robot-like wooden life model and, in one scene, the camera obscura device that is Vermeer's link with the modern world of image. Griet impresses Vermeer with her intuitive sense of light and colour and he is soon infatuated enough to want to paint her in secret while Griet models his wife's pearl earrings. Her ears are not pierced, so Vermeer tenderly contrives this penetration himself, and the metonymical deflowering of the virgin Griet is just explicit enough to work as both erotic encounter and pagan obeisance. But the movie is more complicated than just being about erotic obsession sublimated into artistic rapture. This painting has been privately commissioned for Vermeer's wealthy patron, Van Ruijven: a lip-smacking performance from Tom Wilkinson. He has conceived a goatish desire for Griet and the idea of possessing her image appeals to his decadent aesthetic cupidity. But Van Ruijven also clearly understands, without anyone saying a word, that as a frequent and honoured visitor, he will have ample opportunity of forcing himself sexually on the serving maid Griet, and so the painting will be an exquisitely evil memento. So there is a real whiff of sulphur about the commission, in which the financially straitened Vermeer is ambiguously complicit: he is preparing to sell Griet body and soul, and the painting becomes an occult object of betrayal. Webber gives a long, long close-up on Johansson's face as she models for that famous portrait study and the effect really is swooningly beautiful, though a little coercive - as if we were being ordered to swoon. Often, Firth and Johansson will gaze at each other, silent, stricken, he out of desire, she out of submissive deference, but it may be just that a sense that any dialogue at all is too crude an intrusion into this visual splendour. Girl With a Pearl Earring at times surrounds itself with an art-gallery hush, but it is just so ambitious, and intriguing, and beautiful, you will find yourself immobile in front of its canvas, drinking in the details.

From the Telegraph: 'On set, Scarlett would tear strips off Colin' Girl With a Pearl Earring, Peter Webber's atmospheric debut feature, crackles with the chemistry between Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. 'It really clicked between them,' the director tells Marisol Grand�n What was it like directing Scarlett Johansson? 'There was a toughness about her': Scarlett Johansson as Griet When we hired her, she wasn't a name. I didn't think: "Gasp, I'm directing Scarlett Johansson!" I'd seen her in Ghost World, The Man Who Wasn't There and Manny and Lo which is a great film. She was one of 150 actresses we were talking to. I didn't think there would be many potential Griets out there, and I was right because we only found one. And it was Scarlett. Now she is "Scarlett Johansson" - a name that everyone knows and it's rather wonderful that we have been part of that. She's had a great year and so she should do because she is amazing. She had her 18th birthday at the end of the first week's shoot, but there was a maturity about her, a wisdom and a toughness. She was just a very interesting character. You have to be when you're in a film where the camera gazes at you for 90 minutes. Very deliberately, we pared her dialogue out. You don't need Scarlett to tell you what she's thinking, you just see it on her face. I also like that she looks real. She doesn't look like a skinny, anorexic Hollywood star. I think that's very important in this film. Girl With a Pearl Earring is your first feature. How was the leap from directing for television? It was fantastic. It was like getting off a leaky old rowboat and getting on board a cruise liner. There's a limit to the scale of artistic ambition in television, especially these days. It's more a medium for producers and writers. Movies are great for directors because you get to run the show and that can be quite addictive. There was fear, but there's fear with every film I start. Even with the tiniest documentary - in the car on the way to the shoot I always feel like I want to throw up. On a feature film, 150 people are standing around saying: "Right, what do you want to do?" So you had better know what you want to do. Having a lot of practice in television prepares you because you have to think on your feet. Each scene is designed to look like a Vermeer painting or a painting from the era. How long did it take to perfect the lighting and details of the mise-en-scene? What you're looking at is the work of director of photography Eduardo Serra, who is a god of cinema. He's been doing it for a long time and he works incredibly quickly. Some shots look like they took hours to light but actually took 25 minutes. Some stuff is more complicated but he works surprisingly fast and that comes from a lifetime of experience. A lot of those Dutch paintings are lit the same way: tall, diffused light coming down at an angle through a window which is often on the left-hand side of the room. So that kind of limits your options. That's not to take away from Serra's mastery because he also makes the light beautiful. The best thing about him is that he's not just obsessed about pictures. He's interested in story and character, and he has half the ego most other DOPs have. What was Johansson and Firth's relationship like on set? Did he, being the veteran of romantic films that he is, offer her any guidance? I don't think for one second that Scarlett would take any guidance from Colin. They had, in a joyful way, a very combative relationship. They obviously had strong feelings for each other. It really clicked between them. And they used those feelings in the scenes. That's what chemistry is. You can't fake chemistry, it's a real thing. Great actors do a lot of their own work. On set, they would go for each other hammer and tongs. Scarlett would tear strips off Colin. Sometimes you would think they were being serious but it was just a game they played. When the cameras turned on there was this wonderful atmosphere. They created a barrier to the warmth they felt for each other. As a director, you nip and tuck and maybe encourage them in one direction or another. They were two great actors. I think Colin offered Scarlett a few tips but if anything it was the other way round. She's been doing this probably as long as Colin. How familiar were you with Vermeer before you took on this project? Very. Girl With a Pearl Earring is a painting I've known for a long time. I've always loved Vermeer and the sense of mystery surrounding his work. There's something very special about the world he created which is very cinematic. I found Vermeer quite obsessive: the way he returns to the same corner of the room again and again. I remember being on a college trip to see the painting. It had a profound effect on me. Making this film felt like the completion of a journey. I thought about how relatively unformed I was when I saw that painting for the first time, and the difference going back some years later. Being that bit older, I saw something else there. It made me aware of the differences between the girl and her relative innocence at the beginnings of adulthood and Vermeer. Any film-maker will identify with him because a) he's an artist b) he's harrassed by his financiers and c) he spends a lot of time being a voyeur. One of the most powerful moments in the film is when we see Griet's hair through Vermeer's eyes. We share his gaze. How crucial is editing to the sense of voyeurism you created in the film? Webber: 'Once I get the scissors out I can't seem to restrain myself' A very simple editing problem is when to cut from one face to another. We recut that scene again and again. How long do we stay on Scarlett? How long do we stay on Colin? You can't be on them at the same time unless you do some intrusive split-screen technique. Editing obsesses me. I was an editor for five years which probably accounts for the shape of this film, which is quite lean and spare. Once I get the scissors out I can't seem to restrain myself. I'm reading a book by Walter Murch called In the Blink of an Eye to find some answers myself. As film-makers, we can tell you exactly where to look, exactly what's important at that time. That's what editing is really. It's deciding where you want the audience to be looking at that particular point in time. In one scene, shot in a single take, Griet is setting the table. She is watched by Vermeer who is in turn watched by his wife, daughter and mother-in-law. The complex relationships and power struggles make gripping cinema. What was the most difficult aspect of achieving that scene? Shot-wise that was quite a simple scene. There were boring, technical and tricky continuity issues with her laying the table: she had to make sure she didn't make too much noise putting the plates down and so on. But in the end, there was a wide shot, two or three close-ups and that's it. What is complex are the emotions and undercurrents going on. People who love the film divine those undercurrents. No doubt there will be some people who won't engage with it who'll find it slow. But people who do find it quite thrilling. You can achieve complex things through simple means, like Vermeer. He pared things back so they're as simple as possible. That's what we tried to do in shooting and through the editing. Music adds a tremendous dramatic dimension to the story. Alexander [Desplat] has done a fantastic job. He's quite rightly been nominated for a Golden Globe. Music is a difficult trick to pull off, because the wrong score could have dragged this film down. Alexander did the opposite. As an English-language film set in 17th-century Holland, how did you decide to which accent to use in the film? You have to make a decision. That's all. I think the thing to avoid is American actors speaking in American accents, Australians speaking in Australian accents. When it's a mix-up like that, it confuses the audience. I chose the most neutral accent to my ear - a standard received pronunciation, but a bit less English. We could have done it all in Dutch accents but it would have been a bit ridiculous. In America I think it works because it sounds oldy-worldy. It probably irritated a few Dutch people but there we go. I'm sorry because we love the Dutch.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution. (Note: for EG, this is close to gushing) Girl With a Pearl Earring ELEANOR RINGEL GILLESPIE Grade: B- Verdict: Gorgeous to look at, but not much there dramatically. Watching "Girl With a Pearl Earring" is like watching paint dry. It's meant to be. Paint - and how it interacts with light - is the essence of this visually exquisite, emotionally stunted film. Director Peter Webber and his production team intend to put us inside a Vermeer painting. It's a striking experience of light, color and composition. But it's also somewhat stifling Like the Tracy Chevalier novel on which it's based, the movie imagines a back story for the famous "Girl With a Pearl Earring," painted by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer in 17th-century Delft. Griet (Scarlett Johansson) is a Dutch girl rented out as a servant to the Vermeer household after her working-class father is blinded in an accident. Chez Vermeer makes the Osbornes look like the Brady Bunch. The home is a discordant jumble of spoiled children; gossipy housemaids; a shrewd, flinty mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt); a jealous, high-strung, perpetually pregnant wife (Essie Davis); a lecherous patron (Tom Wilkinson), who always drops by to fondle the "talent;" and Vermeer himself (Colin Firth), who does his best to keep things at an artistic distance. But he takes an interest in Griet. Perhaps it's her inner stillness in the midst of so much mindless commotion. Perhaps it's the way she asks whether she should clean the studio windows (as ordered by others), noting that, in doing so, she'll change the quality of the light. Or perhaps it's because of her luminous skin and huge, watchful eyes. Because she's the only one granted access to Vermeer's inner sanctum - his studio - Griet is viewed by everyone else with suspicion and envy. For good reason, as her relationship with Vermeer subtly evolves from a servant with potential to a trusted apprentice to the model for one of the most haunting portraits ever painted. There's a hint of bashful Jane Eyre overpowering Mr. Rochester in their scenes together, which gives them a slight erotic tingle. But Webber wisely keeps the focus on the work and on the world that surrounds it. Inside Vermeer's cramped, candlelit studio, Griet is introduced to the mysteries of light, texture and shade, to the beauty of lapis lazul, to the secrets of the camera obscura. Outside, she's caught up in the tactile, crowded world of Delft, a bustling mercantile city with a teeming street life to rival Franco Zeffirelli's Verona in "Romeo and Juliet." Firth brings the requisite semi-banked fire to his role as the brooding artist whose ardor for his work is often heedless of the feelings of those around him. As always, the actor does the dashing thing flawlessly. Johansson's earlier work in "Lost in Translation" has already established her as one to watch. Her remarkable resemblance to Vermeer's anonymous model aside, she gives a superbly nuanced, nearly mute performance, mostly consisting of a deft gesture, a nuanced expression, a flared nostril or a subtly shaded glance. She could be acting in a silent movie � so much so, you half expect Charlie Chaplin to hand her a flower. Unfortunately, Webber lacks Chaplin's delicate way with a story. The transcendent richness of Eduardo Serra's cinematography and Ben van Os' production design only emphasizes the weakness of the script, which manages to be both slight and melodramatic. We're immersed in Vermeer's exquisite artistry, but we're kept distanced from the characters. At the very end, we're invited to gaze briefly at Vermeer's masterwork and, in that minute and a half, we connect more vitally with what's on screen than we have with anything in the preceding 97 and a half minutes. And perhaps that's the movie's point. Beauty can't be explained. It just is.

Really good one from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Local boy makes good.;-);-) Girl With a Pearl Earring BY CALVIN WILSON Post-Dispatch Griet (Scarlett Johansson) is a servant in the home of painter Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). She knows her place, which is to perform her duties, do as she's told and speak only when necessary. But behind her silence, Griet has ideas. It's just that in 17th-century Holland no one of importance is interested in hearing them. Except, perhaps, Vermeer. "Girl With a Pearl Earring," the feature debut of director Peter Webber, is based on a novel by Tracy Chevalier. Both the book and the film take their inspiration from a Vermeer painting of a young girl who wears a blue headband and a pearl earring. In its way, the image is as hypnotically enigmatic as the Mona Lisa. Who was the girl, and why, after hundreds of years, is her portrait still so beguiling? Not much is known about Vermeer's model, not even her name. But that's where the imagination comes in. Taking the Chevalier novel as their template, Webber and screenwriter Olivia Hetreed explore a story about art, its admirers and its mysteries. Vermeer becomes intrigued when Griet, against all propriety, takes an interest in his work. Before long, she's assisting him in his studio, although surreptitiously. Essential to their collaboration, which crosses lines of class and gender, is its secrecy. Outside the studio, they lead very different lives. Vermeer is obliged to appease not only wife Catharina (Essie Davis) and mother-in-law Maria (Judy Parfitt), but also his wealthy patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson). Griet has a suitor in Pieter (Cillian Murphy), a butcher's apprentice who might be good for her, as well as good to her. Problem is, having come to see the world with fresh eyes, she might never be happy as a butcher's wife. In a lesser film, Griet would become Vermeer's lover. But "Girl With a Pearl Earring" is better than that. It's a film of subtle beauty, devoid of melodrama and directed with painterly grace. Webber immerses the moviegoer in the world of the film with mesmerizing immediacy. It's as if we're looking over Griet's shoulder as she makes her way through the day, from her lowly chores to her higher calling. It's hard to imagine this film being as effective as it is without Johansson in the title role. Not only does she uncannily resemble the girl in the painting, but she also has a stillness about her that is as evocative of the film's setting as its cinematography or art direction. Balanced between the earthy and the ethereal, Johansson goes a long way toward suggesting Griet's contradictory nature before the character has spoken a word. Equally impressive is Firth, who brings a quiet dignity to Vermeer while also hinting at the unruly impulses that find expression in his art. His interpretation of the painter is all the more intriguing for its remoteness and restraint. Such an approach to the character only lends heightened poignancy to Vermeer's unspoken desire for Griet - who, we may reasonably assume, harbors similar feelings for the painter. Webber and Hetreed might have taken a safer road, paved with cheap sentiment. Instead, "Girl With a Pearl Earring" respects your intelligence while engaging your emotions. In the art world, there's a word for such a work: masterpiece. "Girl With a Pearl Earring" **** (out of four) Rating: PG-13 (for mild sexual content) Running time: 1:35

(The Guardian) ...erotic obsession sublimated into artistic rapture ...always *my* preferred way of explaining the CF obsession. ...decadent aesthetic cupidity I'll give Brit reviewers one thing....the vocabulary seems generally to reach to a higher assumed "age" than in the US. These look pretty good so far. I can hardly wait to see this movie.

(mari) *respects your intelligence while engaging your emotions. In the art world, there's a word for such a work: masterpiece. GWAPE hasn't opened in my neck of the woods yet, however, I know I'll find it engaging (as I did the book ). Thanks for this one in particular, Mari.

Thanks, Mari for the Telegraph Q&A article with Peter Webber. Some very interesting insights. ;-) Love reviews that help expand my vocabulary. God love the UK reviewers for that much anyway. ;-)

From the Independent, good old Charlotte O'Sullivan (2/5 stars) In Godard's 1963 film Le M�pris, a naked Brigitte Bardot lolls on a double bed and itemises her cinema-friendly assets. "Do you like my breasts?" she wonders, "My ankles? My knees? My thighs?" One can imagine the 21st-century's latest muse, Scarlett Johansson, compiling a similar list. The young actress has two films out in as many weeks, both hungrily obsessed with her objects of desire. Lost in Translation, tellingly, begins with a close-up of her peachy bottom, gently encased by see-through silk knickers. Girl With A Pearl Earring, meanwhile, feeds on Johansson's eyes and mouth - features so ripe they look ready to secrete juice. You don't have to be a Scarlettophile, however, to appreciate this handsome period outing. Producer Andy Paterson and his script-writer wife Olivia Hetreed fell in love with Tracy Chevalier's "re-imaginging" of the relationship between a painter (Johannes Vermeer) and his servant-girl model, even before the novel became a best-seller. And the many fans of that zippy Jane Eyre meets Brief Encounter meets Spare Rib romance will be pleased to hear that, as adaptations go, this one stays pretty true. Griet (Johansson) is an illiterate but instinctively artistic Protestant girl in 17th-century Delft, thrown into the chaotic Catholic household of her semi-famous employer Vermeer (Colin Firth). She captures his heart and mind; alienates his wife, Catharina (Essie Davis); earns the grudging respect of his mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt) and fends off the venal but discriminating art dealer Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson). When not rubbing her arms raw in the laundry room, our reserved heroine also finds time to sit for the titular portrait that Van Ruijven mischievously commissions - resplendent in a blue and yellow scarf, a pearl dangling wetly from her ear. Visually, the film makes a good fist of aping Vermeer's famously natural aesthetic - you can almost believe he helped to dab at the screen. Still, the film is built around Johansson's performance. One should be pleased. Cast in secondary roles, till now, the 19-year-old is one of those exceptional actresses who can "pass" as strange or normal. The secret weapon in Ghost World and The Man Who Wasn't There, her subtleness has been a joy to behold. The irony is that in Girl With A Pearl - in terms of her craft - she's never looked so bog-standard. Me, I blame first-time feature director Peter Webber. He seems unable to trust that audiences will warm to a character as phlegmatic as Griet. His solution? To clue us in on her inner turmoil by having Johansson sport a permanent frown. Griet almost touches Vermeer's hand; she sees him sensually stroking his wife; she gets picked on by his daughter; she's accosted by Van Ruijven. On each occasion, you can all but hear Webber cry: "Scarlett! You're an imperilled ingenue! Work that forehead!" Still more annoying is a soundtrack that amplifies her every breath. When Griet's upset or excited, she inhales more quickly. Close your eyes and you could be listening to a porn film. The heavy breathing reaches its climax at the point when Vermeer penetrates Griet's virgin lobe with the earring. Even if panting's your thing, though, it's unlikely you'll be convinced by the body heat on display. You believe that this servant finds her master's work fascinating, not that she's aroused by him. Every now and again, Firth manages to convey Vermeer's longing for her, but even then, things go awry. In a crucial scene, modest Griet agrees to swap her beloved headscarf for the yellow and blue turban, and the artist gets a fleeting glimpse of her chestnut hair. He looks on with frantic desire, but from where we're standing, said tresses resemble comedy dog-turds. Thank God for the turban. Girl With A Pearl Earring is more effective when it concentrates on the minor characters, in particular, Vermeer's permanently pregnant wife. One of Webber's best moves is first to show Catharina ensconced in her domestic sphere, and then swing the camera round to reveal the dishevelled painter sitting there as well, at once incongruous and strangely content. It's clear that this pair exist in different worlds. Yet, while he's able to play a part in hers, she's not welcome in his. We discover that Vermeer often painted servant girls, not only as they were, but dressed up as "ladies". Something about his mate, though, repels his imagination. It's hard not to be moved by Catharina's stretched-cat face as she screams: "Why don't you paint me?" In the middle of all this make-believe, she's saddled with that most horrible and fixed of roles: the desired but unloved wife. In this respect, Girl With A Pearl is streets ahead of Lost in Translation. Webber's film also has a more egalitarian approach to notions of culture. Griet's noble desire to hide her hair makes you think of the current debate about what Muslim girls can and cannot wear at school in France. As you watch the Catholic families walking through Delft, meanwhile, it strikes you that their stiff, jet-black outfits look as "foreign" as round-brimmed Hasidic hats. Without labouring the point, the film-makers constantly underline the impossibility of identifying who or what is the norm. If only the film's foreground were as absorbing. Johansson looks good enough to eat, but she and Firth's simmering shenanigans make little impression. Vermeer's great gift as an artist was to imbue ordinary life with a sense of mystery. Alas poor Webber. The immaculate consummation witnessed here idles in a middlebrow limbo, neither earthy nor divine. http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/film/reviews/story.jsp?story=481549

Full review Girl with a Pearl Earring (12A) by WILL SELF, Evening Standard Peter Webber's debut feature is a languid affair, as studiedly brown as the Vermeer paintings that it builds on for its painstakingly detailed portrait of life in 17th century Delft. The action - such as it is - concerns the entry into the Dutch master's family of Griet (played by Scarlett Johansson), the young daughter of a humble tile painter, whom circumstance forces to become a maid. The household is dominated by Vermeer's mother-in-law, Maria Thins (Judy Parfitt, making a spirited bid for cinematic Pipesmoker of the Year), but the reality of Griet's subjugation is voiced by the painter's wife, Catharina (Essie Davis), who snaps, "Don't speak unless you're spoken to!" as Griet voices an innocent enquiry. Beautiful, vain, and subject to continual pregnancies the way the sea is beset by tides, Catharina may have her man sexually and domestically, but she longs to possess him artistically as well. However, we soon learn that there is no meeting of eyes between them: Vermeer's vision is his own, no matter how dependent he is on his womenfolk, or his patron, the sinisterly earthy Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), a man driven, like all artistic patrons, to experience the power of creativity with grotesque vicariousness. Sent to clean his studio, Griet soon comes to captivate Vermeer, both as muse and helpmeet, as she mixes his paints from malachite and shellac, and learns, too, the fine detail of his compositional technique. But Vermeer is not Griet's only admirer. Van Ruijven has a taste for such virginal treats as well, and in a peculiar deal made to ensure that the painter's family doesn't suffer the ignominious bankruptcy of their neighbours, he secures Griet's presence forever. Vermeer - as depicted by Colin Firth - is no turbulent Impressionist, or polymorphously perverse Renaissance genius, but a rather weak, tongue-tied man, whose intense devotion to his work masks a failure to engage with his life. In the rolling sensuality of a world in which masters and servants sleep cheek-by-jowl, and the wet nurse is a human equivalent of a Milton steriliser full of babies' bottles, Vermeer is a man who manages to be conspicuously absent even when he is present. As I say, if it's a strong narrative you're after, then this isn't the film for you. Indeed, it's difficult to see how Webber could have extracted much in the way of motion and vigour from a painter whose works epitomise the stillest of lives, and the most placid of portraiture. In The Draughtsman's Contract, the sexual turmoil of rakish English Restoration dandies was captured from a variety of surprising perspectives, and this film leans heavily on Peter Greenaway's legacy, by painting a portrait of a period's social mores from a palette of received imagery. I don't suppose too many people will be sitting in the stalls oohing and aahing when they spot this or that detail of their favourite Flemish daub, yet the pervasive sense of inhabiting a world one has only previously seen framed is uncanny. If all of the above makes Girl with a Pearl Earring sound unappealing, then it shouldn't. Like Lost in Translation, the other film currently featuring the prodigious Scarlett Johansson, it is a mood piece; and I suspect that whether you find it to be more or less than the sum of its parts will depend on how you are feeling when the lights go down, rather than up. Personally, I revelled in the exactitude of the period detail, from bloody pigs' heads in the meat market, to the mechanics of pre-industrial domestic laundering. It is good to see the full resources of contemporary film-making harnessed in the surface of historical verisimilitude on this small scale, instead of their usual epic expenditure. Of course, it is a tad ironic to hail as cinematic art a production in which the plot resolution is a single still image, but it isn't one that it's necessary to dwell on. Scarlett Johansson may have a pout that speaks of congenital collagen, and certainly she brings a sly fortitude to her role; but in a film which features such powerful supporting players as Wilkinson, Davis and Parfitt, I couldn't say that she stood out any more that Firth. Still, perhaps this very febrile quality to their interaction was also one of the film's strengths. In the most heightened scene, Griet tears herself way from a particularly intimate moment of depiction at the hands of Vermeer, to throw herself into the arms of Pieter (Cillian Murphy), the butcher's boy who is wooing her. The implication that being beautifully portrayed is as acutely sensual as being made love to is what ties the whole conceit together most prettily.

For those who don't read O&E, where all the awards/noms get listed, GWAPE's Ben Van Os got a nomination for his art direction in the category of period/fantasy film. I'll post the whole thing on O&E

Thank you everyone for the GWAPE reviews. I am not sure of a release date yet in South Africa :-( so I enjoy what others have to say.

Making a virtue out of a necessity, ( I needed change for parking) I bought the Daily Mail. Wish I hadn't :-( Our friend Mr tookey says: BEAUTIFUL BUT ITS ONLY SKIN DEEP 2 out of 5 stars This film which tells TC's invented story of events in the 1660's that led to the creation of one of Vermeer's nst famous paintings, can be recommended with confidence to anyone who only goes to the cinema purely to see pretty pictures. First time director PW and his experienced cinematographer, ES, make every frame look like an Old Master. The sense of colour and texture is marvellous, so full marks to production designer Ben van Os and hair and make up designer Jenny Shircore. Missing however, are an involving stroyline and characters we might find intriguing or with whom we might wish to spend time. The love story between the artist's maid and model (SJ) and a butcher's boy (CM) is perfunctroy and underwritten. Almost as poorly developed is the potentially more interesting and cerebral one between the anxious tongue-tied servant and her employer, Vermeer,(CF) who seems to confuse agonised genius with severe constipation. It's hard to know why Vermeer's unappealing wife (ED) becomes quite so hysterical when the maid poses for an extremely modest pertrait that might help them survive financially. TW, cast as Vermeer's melodramatically villanous patron does everything except twirl his mustochios but forgets to do anything that is particularly dastadly beyong groping the maid, which diminishes the drama more than somewhat. The whole production is assembled with extraordinary care but fails to convey anything mch beyond tedium. This film certainly looks like high art, but that is not the same as being it.

A near-perfect Pearl By LIZ BRAUN, TORONTO SUN Someone less enamoured of Girl With A Pearl Earring than we has commented that the film is so slow it's sort of like watching paint dry. Actually, it's exactly like watching paint dry. That would be the point. Girl With A Pearl Earring concerns the painter Vermeer and his complicated relationship with a young maid in his household. The year is 1665, the setting is the Dutch city of Delft and the goings-on are as 1665-ish as you can imagine -- slow, detailed, labour-intensive, no-mod-cons. The stillness of the film (not the oxymoron it seems) is one of its many marvels. As befits the subject matter, the film is visually magnificent, all light play and painterly. Girl With A Pearl Earring is truly fabulous to look at. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra has created magic here. Based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier, Girl With A Pearl Earring stars Colin Firth as Vermeer and Scarlett Johansson as Griet, the maid in Vermeer's household. When Griet's father is hurt in an accident, she must find work to support her family. In the household of Johannes Vermeer, the painter's mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt, who is remarkable in this role) runs the show. Vermeer himself is depicted as a reclusive perfectionist. He seems to hide out from his wife and children, and small wonder. Many demands are made on him to paint more and earn more. What quickly differentiates Griet from everyone else in the house is her actual interest in what Vermeer does. Slowly, they develop a relationship. He teaches her how to look at colour and how to mix colours on his behalf. How Vermeer comes to paint a portrait of Griet involves some of the sexiest non-sexual scenes extant -- Vermeer catching a glimpse of Griet's hair when she removes her cap, for example. Much of the smouldering activity is conveyed via extreme close-up of Johansson, who could ignite celluloid in a jiffy with that face. Girl With A Pearl Earring is heavy with desire, despite the social, religious, economic and status barriers that separate the two main characters. Those social, religious, economic and status barriers are examined in great detail, too, another huge attraction of the film. Girl With A Pearl Earring pays meticulous attention to all the dress, domestic arrangements and social machinations of the time. This is very rich fare. GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes Rated: PG Director: Peter Webber Stars: Colin Firth Scarlett Johansson 'SMOULDERING PLENTY' -- LIZ BRAUN, SUN Sun Rating: 4 out of 5

From Mari's posting: In one scene, shot in a single take, Griet is setting the table. She is watched by Vermeer who is in turn watched by his wife, daughter and mother-in-law. The complex relationships and power struggles make gripping cinema I thought this scene was incredible. It combined all the best of everything cinema has to offer; acting, editing, lighting, cinematography, direction... It just all came together at that point for me. (Shoshana) ...the actor does the dashing thing flawlessly ...couldn't agree more (Karen) From Charlotte O'Sullivan and the Independant ...I would venture to guess that this woman's daily breakfast consists of rusty nails washed down by battery acid. (Mari) His interpretation.... is all the more intriguing for its remoteness and restraint. I'm hard pressed to think of someone who does this better than ODB. (Karen) From Will Self of the Evening Standard... IMHO, the classic case of a frustrated critic thinking far too much of himself...masking his underlying feelings of inadequacy by trying to dazzle us with linguistic contortions...so did he like it or not??? (Allison) From Mr. Tookey at the Daily Mail... Sorry to see such a bad review, but it really was LOL. Thanks to all for the numerous reviews this morning. A great way to start the day.

(Dorine) Love reviews that help expand my vocabulary. God love the UK reviewers for that much anyway. ;-) Me too!I keep my dictionary by my computer and have a lengthy list. I have to write out the definition for it to stick in my head!!!

good old Charlotte O'Sullivan: He looks on with frantic desire, but from where we're standing, said tresses resemble comedy dog-turds. Thank God for the turban. Well DD's who have seen this film.... How come I haven't read about this in your reports at *Spoilers*? Holding out on us?;-)

Beedde, I assure you that her wig does not resemble dog turds.;-) A balancing act gracefully done Much to contemplate in 'Earring' By Lisa Kennedy Denver Post Movie Critic The young woman in the painting "Girl With a Pearl Earring" glances over her shoulder, making the sort of eye contact with artist Johannes Vermeer - and us - that is now the stuff of magazine covers. But the power of that portrait, believed to have been painted in 1665, is hardly throwaway. Art invites response, even four centuries later. A portrait can make us crave more - more back story, more history. The museum poster that author Tracy Chevalier had hanging in her bedroom inspired her to write a novel about that unknown model's life. And the manuscript for that best seller (it has sold more than 2 million copies) captured the imaginations of the producers of this elegant and graceful movie. When film takes on painting, it's often with a heady mix of the competitive and the celebratory. Director Peter Webber's first theatrical feature gets the balance just right. While Chevalier's book was told from the point of view of the young Dutch house servant Griet, screenwriter Olivia Hetreed avoids what in film too often amounts to a cheat - the voice-over. Instead, this tale of a young woman who leaves her parents' Protestant home and disrupts the Catholic house of the painter and his family hews closely to Griet's emotions while giving us glimpses of life in 17th-century Delft. In Vermeer's household, the glum painter (played by Colin Firth) retreats to his studio, which offers respite from the minor chaos of the houseful of women. He is surrounded by his wife, his daughters, his mother-in-law, and a flock of gossiping servants. Newcomer Griet (Scarlett Johansson) displays a curiosity that stirs Firth's Vermeer. While it would be tempting to wish for romance between the two, the movie has grander ambitions. And Cillian Murphy does a nice job as Griet's class-appropriate suitor, Pieter. There's a grit to Griet's life. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra's work is full of shadow and light and the milky blues, bleached whites and micturated yellows of candlelight that constitute so much Vermeer's palette. (For another example of Serra's gift, see "The Flower of Evil.") But "Girl With a Pearl Earring" mounts a serious exploration of tensions beyond the aesthetic: the frustrated minuet between duty and desire, the hardness of domestic work and the precarious fortunes of the bourgeoisie, the vulnerability of the artist to his patron. It is no surprise that Webber made documentaries. He pays heed to the details of life in Delft. The head maid's gruff directions to Griet about canal water underscore the domestic pecking order but also remind us that cleaner water came with a better address. In "Lost in Translation," Johannson plays the younger woman to Bill Murray's aging actor. A similar intimacy exists between Griet and Vermeer, wavering between a friendship and something more. "You looked inside me," says Griet upon seeing the completed painting. This isn't as revealing as it sounds. Johannson grasps just what a peculiar thing Griet's gaze is. It isn't defiant. It isn't inscrutable like Mona Lisa's smile. It isn't beckoning, exactly. Of course, there is a little Rorschach test embedded in the best portraits. Casting Johannson, who physically conjures the anonymous woman in the portrait, could have been a clever stunt. But the actress pulls off gestures and expressions that could be the foundation for a new brand of silent-film acting. They're not grand, just telling. There may be one too many shots of open-mouthed wonder, but Johansson remains the thinking, feeling core of the movie. Even though Essie Davis does a deft job of making Johannes' wife, Catharina, impossible, it would be overly simple to cheer on Griet at the expense of the Vermeer women. Vermeer shares his vision only with this outsider. Everyone else, with the exception of his mother-in-law, is judged incapable of understanding the painter's calling. Firth makes a dour Vermeer. By today's standards, he would be judged passive-aggressive. He's good at setting the household against itself. He yells at his child for quiet but encourages Griet's enthusiasms. And you'd have to be a blinkered romantic to not recognize the nasty selfishness in the moment when Vermeer asks Griet a question about light and his wife's earring in front of Catharina. Tom Wilkinson's Van Ruijven is the moneybags underwriting Vermeer's precarious career, but he comes across as base, a necessary evil. Vermeer's mother-in-law, Maria Thins (Judy Parfitt) is the artist's true patron. She maintains his working conditions, not just because it fuels the household economy but because she recognizes what must happen to keep the painstaking talent working. To earn its props, a period film must resonate in our time. A movie about art doubles that demand. Webber has delivered the goods and then some. "Girl With a Pearl Earring" - like the portrait that reappears as the movie's final grace note - invites contemplation. On beauty and the relationship of artist to model, to be certain. But thanks to Webber's will to deliver glimpses of life beyond the Vermeer household, the film reminds us that art and commerce have been going steady unsteadily for centuries. Girl With a Pearl Earring ***(out of 4 stars)

From Kevin O'Sullivan of the Mirror: GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING 19:00, Jan 15 2004 * * * * One of the great 17th-century Dutch painters, Johannes Vermeer served up an artistic mystery to match the enduring guessing game surrounding the true identity of da Vinci's enigmatic Mona Lisa. Vermeer's most famous work is his portrait of a hauntingly beautiful young woman wearing a simple blue headband, a modest smock and a single pearl earring. But who was she? Here, director Peter Webber offers an intriguing theory. In a meticulous reconstruction of an age when people lived in a venal world full of rotting meat and mud, Webber transports us back to 1665 and the Venice-like city of Delft. There we find Vermeer (Colin Firth), a tormented man in a house full of hectoring women torn between the financial realities of providing for his family and the art which he hates to compromise. Into his home comes a maid, Griet, forced below stairs when her father is blinded in a kiln accident. Uneducated, Griet is nevertheless intelligent and impresses her master with her understanding of his work. Played by future superstar Scarlett Johansson, Griet resists the attentions of Vermeer's oafish patron Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson). But, desperate for Van Ruijven's cash, Vermeer secretly agrees to paint his stunning maid. The closest Vermeer and Griet get to consummation is in the scenes where they quietly mix the richly coloured paints in his studio. As with all good works of art, nothing is overstated in a lovely film that paints its own impressive picture. http://www.mirror.co.uk/atthemovies/atthemovies/content_objectid=13821700_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-GIRL%2DWITH%2DA%2DPEARL%2DEARRING-name_page.html

(Guardian)So there is a real whiff of sulphur about the commission, in which the financially straitened Vermeer is ambiguously complicit: he is preparing to sell Griet body and soul, and the painting becomes an occult object of betrayal. Excellent way to put it. Thanks Karen, Mari, and Bethan. Decent reviews from the UK! I'm still shell shocked from the last round. Mr. Kookey: Actually, his comment is, again, very personal and humiliating. I guess that's just his style. His opinion, of course, and he's entitled to it, but again over the top and a bit unnecessary, IMO. He makes a few valid points, but I find him distasteful. (CO'S)but from where we're standing, said tresses resemble comedy dog-turds. Thank God for the turban. How odd. (Mari)(Local boy makes good.;-);-) LOL, I can hear the St.Louis crowd cheering from here.

Also from today's Mirror: When we meet... I suspect it was in a hallway or street. ;-) COLIN FIRTH - MASTER CLASS Jan 16 2004 COLIN FIRTH TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW ROLE AS VERMEER AND LIFE AFTER MR DARCY. By John Hiscock He became a romantic national hero with his portrayal of the brooding and captivating Mr Darcy in Pride And Prejudice. Women still go weak at the knees when they recall his smouldering performance in the 1995 television mini-series which catapulted Colin Firth from a solid, middle-aged actor into an international sex symbol. And no one was more surprised than Firth himself. "I was 35 when I did Pride And Prejudice and I thought romantic, leading man parts were passing out of my scope," recalls the Hampshire-born actor, now 43, with a laugh. "It was time for me to do character roles and joyfully get fat, so the reaction to Mr Darcy took me very much by surprise. "It has put the romantic, leading man back on the agenda in terms of the sort of work that is coming my way. I would never have expected it. In fact, I don't know what would have happened without Mr Darcy." When we meet, Colin - whose new film Girl With A Pearl Earring has just been released - is casually dressed in trainers, jeans and a dark crew-neck sweater. It's a far cry from his dashing Darcy look, but he admits that his experience playing his most famous role helped when he was courting his wife Livia. An Italian film maker, they met in 1996 while they were both working on the movie Nostromo. They were married in June 1997 and have two sons, Luca, who is three in March, and five-month-old Mateo. "Because of the conventions of her family, being Italian, my courtship with my wife was quite formal and very old-fashioned," Colin explains. "And I think our relationship benefited from that." Firth's most serious romantic involvements - of which he insists there have been very few - were all with his leading ladies. He has a 13-year-old son William from a five-year relationship with actress Meg Tilly after they met on the set of the 1989 film Valmont. He also had a brief relationship with the British actress Jennifer Ehle while they were filming Pride And Prejudice. "Until I met my present wife, at the age of 35, you could name two girlfriends of mine," Colin says. "Yet there is this extraordinary image of me as a man who goes off with his leading lady all the time. In reality, any 35-year-old man who can claim to have had two past lovers is hardly a philanderer." He is, he believes, a better father now than when his first child was born. "I was 30 and I still felt far too young for anything like that," admits Colin. "I hadn't quite got over not being 18 anymore and having a child changed my life dramatically. This time, I finally feel old enough and a little more equipped for it, but in some ways it's almost an identical experience because the joy is there both times." Since his career took off with Prejudice, Colin has had high-profile roles in The English Patient (1996), Fever Pitch (1997), Shakespeare In Love (1998) and Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) - in which he also played a Mr Darcy - among others. In Girl With A Pearl Earring, he plays the 17th century painter Johannes Vermeer who falls for a beautiful peasant girl, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson. It has been seen as his best film in years and rumours of an Oscar nomination are in the air. "I do like to mix and match," says Firth, when asked about taking on the role of the Dutch master. "I was just really ready to do a bit of drama, since there had been quite a string of romantic comedies and light stuff." Although he considers London to be his home, Colin is a much-travelled actor who has lived, at various times, in Nigeria, America and Canada, as well as Winchester, where his father was a history lecturer at King Alfred's College. "The business of moving about has been in my family for generations," he explains. "My parents were born in India, my sister was born in Nigeria and my mother did a lot of her growing up in America." After returning to Britain in his early teens from St Louis, Missouri, where the family briefly lived, he joined the National Theatre. He made his professional London stage debut, replacing Rupert Everett as the spy Guy Bennett in Another Country, and in 1984 appeared in the film of the play, also with Everett. The pair of them also ended up together in the 2002 movie of Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest. "Yes, Rupert and I go back a long way," Colin admits. "We were bantering on the set all the time like naughty schoolboys. Someone referred to us as being like an old married couple." Then, with a smile and a courteous farewell, he strolls off down the hotel corridor, seemingly oblivious to the stares of recognition and the inevitable whispers of "That's Mr Darcy!". - Girl With A Pearl Earring is on general release.

'Girl' a lifelike portrait of a century Though a bit dry, story of Vermeer, model, a brilliant likeness of 1600s daily life By Robert Denerstein, Rocky Mountain News January 16, 2004 Girl With a Pearl Earring, the big-screen adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's much-admired novel, provides a crash course in 17th century living. Director Peter Webber presents a complete and fascinating portrait of life in 17th century Delft, Holland, so much so that students of the period may want to own the DVD. If you've ever had a burning desire to know how laundry was done in the 1600s, this movie provides an answer. And, no, I'm not being glib or sarcastic. Girl With a Pearl Earring brilliantly captures the texture of ordinary life. The movie is about the relationship between Johannes Vermeer and the servant girl who became the subject of one of his most revered paintings, a story that provides Webber with an opportunity to focus on everything from the way Vermeer mixed paints to the form of patronage that enabled him to make a comfortable living. The movie is textured in much the same way as a Vermeer painting, but like the novel on which it's based, it's a somewhat dry speculation about the origins of a single painting. The story, which at times flirts with inertia, revolves around Griet (Scarlett Johansson from Lost in Translation). Early on, Griet, raised in a Protestant family, is sent to work in the Vermeer home as a maid. The Vermeers are Catholics. Eventually, it becomes clear to Vermeer (Colin Firth) that the girl's penetrating gaze reflects a special kind of vision. Maid and artist may be kindred spirits. Vermeer is portrayed as aloof, a man who's mostly ineffectual when away from his easel. He understands Griet's potential, but he's also under the sway of his crude patron (Thom Wilkinson), a mother-in-law who constantly frets over money (Judy Parfitt) and a needy wife (Essie Davis) who's shut out of his creative life. Johansson, who perhaps carries Griet's wide-eyed pose too far, might have done well to close her mouth once in a while. Yet, there's something provocative in her gaze, an inchoate longing that probably will never be satisfied. Those familiar with the novel should agree that Webber, working from a script by Olivia Hetreed, has done justice to Chevalier's low-key mixture of art and domestic intrigue. Firth does his best with a role of a man who can never be fully free, and the supporting cast, particularly Wilkinson and Parfitt, acquit themselves well. A subplot connects Griet with the son of a local butcher (Cillian Murphy). Girl With a Pearl Earring has the look of a Vermeer painting, a sense of preternatural calm over ripples of disquiet. And we do have the same rewards of perspective that the novel offered, the world seen as much from the subject's point of view as from the artist's. All things considered, that's a worthy - if not always riveting - accomplishment.

Speaking of the Rocky Mountains, do we have any Sundancers here? Anyone ready to leave the tundra that is the East Coast for the relative warmth of Utah?;-)

(Webber), I think Colin offered Scarlett a few tips but if anything it was the other way round. She's been doing this probably as long as Colin. Aha! Now we know why Colin thinks Scarlett will be a director. I wonder how many things she suggested to him? ;-) Thank you ladies for the reviews! (Dorine) Love reviews that help expand my vocabulary. God love the UK reviewers for that much anyway. ;-) LOL! So that's what they're good for? ;-)

The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040116/MOVIE16/TPEntertainment/Film Are you ready for your close-up? By JOHANNA SCHNELLER What's in a face? Studies show that even babies prefer large, symmetrical features. Movies specialize in blowing them up two storeys tall, inviting leisurely, detailed scrutiny of a matinee idol's mouth or cheekbones or chin. You could ponder for years which centimetre makes Jeff Bridges's face so much more classically handsome than his brother Beau. And then, when you find a face that is beautiful to you -- Marlene Dietrich's, or Faye Dunaway's, or Diane Lane's -- you could spend your life lost in it, reading in it every kind of promise or mystery, goodness or cruelty. A beautiful face can give you hope that humans can attain some kind of, if not perfection, at least radical improvement. A surgically constructed face could never be as nuanced as a god-given one. Two films opening today are constructed almost entirely around gazing into the faces of their leading ladies, Scarlett Johansson in Girl with a Pearl Earring, and Charlize Theron in Monster. In both of their two-hour running times, the camera rarely strays from the infinite space between hairline and collarbone. In the former, it finds a heaven there; in the latter, a hell. This is a departure from big Hollywood films which, these days, are all about the wide shot. Computer-generated imagery has given directors, limitless possibilities for crowd and battle scenes. So movies now are excuses to use that technology; stories are created to accommodate crowd scenes. Think of the thousands of orcs pouring across the fields in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, or the hundreds of ships spanning the sea in the current trailer for Troy. Monster and Girl with a Pearl Earring, however, focus instead on the opposite staple of filmmaking, the close-up. The close-up is the most intimate of shots; it is filmmaking's gift to emotional transparency. In the hands of the right actor, director and story, a close-up can make a thought or feeling physically visible. Interestingly, both of these films were made outside the studio system, and both were created by women -- Patty Jenkins wrote and directed Monster, and Olivia Hetreed wrote Pearl Earring from the novel by Tracy Chevalier -- who, traditionally, care more for nuance and less for spectacle than men. These films create whole worlds, too. But they do it in the smallest space imaginable, in the curve of an eyebrow or the curl of a lip. Watching them is akin to staring into a lover's eyes in the early, heady stages of an affair, when every flicker is endlessly fascinating. Girl with a Pearl Earring is an art-mystery romance about Jan Vermeer's masterpiece of the same name. It posits that the girl in the painting -- who gazes over her shoulder so steadily, and whose downy cheek reflects the pearl's light so sublimely -- was a servant, here called Griet, with whom Vermeer (Colin Firth) fell madly, if chastely, in love, consummating their relationship only on canvas. The film is lit and shot like a series of paintings and, like a painting, its emotional impact comes from images, not words. Vermeer and Griet's affair is nearly silent; they communicate with their eyes. They have to. As a proper servant, Griet is covered from neck to ankle in layers of muslin, and her hair is wrapped in a scarf and hidden under a cap. So literally, all you can see is her face. With Johansson, that is enough. Her face is not classically beautiful, it's a bit puffy and pouty. But it is an ideal face for a 20-year-old, innocent and wise, intelligent and curious, wary and hopeful, obedient and defiant. You have no trouble believing that men would burn with desire for Griet night after night; you look and look and look at her face, and never tire of it. In fact, the movie ends with a two-minute shot of the painting itself -- it starts on the earring, then pulls back until the art fills the screen, and the camera simply stays on it, unblinking. And though it's a ravishing way to end the tale, and satisfies the real relationship you have developed with the painting, and you feel so grateful to be given permission to gaze for such a long (on film) time on something so beautiful, you find yourself wishing it was Johansson that Vermeer painted. You miss her face. Monster is the opposite in many ways. It's based on the true story of America's so-called only female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute and abuse victim who shot six men and was executed last year, and it's a meditation on not beauty or goodness but evil. You restlessly search Theron's face for answers as to how that behaviour is possible. Well, for the first few minutes, you search for signs of Theron's real face: Her stunning mein is obscured by prosthetics around her mouth, brown contacts and makeup that mottles her silky skin. You glimpse flashes of Theron under the beastliness when she smiles broadly, which is rare. But gradually you sink into Wuornos's face, and eventually its expressions -- wounded, scared, scarred, defiant and hideously vulnerable -- become her story. Theron's performance is staggeringly good, because she's as committed emotionally to Wuornos as she is physically. With it, she joins the ranks of actresses who have uglied down to move up: Sally Field, who traded in her Flying Nun habit to play a schizophrenic in Sybil, the TV movie that started her on the road to being taken seriously and winning two Oscars; Demi Moore and Sigourney Weaver, who shaved their heads for G.I. Jane and Alien 3, respectively; Salma Hayek, who sported a mustache and monobrow for Frida. Indeed, several of Oscar's best actresses won their trophies for fighting their looks: Nicole Kidman with her prosthetic nose in The Hours; Halle Berry sporting tattoos and waitress uniforms in Monster's Ball; Gwyneth Paltrow and Hilary Swank for cross-dressing in Shakespeare in Love and Boys Don't Cry. (Gorgeous male actors aren't immune, either: To avoid being typecast as pretty boys, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Jude Law routinely disguise their beauty behind bad teeth and demented hair; Orlando Bloom will soon, I'll wager.) Beauty can make you swoon, but it seems you need a little ugliness to teach you about real life. "I was getting stuck," Theron has said. "I'd go through five meetings to get a part and still hear, 'She's too pretty.' I'd grown used to that." That would be a problem most of us would welcome. But because beauty is so fragile, so elusive, such a matter of minute degree, it's an easy one to fix. � 2003 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Thanks to Mary, there's a new gallery of additional images from the W photoshoot, taken at Chiswick House: http://www.firth.com/gal/gal_03jw.html

From the Tribute.ca newsletter: B.L. This film is about the painter Vermier, whom you play. Were you a fan of his work or did you know anything about him before taking on the role? C.F. I am and I was, yeah. I knew more about Vermier than I knew about the book actually. I had not read the book when I got the script and it did seem somewhat consistent how I felt about him when I saw my first Vermier. I�m not a person who has a particularly sophisticated reaction to paintings and fine art. It must have been about five or six years ago, when I was on a promotion for Shakespeare in Love, and I was in the Met in New York and I saw the painting "Woman with a Water Jug" in the window and that was the one that did for me. It was a very small painting in quite a small room full of other Dutch and Flemish art, and it just blew me away. B.L. Was playing him a bit of a challenge for you, because here is a guy that really existed, but we really don�t know a lot about him. There isn�t a lot of information on his background. You were pretty well working with a blank canvas so to speak. C.F. It was easy in some ways and difficult in others when the character is an enigma like that, because it�s not like playing somebody totally familiar. If I were playing the British Prime Minister it would be an exercise in imitation as much as anything else and I�d have to work very hard to a specific model. With this, we had carte blanche. There is no portrait or physical description of him. But in another sense though, it was specific because that enigma didn�t just give me carte blanche to develop the character in any way I wanted to. The enigma was essential to the story so it was to some extent an exercise in preserving that. B.L. You get to work very closely with Scarlett Johansson who is one of the brightest young up-and-coming stars to come around in a long time. What impressed you about her and how did you enjoy working with her? C.F. Just about everything really, I think she�s extraordinary. She was 17 years old when she started this job and she is one of my favorite actors that I have ever worked with. One of the things that throw you slightly when you are in your early forties is to work with someone who is that young and actually probably, as experienced as you are because she�s been doing it that long. So there was a lot of the �old soul� in her and she offered unbelievable energy. She was able to keep up with the workload and she had just come off a really difficult schedule and came right into this. I think I�d realized with middle age coming on, my exhaustion threshold was much lower than hers. B.L. She was absolutely mesmerizing in this role I thought. C.F. She was utterly committed to the project and utterly enamored with it all, and when you�ve got something like this it tends to weave a spell on all of us and puts us all on the same page. B.L. You have worked with a lot of young actresses in the last few years. Amanda Bynes, Mena Suvari, Scarlett Johansson� C.F. It�s been a long time since I have done a film without an American actress interestingly enough. It�s very often that American actresses come to England to work and I tend to be there when they do. B.L. It�s interesting. How have you enjoyed working with these up-and-coming young women? Are they good sparring partners for you? C.F. Amazing. Oh yeah, absolutely. When someone is young and brilliant it does throw down the gauntlet. It stops you from becoming stagnant and complacent and jaded. It keeps you fresh to work with brilliant young people, definitely. B.L. You also just released Love Actually, which I have to say I truly loved your storyline. How much fun did you have working on that? C.F. That was a walk in the park and yes, it was a very different piece for me. Girl with a Pearl Earring was not a walk in the park; I felt it was treading a very narrow line of getting it right. With Love Actually I was very fortunate where we had the beautiful location. I was the only one who got to go to the south of France and my story is set apart so it was like a mini movie and I wasn�t sprinkled around the rest of the shoot like the other actors were. So it was mine and my part of the story kicked the film off, so we started with that and it was only three weeks. I wasn�t carrying the film and it was incredibly enjoyable and I was in very good hands with Richard Curtis the director and there was nothing to it. It was just fun really and when you�ve only got three weeks to do something, you might as well have fun. B.L. It�s funny, I have to admit that every time I told people that I would be interviewing you, every single person was just aflutter. I know that you have been dubbed the British sex symbol, how does that sit with you? I have to tell you, there isn�t a person in this world that wouldn�t want to meet you and be in my place right now. C.F. Oh, there�re some people in the world � B.L. Very few! C.F. There are probably quite a few people who do know me that probably wish they didn�t. I don�t know, I have no intelligent answer to that question, really. B.L. Fair enough! OK... Everyone wants to know what is happening with the sequel to Bridget Jones� Diary. Can you tell us anything about that? C.F. It�s starting very soon now. It�s a very strange beast because it existed before it existed, if you understand what I mean! It existed as an idea and even as a production before it really existed as a script, and the script has been catching up with the rest of the machine. All along the rest of us have been standing by asking, "what are we actually going to make here?" I find that there is a tremendous paradox with sequels. In some ways people want a sequel because they love the first one, so that�s why they want it. So in some ways they are looking for the first one and then they get angry if that�s what they get. So it�s got to pay homage in some extent, and then it has to develop from that. I think it�s getting there now, it�s sort of where we are. It�s going to be a long shoot and I think it does take the story forward.

(Mari) Really good one from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Local boy makes good.;-);-) Ahhhh, the gang in the school yard must be cheering....or maybe the jail yard;-) The Mirror: "It[P&P] has put the romantic, leading man back on the agenda in terms of the sort of work that is coming my way. I would never have expected it. In fact, I don't know what would have happened without Mr Darcy." "You'd be wandering around the bowels of BBC." Thanks for all the reviews. Pox on bin Tookey.

Karen, thanks for the Master Class article & Brenda thanks for the Tribute.ca newsletter. In both of these article they talk about him as middle aged, as if he is just a short step away from being a doddering old man. I find it so hard to believe that at 35 he felt romantic leads would soon be out of his scope. At 43 he's calling himself middle-aged, and talking about an exhaustion threshold. I always wonder if he says this tongue-in-cheek or if he really means it. Doesn't he look in the mirror -- he has gotten better with age!!! IMO, being in my mid-forties, I won't hit middle age for another ten to fifteen years, & old age doesn't start till sometime after eighty. And yes Rod Stewart is singing "Forever Young" in the background right now;-)

Thanks to Karen, Mari, Brenda and others for all the great reviews, articles, interviews! I was told to lay low about non-work related internet sites but I can't take it anymore! I had to duck in here, it is the only way I have enough happy thoughts to slog through the drudgery! Did a brief look-see and didn't see this one posted before... The Story Beneath That Calm Vermeer By Laura Winters Special to The Washington Post Sunday, January 4, 2004; Page N01 Johannes Vermeer's celebrated portrait "Girl With a Pearl Earring" captures the imagination through the questions it elicits and leaves unanswered. The painting, which hangs in the Mauritshuis, a museum in the Hague, depicts a beautiful young woman posing simply against a black background, wearing a turban-like kerchief on her head and a single, giant pearl. The young woman looks directly at the viewer with a mysterious, doe-eyed gaze. Who was she? And what was her relationship to Vermeer? To this day, we still don't know the answers -- but the questions spurred Tracy Chevalier to write a book that imagined the story behind the painting. Her 1999 novel, also called "Girl With a Pearl Earring," became a worldwide bestseller. Now Peter Webber, a British director, has made Chevalier's book into a movie that opens here Friday and stars Colin Firth as Vermeer and Scarlett Johansson as Griet, the young woman who becomes Vermeer's obsession and, eventually, his artistic muse. The facts we know about Vermeer's life are sparse. He was born in Delft in 1632 and died in 1675, converted to Catholicism to marry his wife, Catharina Bolnes, and left behind 11 children and something like 35 paintings. Most of what we can divine of the painter's sensibility comes from his paintings -- often quiet scenes of reflective women, framed in soft daylight, doing everyday tasks. "One of the most wonderful things about Vermeer's paintings is that they are removed, in a certain way, from time and place," says Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., curator of northern baroque painting at Washington's National Gallery of Art and organizer of the museum's acclaimed 1995-96 Vermeer show. But the girl with a pearl poses a special enigma for viewers. "She is in a costume that is not specific to any particular culture," says Wheelock. "She is almost like a sibyl, a kind of ideal figure from another world." And, unlike many of Vermeer's women, the girl looks straight at us "with a very personal, very open look," says Wheelock. Her gaze prompted Chevalier, a native of Washington, to start writing her book. "I've had the poster of that painting up on my wall for years," Chevalier said by phone from London, where she now lives. "One morning I was wondering, 'Why does she have this ambiguous look, where you can't tell if she's happy or sad?' And I suddenly thought, 'The look on her face is the story of a relationship between the model and the painter.' " In her novel, Chevalier invented the character of the model. She spun a story in which 16-year-old Griet becomes a maid in the Vermeer household in Delft to help out her parents financially. At first, the remote painter, who is in constant flight from his brood of children and his temperamental wife, takes little notice of her. Slowly, however, Vermeer realizes that Griet has an aptitude for color and light. She becomes his secret assistant, grinding his pigments and even adjusting the position of objects he paints. As their unspoken attraction grows, so does his wife's jealousy. The storm breaks when Vermeer clandestinely begins to paint Griet wearing his wife's pearl earring. When British screenwriter Olivia Hetreed was given a galley proof of Chevalier's book, she read it in about two hours. "It was so gripping that I felt as though I didn't breathe," she recalled. "I thought of it as a domestic thriller." Hetreed's husband, producer Andy Paterson, and his partner, Anand Tucker, bought the film rights for their company, Archer Street Ltd. Hetreed wrote the screenplay, which in turn inspired Webber, who had never directed a feature film before and was known in England mainly as a director of documentaries and TV dramas. "When I read the script, I thought, 'This is a wonderful tale about an innocent girl coming of age, and there's this fascinating dark undertow that I can bring to the story,' " Webber said, sitting on a sun-drenched patio during the Toronto International Film Festival in September. It's an undertow that the film might not have had, if Webber hadn't directed it. "What happens when people are in love but can't express it?" he said. "What happens when power and money get in the way of love and sex? I think all of that is very contemporary, and I wanted to try to make a period film that felt, somehow, not 'period' at all." But Webber also wanted to convey the strict social mores of Vermeer's time, where the free expression of emotion between master and maid would be, as he put it, "an impossibility." "Griet can't express what she feels, nor can Vermeer," he said. "The drama in this story comes from that. What I was trying to do was show the way that something grows between two people. Vermeer sees something in this girl that is far more than just sexual, and she, who's so restrained in that household, finds her world opened up by him. And, with her willing participation, he uses his obsession with her to create a masterpiece." To convey this hothouse of stifled emotion, Webber needed the right actors. He set out on an extensive search for Griet, seeing, by his count, more than 100 actresses. When he first met Johansson, who was 17 at the time, she was en route to a New York Knicks game -- a far cry from the 17th century. But her very modernness fascinated Webber. "I realized that what would work was to take this intelligent, zippy girl and repress all that," he explained, "putting her in a situation where all that energy and joy are trying to burst out." Johansson arrived on the set in Luxembourg directly from "Lost in Translation" with very little time to prepare. "I got there and thought, 'Welcome to the 17th century,' " she said with a laugh, on the phone from Los Angeles. She bleached her eyebrows so that she would look more like the girl in the painting, but did not read Chevalier's novel because it is written from Griet's point of view and "I thought it was better not to have that first-person narrative, so that I could start with a clean slate," she said. Once filming started, she said, she realized "that my character is completely in love with Vermeer." Despite the stretch across centuries, her empathy for Griet allowed her to give an emotionally wrenching performance using very few words. "I think it was really to my advantage that I didn't have that much dialogue. It was a lot easier for me to allow whatever I was feeling to play across my face -- Griet's longing, her frustration and hurt." Johansson stresses that her character is no victim. "She's a force to be reckoned with," she said. "She's one of the strongest characters I've ever played." Unlike Johansson, who could define Griet for herself, Firth had the difficult task of playing an actual historical figure placed in a fictional context. The biggest challenge, he said, was creating a concrete character for Vermeer. He did a lot of research on the artist's life, which yielded more mysteries than answers. "Vermeer's incredibly elusive as an artist," he said. "I agonized about it: What kind of man was he?" While trying to solve this mystery, Firth immersed himself in the painterly process, learning to hold a brush correctly and to handle paints. In the end, Vermeer's paintings themselves held a key. "This man was painting quiet paintings in a noisy house," he said. "He had 11 children, and yet his paintings very rarely feature children. That tells us something: He must have had two lives." He paused. "I think that Vermeer saw things in a very specific and extraordinary way. He's a painter who stands back. In some ways, what makes his paintings so achingly mysterious and passionate is that you're not close to his models, even though you would get closer if you could. There's a lot of passion there, but also a kind of distance." Drawing on these clues, Firth portrayed a deeply reserved man who, in the film, gradually admits Griet into his private world. For the scenes set in Vermeer's studio, cinematographer Eduardo Serra used a different film stock and diffused lighting to re-create the magical luminosity of Vermeer's paintings. In crafting the sets, Webber and Ben van Os, his production designer, also looked to Vermeer's work for inspiration, as well as to the works of other Dutch artists of the period, such as Gerard ter Borch. Because Delft has changed since that time, only a few of the exteriors could be shot there. Vermeer's house was built on a set in Luxembourg. "We were trying to reflect that quiet, sober, almost moralizing ethos that you see in Dutch paintings," said Todd van Hulzen, the set designer. "There are very few films where you get that intense Northern European Calvinist aesthetic. It's a dark look -- lots of ebony -- but also very rich, because the Dutch were the ruling empire of that time." But Webber was also intensely aware of the dangers of becoming overly slavish to period details. "There's a certain kind of English period film that I detest, which is all about the frocks and the horse and the carriage," he said. "So I tried to strip down some of the ruffly clothes and bring the film to life. I wanted you to be able almost to smell the meat in the market." In so doing, he has managed a fresh take on the sometimes overwrought genre of films about artists, according to Piers Handling, the director of the Toronto International Film Festival. "What I like about Webber's film is that it very much situates Vermeer in his domestic situation," he said, "rather than depicting the cliche of the artist as mad genius." Webber may be an iconoclast, but he is thoroughly grounded in film history. He says laughingly that he was a "pretentious teenage intellectual" who cut his teeth on double bills of Jean-Luc Godard and Yasujiro Ozu. Slim, dark-haired and "thirtysomething," as he puts it, Webber has a cheeky, forthright manner and a restless intelligence. He grew up in West London and, after getting an art history degree, did a graduate program in film and worked as a film editor. He made a wide range of television documentaries (mainly about topics in science and music) before moving into TV drama. Webber finally got attention -- a lot of it -- in 2001 with "Men Only," a searing two-part series that followed several lower-middle-class British chaps who meet weekly to play soccer and who, spurred on by drink and drugs, gang-rape a young woman. When "Men Only" aired in England, critics were explosively divided between those who lauded its honesty and those who were, frankly, shocked. "I remember one editorial that said it was a vile piece of pornography, all the worse for being so well acted and directed," said Webber, looking pleased at the memory. In directing "Girl With a Pearl Earring," Webber has again confounded people's expectations. "It surprised a lot of people when I did this film, because they only knew my 'tough' side, so to speak," he said. "But people are complex: We don't have only one side. Now film executives who had passed on the script of 'Girl With a Pearl' come up to me and say, 'Oh my goodness, we read that script, but we really didn't see this movie in it at all.' " True to form, even in the wake of his new success, Webber still wants to keep people guessing. "What's important for me is to have a new challenge each time and not get bored," he said, smiling. "I want people, when they see my next film, to say, 'Hang on, is that really the same filmmaker?' " http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49841-2004Jan2.html

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and tidbits today! Bee - Hmm SJ wig looking like dog turds? . .what film was she watching?;)

Review: Girl with a Pearl Earring By Caroline Westbrook BBC News Online entertainment staff Girl With a Pearl Earring, starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson, has been critically acclaimed. Following on from Lost In Translation, actress Scarlett Johansson plays a very different kind of character in Girl With A Pearl Earring, based on the best-seller by Tracy Chevalier. This time around she is Griet, a 17th Century Dutch girl who is forced to go and work as a maid after an accident leaves her father blind and unable to support the family. Her new boss is the painter Vermeer (Colin Firth) and after she lands the job of cleaning his art studio he begins to take more than a cursory interest in her. Click here send in your review of the film She eventually becomes his muse and the model for one of his most famous paintings - but things are complicated by his permanently pregnant, highly-strung wife Catharina (Essie Davis), who is none too pleased with the arrangement. Like Lost In Translation, the focus of the film is on the platonic relationship between an older man and a much younger woman - one which continually threatens to spill over into something deeper. Beautiful cinematography Johansson has been nominated for a Golden Globe for both films - and it is easy to see why - she is superb here, in a role which gives her just a handful of dialogue. Firth, complete with long hair and big shirts, is also excellent, while beautiful cinematography and a haunting soundtrack add to the overall effect. However, those who read Chevalier's book may be disappointed by the under-use of important supporting characters and an ending which has been changed from the original, losing one of the most important plot points in the process and feeling inconclusive as a result. It is a noticeable let-down in what is otherwise a visually stunning treat, one which offers another welcome chance to see one of the best new actresses around. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3402851.stm

B.L. You have worked with a lot of young actresses in the last few years. Amanda Bynes, Mena Suvari, Scarlett Johansson... C.F. It�s been a long time since I have done a film without an American actress interestingly enough. It�s very often that American actresses come to England to work and I tend to be there when they do. An understatement about 'where' he is. But this film was made in Luxembourg. Picky picky ;-) B.L. It�s funny, I have to admit that every time I told people that I would be interviewing you, every single person was just aflutter. I know that you have been dubbed the British sex symbol, how does that sit with you? I have to tell you, there isn�t a person in this world that wouldn�t want to meet you and be in my place right now. C.F. Oh, there�re some people in the world � B.L. Very few! C.F. There are probably quite a few people who do know me that probably wish they didn�t. I don�t know, I have no intelligent answer to that question, really. LOL! Colin, meet Silvio. Silvio, Colin. ;-) Thanks Brenda! GWAPE has arrived in San Diego and the Union-Trib's critic is a Colin fan, per one of its other staff writers who told me. Gave it 3-1/2 of 4 stars. Here's his review: 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' a gem of light, awakenings By David Elliott Union-Tribune Movie Critic January 16, 2004 Painter Johannes Vermeer was forgotten for about 200 years, rediscovered by 19th-century scholars and then began (like the revived El Greco and Caravaggio) winning a devout modern following. His pop prize of fame � the very idea would have baffled him � is "Girl With a Pearl Earring," a hit novel by Tracy Chevalier. There isn't much story for a film to hang its pearl on. Griet (Scarlett Johansson), the milky Protestant virgin who will become the subject of Vermeer's most tenderly immaculate portrait, is hired as a servant in the Catholic artist's Delft canal home. He is prospering, yet very dependent on a covetous patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson, his mustache looking fresh from Frans Hals). Colin Firth, as Vermeer, at first seems recessively English. Sure, Vermeer was a quiet, lab-of-art master who left behind a small body of profoundly posed work. Nobody painted pearls better, or made a whole painting into more of a pearl. But he must have had force of personality to go his singular way, not aping Rubens or Rembrandt, painting with finicky purity the mostly interior views in his home of a few people and immaculate furnishings, in the cool window light that became his signature. Firth indicates that force, though his Vermeer is sly and careful around his insecure (because not greatly loved) and materialistic wife (Essie Davis), and her fierce hawk of a mother. And Griet, though no daisy, is initially scared of them all. Artists had rather raffish reputations even in bourgeois Holland, and the household women are dominators, even the raw-faced cook Tanneke (Joanna Scanlan). But Griet has beauty she has not recognized, which awakens through the reflective beauty of Vermeer's art and his love of her face. The art is a window of escape from prudish Calvinism and her hard-pressed family. Scripted by Olivia Hetreed from the novel, the story is about the anxious and then proud blooming of Griet as a woman, true to her mind and body. The movie has a soberly sexy wit. When a veil is lifted on a new painting, it's a disrobing. When Vermeer has Griet grind paints with him (artists had to be chemists of a sort), the rich colors are like foreplay. A blue strip of cloth around Griet's head is a banner of ripening, and her loss of virginity is symbolized (Vermeer-style) by the piercing of Griet's ear for the pearl. The pearl itself is passion, sublimely sublimated. Van Ruijven, the haughty grasper, makes a move at Griet, but it is the painting of her lustrous portrait that liberates Griet for a lucky butcher boy (Cillian Murphy). Johansson, almost jaded with young sophistication in "Lost in Translation," is here a servant becoming a myth, knowing that the painting will make her a jewel (the pearl with a pearl). Debut director Peter Webber relishes the distant but brothy density of Delft and Vermeer's household. He and almost salivating cinematographer Eduardo Serra have made a devoutly painterly movie � very Vermeer in the upstairs studio, closer to Terborch or Rembrandt in other rooms, and a Peter Breugel tumult of life outside (plus, some Canaletto canals). Anecdotally, the film is a camera obscura, a peephole condensation of the mystery and mystique of Vermeer, whose legend is spellbound in a private light. He can never be explained. But the people are alive, too busy existing to know that a genius of stillness was making them, and one pretty girl especially, icons of beauty to be loved in another age.

Get that frame ready, Bethan! (Mari) Peter Bradshaw Friday January 16, 2004 The Guardian 4 out of 5 stars Well, that really is a first! Wow. Daily Mail excepted, GWAPE has done very well in the tabloids. Seriously and thoughtfully reviewed. 5 stars in the Express, and an excellent (long) review, huge pic. The review is well written and perceptive..."What really impresses is the way a seductive recreation of the period is linked to the kind of torments that are timeless." 4 stars in the Mirror "As with all good works of art nothng is overstated in a lovely film that paints its own impressive picture. And 4 stars (I think)in the Sun "a finely drawn period drama with top notch performances." Overall the critics have responded very favourably. And no silly digs at CF/"Mr Darcy". I am all amazement. ;-)

Well done, Bethan! (Karen), LOL! Colin, meet Silvio. Silvio, Colin. ;-) Of course, you would think of Silvio! LOL! However, those who read Chevalier's book may be disappointed by the under-use of important supporting characters and an ending which has been changed from the original, losing one of the most important plot points in the process and feeling inconclusive as a result. Good point. I don't think others have made a case of it. Thanks for the reviews, ladies.

It'll be interesting to see what edited scenes/characters end up on the DVD.

...from where we're standing, said tresses resemble comedy dog-turds The only thing I can figure is that the reviewer was standing near a straining dog's rear end that was partially blocking her view of that beautiful scene. (Who let the dogs out?!) Such a stupid review says more about the nastiness and myopia of the writer than of the quality of the movie.

Overall the critics have responded very favourably. And no silly digs at CF/"Mr Darcy". I am all amazement. ;-) Told you so. Told you so. I knew they couldn't do it to this film; it wouldn't merit it. However, there are still the weekend critics: Cosmo, the ever-hateful Barbara Ellen (will she chime in since James Christopher already did one?? Hopefully no), then there's Philip French for The Observer. I too love to read the reviews for their "entertainment" value. Good thing no one really pays any attention to them in the UK.

Overall the critics have responded very favourably. And no silly digs at CF/"Mr Darcy". I am all amazement. ;-) Except that nasty guy from FT. I suppose he said something like this, "Give him a wet shirt, and he'll be Delft's Mr Darcy". Very nasty comment.

Another review from The Globe and Mail: Girl with a Pearl Earring By RICK GROEN From Friday's Globe and Mail Rating: *** At first glance, even second, there looks to be no motion in the picture. It seems as static as you'd expect from a movie that's all about a painting. But watch a little longer, think a little harder, and something interesting happens. The film begins to acquire at least some of the magical properties of its famous subject � layers start to emerge, layers of light and colour and meaning, and Girl with a Pearl Earring comes alive. Only then does it talk to us, delivering in muted tones a rather daunting message: Fine art needs fine perceivers, or else it will turn crude. Of course, the piece of art under consideration is the celebrated work from the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. It shows a young woman in a makeshift turban, her eyes wide, lips parted and full, the titled pearl dangling from her left ear lobe, her expression a puzzle mingling sadness with joy, enigmatic enough that critics have dubbed her the Mona Lisa of the north. In her novel, Tracy Chevalier did at length what many of us do instinctively. She converted the painting into a narrative, inventing a backstory for the girl, and writing the book in the voice of this conceived character � a mere servant, unschooled and naive but always observant and strongly intuitive. The challenge of the screenplay is to find a cinematic equivalent for that interior voice, an especially tricky task since the plot is minimal here � not a whole lot occurs outside of her head. Is the challenge met? Partly. The script does well to preserve the themes, and, beyond that, the tradeoff is obvious: What we lose in psychological depth is gained in visual appeal � the movie is gorgeous to behold and, in the alluring person of Scarlett Johansson, so is its star. She plays Griet, a teenager torn from her own humble family and pressed into service at the Vermeer household. Making his feature debut, and drawing on his documentary background, director Peter Webber is quick to establish the rigours of underclass life in 17th-century Holland � the cramped sleeping quarters, the stench of the adjacent canal, the daily grind of scrubbing and laundering. The m�nage chez Vermeer is stolidly Catholic and very large. His brood of children and his ever-pregnant wife all fall under the watchful gaze of Maria, his shrewd mother-in-law, who owns the house and pinches every penny. However, in the midst of this chaotic sprawl, there is an oasis of calm: The master's studio, separated from the other rooms and brighter, its windows admitting the precious light. We see it when Griet does, her first day on the job, accompanied by her mistress's stern admonition: "Disturb nothing." Cue the disturbance. Like everything else here, it happens gradually and with subtlety. At first, Vermeer (Colin Firth) is merely glimpsed at the edges of the picture, a near-silent figure with long hair and a short manner � curt, unsmiling. Instead, the initial focus is on the people around him, and on how each of them views his art as a means to an end � a supply of income to his pecuniary mother-in-law, a totem of loyalty to his jealous wife, a source of status to his loud-mouthed patron (Tom Wilkinson). To them, art only has extrinsic value; intrinsically, it's worthless: "They're just paintings, paintings for money � they mean nothing." But Griet knows better. Entering his studio to dust and clean, an allegedly ignorant girl marvels at the layered evolution of a work-in-progress, instinctively grasping how colour and perspective and composition all dance together to animate the canvas. Recognizing a kindred spirit, an aesthetic soul mate, Vermeer tutors her in the mixing of pigments, and shows her the mirrored innards of his camera obscura, explaining that "It's an image made of light." Of course, so is his art, so is the movie we're watching, and the two begin their own mating dance, moving toward the climactic moment when the film morphs completely into the painting whose name it bears. Some will argue that it takes too long to get there, offering scant diversion en route. Others will find the sights arresting and the theme enriching � it's all a matter of perception. Nevertheless, there can be no disagreement over Johansson's performance. An extraordinary embodiment of the period, she looks to have stepped right into a Vermeer frame. We recently saw her in Lost in Translation, and very few actors could manage the transition from a night in Tokyo all the way back to the days of the Dutch Golden Age � yet Johansson, blessed with a face for all seasons, makes the trip without breaking stride. Nor will anyone dispute the power of one luminous sequence, an extended scene where the master invites the servant into his imagination, asking the girl to pose for eternity. The imagery is entirely sexual: He pierces her ear, preparing for the pearl drop to come; he removes her bonnet, unloosing a cascade of golden hair; he insists that she open her mouth, that she wet her lips, that she widen her enraptured eyes. Yes, the imagery is palpably sensual, but it's just imagery. In the outside world, where Griet must deal with the mundane embraces of her dull boyfriend, or the lewd advances of that rapacious patron, sex is all too real. But here, in the transforming light of the studio, it's symbolic; here, life is being penetrated by art � reconceived, reordered, reshaped by art. The artist has seduced his subject for the purpose of creation. But in this case, because she's such a sensitive accomplice, because she sees his work so clearly, the seduced becomes one with the seducer. Griet is both in the painting and outside the painting; she is the fine art and she is the fine art's keen perceiver � each needs the other to exist. At least, that's the lofty claim of Girl with a Pearl Earring, a picture that asks of its audience exactly what Vermeer demanded of his � to look past the static appearance and discover the dynamic reality. But the painter backed up his demand, and the movie can't � not quite, not fully. It isn't an exciting work of art so much as a contemplative reverie on the nature of art � and what's wrong with a smart essay that unfolds like a sweet dream?

Dark Marc Jan 17 2004 Claire Hill, The Western Mail After directing horror film My Little Eye, surely Marc Evans would want a lighter subject? Instead his new film shows Colin Firth, of Mr Darcy fame, unravelling as mental illness overtakes him. The Welsh director spoke toClaire Hill about his punk band past, his love of Hitchcock and his plans for a musical IF MARC EVANS was told that he had to make a film in Wales every year on a small-to-medium budget, he would be perfectly happy. No dreams of Hollywood or working in America, just an idealised view of an old socialist-style working film system. "I just want to make films," he says. "Obviously I would not want to work in the Communist system or have my work politically censored. "But if there was a new law in Wales which said to someone has to make a film a year and you're that man, that would suit me fine." Braving the torrential rain of a miserable Cardiff Sunday, the tall, 44-year-old director patiently has his photographs taken before we settle down for a coffee. He is a bit delicate after drinking lots of grappa with his family the night before. So with last night's stubble, slight greying at the temples and a thick parka coat bulking him up, Evans looks a little imposing. His nickname is Dark Marc, due to his propensity to make frightening films, but once he opens his mouth he is friendly and amenable. Once you start him on topics such as his work, or his other love - music - he is off. And he can talk and talk. He is getting ready to take his new film, Trauma to the Sundance Festival, hosted by Robert Redford. The last time he was there, in 1997, he took his first film, House of America, and, while he might just want to watch instead of promote Trauma, if the trade press falls in love with it, it will surely spell success. House of America was a unsavoury look at a family trying to escape their lot. Resurrection Man was a portrayal of 1970s Northern Ireland and My Little Eye, a Big Brother meets internet slasher movie, have all lived up to his dark reputation as a film-maker. Has the 44-year-old chosen to shake this off with his new film? Frankly, no. Trauma, starring Colin Firth and Mena Suvari, tells the tale of a man waking from a coma to find he has lost his wife in a car crash. Plunging into grief, he experiences a kind of mental illness and struggles to cope while the rest of the world is coming to terms with its own loss - a young, adulated pop star who people never knew personally. In the programme for the Sundance Festival, a note has been added about Trauma which lumps the film into a category called "post 9/11 films". Evans hadn't thought about his film in that way. "Really, the film is about an ordinary man in extraordinary situations. "The rest of the world is dealing with the grief of this person they do not know and he is trying to cope with this personal death." Firth was easy to get on board and a pleasure for Evans to work with. "Colin was quite anxious to shed the Darcy role, and shirt, so he was up for it. "What actor does not want to be in every scene of a film?" But Firth was never meant to be in the film - it was written for a younger man. However, Evans immediately thought of him when he read the script. "I worked with Colin on Ruth Rendell's Master of the Moor and I have always known he has a dark side. "We sort of became friends and he was bemoaning the fact that people do not do the 'man in a suit' film anymore. "So when I read the script I thought of him, as he was looking for the darker material. "He said yes straight away." With Firth on board the film instantly had more selling power but American actress Mena Suvari was brought in initially to get more funding. Evans is candid about what is needed to get a movie shot and out in the cinemas and does not gloss over the film process. "We needed Mena for the money and originally I did not know that much about her. "She looks like an angel. She is the American Beauty. "But she is dark as hell. She was reading a book on the Yorkshire Ripper and she had been to visit a pathology museum. "That interested me, she looks like an angel but was darker." Evans screened My Little Eye for Suvari and her husband, cinematographer Robert Brinkmann, to give them an insight into his work, before the 24-year old actress signed up. The L'Oreal model is quite picky with her roles, so it was another coup for Evans to have her on board. "That made me respect her, she did this because she wanted to. "She was delightful to work with." Moving from a group of unknown actors in My Little Eye to the famous faces in Trauma was easy for Evans, because the cast were down to earth. "I was never nervous with the people I worked with. "Colin was a dream. In his view some of the romantic comedies he felt miserable on, but in this film he was covered in ants and he had a laugh." The film was also a joy to work on for Evans because he got to work with Oscar-winning Gladiator cameraman, John Mathieson. Here he goes off into great detail about lenses and the different technical shots, before apologising for being "geeky". Amicable and eager to tell stories about Firth, Evans recalls what the Bridget Jones actor told him about filming Conspiracy, the drama about how senior Nazis met to decide on the Final Solution, the murder of up to six million Jews. Firth and the rest of the cast apparently spent their spare time camping it up in Nazi uniforms as the only way they could cope with the heavy subject matter. Evans is a passionate film director, not in it for the fame or money. Although he can play the game to get a film made. "Directing is like being given a train set and the chance to play with it. "As I have got older I have realised that it is quite hard to get films made, so it is a precious opportunity." Ever since he decided to be a director he has striven to make the kind of films which he would like to see in the cinema. BWhether this means it is a niche market for those people who enjoy an uneasy cinematic ride, he does not seem to care. The Cardiff-born director has clear ideas about what cinema is, and what it should do. "I go to have an outer body experience, for it to take me somewhere I have never been before - I don't want a film to be normal or see something I already know - those are the films I aspire to make." Wanting a film to make him feel uncomfortable, it is unsurprising that he loves Hitchcock and has a soft spot for David Lynch. Recently he has been impressed by American Splendor and the docu-film Touching the Void. "When I was younger, I liked films that made me empathise with something horrible. But as you get older cinema pushes you less and less, but there is a certain point in that film where you go, 'Oh my god'. When Evans was younger he wanted to be a painter, or an artist. He says he was not a film geek, or even that interested in cinema. He studied history of art at Cambridge, took a year out before and after his degree, but still hadn't painted a thing. It was hanging around at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff that he became interested in films and European cinema. He joined a course at Bristol University, where his contemporaries and friends included the director Michael Winterbottom. After learning his trade in television, he has moved on to feature films, but that was not before the obligatory stint in a punk band. In The Gits, he was a drummer, despite the fact that he was "crap". In fact, the music for Trauma was recorded in Abbey Road, Studio Two, where The Beatles'All You Need is Love was done. "I had to call the rest of The Gits to get them to come to the studios just to say The Gits were at Abbey Road." Music is such a passion of his that he will obsess about it more than film. The only time he has been star-struck was interviewing Nicky Wire, bassist with the Manic Street Preachers, and his actress girlfriend Nia Roberts will attest he is constantly filling their flat with new CDs. But he knows where his talents lie, as he makes plans for the future. Evans would love to work with Matthew Rhys again, do something with Nia and also other popular independent cinema names such as James Spader, Stanley Tucci and Philip Seymour Hoffman. As for the type of films, he would make a comedy - if he could find one that made him laugh. "It would have to be a dark comedy," he admits, knowing that it is fulfilling the Dark Marc tag, "that is what I find funny." At the moment he is looking at making a musical set in Swansea - a film about the life of Joe Meek, the legendary record producer who killed himself and his landlady. That film is set to star Rhys Ifans, while Michael Sheen is signed up to play Dylan Thomas in a film about his wife Caitlin. Evans would like to undertake a project which could star all of the modern young Welsh actors and, typically, he has a film that he is writing languishing on his laptop. But, either by default or his own doing, it seems that A Marc Evans Film will always be dark. "Someone said my films always end with a death or someone walking away - that's true."

Firth on Evans Jan 17 2004 Claire Hill, The Western Mail BRIDGET JONES star Colin Firth relished the chance to appear in a darker film, but it was working with the Welsh director that made the process worthwhile. Firth said, "Marc and I worked together on the Ruth Rendell TV movie Master of the Moor and I thought he was brilliant. So I wanted to join him again but our numerous attempts never quite panned out. "Then Trauma came out of leftfield and intrigued me enough to sign on to what was clearly going to be an interesting journey. My main motivation for doing anything these days is to work with people I have always wanted to collaborate with and this seemed the perfect opportunity for us."

A less than stellar review from the Toronto Star: Texture missing from visual treat PETER HOWELL MOVIE CRITIC Girl With A Pearl Earring Starring Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Essie Davis and Judy Parfitt. Directed by Peter Webber. At major theatres. PG Why is Da Vinci's Mona Lisa smiling? What is Rodin's The Thinker pondering? What incredible vision inspired Dali's The Persistence Of Memory? In the presence of an acknowledged masterwork, a thoughtful person can't help but wonder about the story behind the enduring image. Such artful thinking sparked Tracy Chevalier's 1999 bestselling novel Girl With A Pearl Earring, which offered a dramatic explanation for one of most famous and enigmatic paintings by Johannes Vermeer, the 17th-century Dutch master. Chevalier used fiction to suggest answers to eternal questions: Who was the young girl who peers so knowingly from the picture? Why is she dressed so exotically, wearing a turban not of her culture? And where did those pearl earrings come from? The conceit of Chevalier's book, and now the attentive and visually splendid movie by first-time British filmmaker Peter Webber, is that the girl was an enigmatic housemaid named Griet, who is played in the film by the remarkably assured Scarlett Johansson (Lost In Translation). As the tale goes, she was both muse and temptation for the very married and very Catholic Vermeer (Colin Firth), who had to struggle to balance his artistic instincts against his adulterous urges. The story opens in 1665 in the artistic city of Delft, with the shy young Griet being dispatched by her family to the Vermeer household as an act of desperation. Her artist father was recently blinded in a kiln accident, and no money is coming in. "Keep clear of their Catholic prayers," Griet's mother scolds. The Vermeers are also in disarray. The painter and his wife Catharina (Essie Davis) have a large brood, with yet another child on the way. They live in the home of Catharina's shrewd mother Maria Thins (Judy Parfitt), who sees all too well that a reckoning is coming: The family can no longer afford to maintain its lavish lifestyle. The perfectionist Vermeer takes many months to complete a single painting, and his major source of income is money he receives from wealthy patron Master van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), whose patience and loyalty are fast running out. There is no hurry to set the scene, something that is both strength and weakness for the film. Griet stoically takes up her tasks in the kitchen and laundry, working for small pay and even less thanks, and her actions are a study in calm determination. She is resigned to her fate, which she accepts unsmilingly but with grace. The only sense of a life beyond the mundane for her comes when she cleans the sacrosanct studio of Vermeer, who begins to notice and appreciate her artistic sense � Griet realizes that cleaning the windows could affect the painter's light � and her attention to detail. Vermeer gives her the important task of mixing the colours for his palette, even as his high-strung wife begins to cast suspicious eyes toward the pair. Screenwriter Olivia Hetreed dispenses with the book's first-person narrative, but she retains Chevalier's careful assessment of 17th-century Europe in general, and the Vermeer household in particular. There is much pleasure to be derived in simply sitting back and taking in the scene, much as you would for a painting. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra (The Wings Of The Dove) gives the film a lustrous feel, each scene looking as if it could be a Vermeer portrait. The picture is simply ravishing, but at times it falls prey to its own contemplations. Dramatic turns involving Catharina's increasing jealousy, Griet's growing interest (and vice-versa) in Vermeer, the wooings of a local butcher boy (Cillian Murphy) and the demands of van Ruijven are treated as diversions, rather than being part of the main narrative. Johansson is marvellous as the self-contained Griet, so introspective it seems impossible the same woman also played the outgoing Charlotte of Lost In Translation. It is only when she smiles (rarely), and her face is transformed, that we can see the resemblance between the two characters. Wilkinson also impresses as van Ruijven, making something out of a character that is little more than a dirty old man. Less successful is the casting of Colin Firth as Vermeer. The 24-year age gap between Firth and Johansson isn't the problem � she is old beyond her years � but the romantic involvement so essential to the film's suggested intrigues just isn't there. Firth doesn't even show up until a good 20 minutes into the film, and when he does he's so self-absorbed, he barely notices her. The stately pace continues, with eros implied, but not shown. Whatever lustful urges were brought out of Vermeer by his subject for Girl With A Pearl Earring remain as tantalizingly obscure as always. And perhaps that's the way it should be, since all great art is improved by mystery.

Thanks for the Marc Evans interview, Mari. Very interesting!

Hey all I hope I haven't missed anything but am now listening to Jonathan Ross and there is no mention of Colin being on it today. Have I got the wrong week??? Help

Results of the "Hello" Magazine poll - ODB did well http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/specials/men03/pagina_1_1.html

(kelli)hope I haven't missed anything but am now listening to Jonathan Ross and there is no mention of Colin being on it today. Have I got the wrong week??? His name disappeared from the guest list on Friday, and was replaced by Rob Bryden, I think. No explanation. I emailed the show, but have had no response.

(ME)"She looks like an angel. She is the American Beauty. "But she is dark as hell. She was reading a book on the Yorkshire Ripper and she had been to visit a pathology museum. Doesn't sound like MS was subject of the 'importance of casting remark'. Thanks Mari, for the great article on ME and T.

(Toronto Star) Less successful is the casting of Colin Firth as Vermeer. The 24-year age gap between Firth and Johansson isn't the problem � she is old beyond her years � but the romantic involvement so essential to the film's suggested intrigues just isn't there. Firth doesn't even show up until a good 20 minutes into the film, and when he does he's so self-absorbed, he barely notices her. The stately pace continues, with eros implied, but not shown. Everyone happy that he explained it? ;-) Thanks for the article, Mari. Very interesting. (Linda) Doesn't sound like MS was subject of the 'importance of casting remark'. LOL! Naturally, I was thinking the same but it could still be about her, i.e., not that she was bad but the 'importance of casting' a hot American actress in order to generate interest in the film. Just another angle. (Evans) "Colin was a dream. In his view some of the romantic comedies he felt miserable on, but in this film he was covered in ants and he had a laugh." So, Colin thinks being covered by ants is preferable to working in a rom-com. The definitive measure. ;-)

(Marc Evans) At the moment he is looking at making a musical set in Swansea - a film about the life of Joe Meek, the legendary record producer who killed himself and his landlady. Can't wait;-) Note to ME: "Call Hugh Jackman" (Globe /Mail)We recently saw her in Lost in Translation, and very few actors could manage the transition from a night in Tokyo all the way back to the days of the Dutch Golden Age ? yet Johansson, blessed with a face for all seasons, makes the trip without breaking stride" The reviews are better than I thought...but a lot has to do with SJ being the Flavour of the Month now. All of them single her out. ME)"She looks like an angel. She is the American Beauty. "But she is dark as hell. She was reading a book on the Yorkshire Ripper and she had been to visit a pathology museum. (Linda)Doesn't sound like MS was subject of the 'importance of casting remark'. Methinks he was CUA after the remark that he cast her for the cash. ME does sound like an intriguing person...an odd ball, but interesting.

Thanks Janet for your response at least I know I haven't gone mad!

(TS)but the romantic involvement so essential to the film's suggested intrigues just isn't there. Firth doesn't even show up until a good 20 minutes into the film, and when he does he's so self-absorbed, he barely notices her. The stately pace continues, with eros implied, but not shown. (Karen)Everyone happy that he explained it? ;-) Yes...and no;-)I see the point, but to me, that's direction and not necessarily casting.

Thanks for the interesting ME article Mari! No sex please, we're painting Chris Knight National Post Friday, January 16, 2004 GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING It's a rare work of art that makes a journey from one medium to another unscathed. Johannes Vermeer's 1665 painting Girl With a Pearl Earring has made it twice. The painting, one of only three dozen surviving works attributed to the Dutch master, was the subject five years ago of a novel by Tracy Chevalier, who imagined the life of its subject, about whom even less is known than the painter. Now that story has been adapted for the screen, and those who enjoyed the novel will find little of substance changed. Not since Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day (another tale of introspection and things not said) has a book been so lovingly rendered in celluloid. The story concerns Griet (Scarlett Johansson), the daughter of a Delft tile maker who has lost his vision and hence his livelihood; she supports her parents by working as a maid in the house of Vermeer (Colin Firth). He and his wife, Catharina, share their home with a growing brood of children, Catharina's shrewd mother, Maria Thins, and another servant, Tanneke. They are several steps up the social ladder from Griet, but hardly secure -- an early scene shows a bankrupt neighbour being visited by 17th-century repo men -- and they are heavily dependent on Vermeer's odious patron, Pieter Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), who demands that his ego (and sometimes more) be stroked. Johansson, not yet 18 when filming began, performs superbly in a role that demands much. As a possible conquest for Van Ruijven, the romantic interest of another Pieter, a butcher's son (28 Days Later's Cillian Murphy), and the subject of Vermeer's painting, Griet is always at the receiving end of a male gaze, and constantly reminded of it. "Don't get caught up in his world," Pieter tells her, and Maria Thins echoes the advice: "You're a fly in his web." Johansson's face, luminous yet earthy, seems at once open and curious with those wide eyes, and guarded in the tilt of her head. She wears a bonnet throughout the film (tellingly, her hair is revealed only once) and uses it as a shield against emotions that might find their way in or out -- when she first sees her portrait she blurts out, with a mixture of awe and fear: "You looked inside me." Firth is the go-to actor when roles demand smouldering, which he does like nobody's business -- even tightly buttoned into a waistcoat, emotionally he is open-shirted and damp. He can spend a six-minute scene in total silence, constantly about to speak. Vermeer finds a kindred if illiterate spirit in Griet; she possesses an instinctive understanding of composition, but lacks the vocabulary to describe it. From brief, Socratic conversations about his work, he moves on to having her mix paints, an arduous task that in the 1660s required procuring rare minerals and lots of work with a mortar and pestle. Still, the relationship never approaches one of equals: When Griet tells her master she doesn't have time to do both his bidding and her regular household chores, he shuts her down with a brusque remark: "Make time." First-time feature director Peter Webber relies a little too heavily on swelling music to carry the mood, but he needn't -- the lighting and composition are pretty as a picture. Characters are framed in doorways or seen through window panes as though caught on canvas, and the light of candles or the sun catches them most often from one side, creating deep shadows and highlights. One pastoral shot of a riverbank next to a regularly spaced row of trees and a country lane looks as though it could be a painting itself, until we see figures in motion on the path. As in the novel, much of the emotional content is shown in tiny gestures. Johansson conveys joy or fear with the slightest change of pace, and the sexual tension between Griet and Vermeer is all in the eyes, or at most the accidental brush of knuckle against knuckle as she hands him a jar of colour. It's enough, though -- Maria Thins sees her son-in-law smitten but also painting faster than ever; Catharina, ignorant of painterly things and in fact forbidden to enter the master's studio, has a vague feeling of unease; and eldest daughter Cornelia is young enough to have a child's instant and illogical hatred of Griet, but old enough to know how to cause trouble. In the end, it is nothing so crass as sex that brings matters to a head. Writer Chevalier and screenwriter Olivia Hetreed are wise enough to know that emotion usually begins with a look, and sometimes it ends there. Rating three 1/2 http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/artslife/story.html?id=6175f2ae-f54b-4dd1-95bb-ed51b4c0adad

Karen, it looks like the MyMovies link you posted the other day has added a couple of clips. One of a press conference and the other an interview with the writer and director. My home computer is too weak to pull them up (and now I can't watch from work) I shall go mad, mad I tell you! http://www.mymovies.net/reviews/review_offical.asp?filmid=1519&reviewid=1

'We didn't want the "Griet discovers her sexuality in front of the mirror" scene' (Filed: 15/01/2004) Even before Girl With a Pearl Earring became an international best-selling novel, producers were circling for the film rights. Screenwriter Olivia Hetreed explains how she came to write the script and the challenges of adaptation. Interview by Marisol Grand�n Tracy Chevalier's fictitious novel about Vermeer and his maid, Griet, has now sold more than two million copies worldwide. But how did it get from page to screen? Before the book was published, companies including Miramax were keen to buy the rights, although nobody could have predicted the book's tremendous success. Thanks to Pathe Films and Lion's Gate Entertainment, the film's backers, Chevalier's tender narrative escaped Hollywood's clutches. Olivia Hetreed is a seasoned British screenwriter who chooses her projects carefully. She wrote the screenplays for several ITV dramas including adaptations of The Canterville Ghost, What Katy Did and one of the BBC's contemporary stories based on The Canterbury Tales. How do you think the film would have turned out had it gone to Miramax or one of the other Hollywood studios? The book is written in the first person. So the single biggest challenge of the adaptation was to find a way of bringing Griet's inner voice to the screen. Miramax wanted it with voice-over. But voice-over seemed to me to be completely wrong for this film, partly because it would make it very literary, but also because Griet is a character who is not analytical. She is not able to work out what her situation is. She's simply in the moment. In order to have that, you need to be as involved in the situation as she is. Voice-over immediately puts a distance on it and a kind of detachment. I was very lucky that that pressure never came on me because of the way the film was made. The film was protected. Both Pathe and Lion's Gate who were the principal producers were even pulling in the opposite direction. They would say: "Oh, I don't think we need to be as obvious as that." They were really sympathetic to the nature of the film. It's not an ordinary film in that respect. It does ask quite a lot of the viewer and it's quite ambiguous, particularly the ending. How did you and producer Andy Paterson convince the author, Tracy Chevalier, to sell the film rights? We were very fortunate. I got a copy of the book before it came out because I share an agent with her. I read it prepublication. And although there were people interested, it wasn't a best-seller at that point. I read it and just completely fell in love with it. I thought it was utterly thrilling. When I read it, I 'saw' the movie immediately. Andy and co-producer Anand Tucker met Tracy and they pitched her their version of the story. They told her they didn't want to change it. She believed that they wouldn't make it Hollywood, they wouldn't have them sleep together, or have the "Griet discovers her sexuality in front of the mirror" scene. So she went with it. Chevalier thought for a second about writing it herself. But with really impressive self-control and restraint she thought: "No actually, that's not what I do." She has written two more novels since and has been incredibly trusting and generous. Was it tempting to add a kiss or any more contact between Griet and Vermeer? No, I don't think so. The 'almostness' of the story and the incredible tension was more thrilling. There's a moment where Vermeer and Griet are outside the house. He says "Tomorrow" and she says "I can't". It's like an affair. They're moving past each other and they're barely acknowledging each other. To me, those moments of tension are more thrilling than getting on with it. Indeed, our instincts were always to play it down. Colin and Scarlett agreed. Colin and Scarlett's relationship on set was very interesting. I was there just before they started shooting all the studio scenes and just after. The difference in the two actors' relationship before and after those scenes was amazing. I returned six days later and they were completely different with each other. It had been such an intense experience for them. Reports suggest Chevalier received just �10,000 for the film rights. Is that true? That wasn't for the rights, that was for the options. She was paid a lot more when the film was made. How much extra research did you have to put into the screenplay? The book is very clever because it's carefully placed on the few known facts about Vermeer. They're like little pillars sticking up out of the dust of history, which tell us about his family and some of his business transactions. But it's pretty sparse information. However, there is a wealth of information about 17th-century Dutch society. I did the research again and I covered a lot of the same ground as Tracy. As I was going through, I'd suddenly find something and think: "Ah! That's where she got that from!" But in the process of adaptation, you need to do the research, put it to one side and just write. Otherwise you can get very clogged up. I talked to people like Nicola Costaras at the Victoria & Albert Museum who restored the painting. It was really fascinating to talk to somebody who had been that close and really had her paintbrush all over it. We discussed painting technique and what she felt about it. I also spent a lot of time talking to figurative painter friends of mine about being a painter. The least clear character in the book is Vermeer. He's obscured because Griet is looking at him, so we see him completely through her eyes. I was intrigued as to what it is a painter does apart from actually splodging paint onto canvas. What are the mental processes going on? Vermeer's paintings are so much about what he leaves out, the choices he makes and the very careful framing and placing. I even sat for a friend as he worked. While I was sitting, we talked about looking. It seems to come down to that - looking and looking and really trying to understand what you're seeing. At various points while writing the script, I was influenced by the theories of the time and I read some of the material that would have been available to Vermeer and so on. That all fell away compared with the importance of having a clear gaze; really seeing what's in front of you and understanding how that effect is achieved. I'd recommend it to anyone, it's almost like therapy. You are now known as an expert in literary adaptations. What do you think of that label? I wouldn't mind being known as an expert at anything. I've done quite a lot of adaptations and for me it's a bit like casting: if I find the right project, something that sings for me, then it's an incredibly happy experience. I have tried adapting something without feeling sympathetic towards it. But that's a terrible trial for everybody. Almost anybody could see that there's a film in Girl With a Pearl Earring, and I got lucky. I felt it spoke incredibly directly to me. Then it's a question of will you get that lucky again; will you find material that has that sort of resonance for you. In fact, the next thing that I found is a contemporary American story. It's very different ground in some ways, but it's also very focused on a few characters, and it's also an intimate domestic story. I'm more interested in human interaction than whether it's a period piece or not. Although Girl With a Pearl Earring looks beautiful and the period stuff is beautifully done, it is actually a story about a few people and their very close relations. It's deliberately focused so closely that you don't need to know about the Golden Age in Holland to enjoy the film. How did you decide what to omit? How many versions did you have to produce until it was just right? It's a gradual process. The first draft was much closer to the book than the final film is. Then, through the drafts it developed its own character. It started to grow up and stop being simply the child of the book. I think it has to go through that process in order to become effective in its own right. An imitation of the book isn't effective, however nice the book is. That's a very necessary process. I was incredibly fortunate in that I worked with Anand Tucker who is a director and with Peter Webber [the director of Girl With a Pearl Earring]. Working with them on drafts helped me to concentrate on what the film would be, rather than how beautifully I could make a line work. About a third of the story came out in editing. So quite a lot of the decision-making about leaving things out was post-script. Editing streamlined the story. We were all clear that the story was Vermeer and Griet and their relationship. It was just a question of what would actually play into that and make it work, and what was distracting and had to be jettisoned. Before editing, there was great stuff there, but Peter was fantastically ruthless. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/01/16/bfhetreed16.xml

A very long and chatty interview by Neil Young's Film Lounge with Peter Webber on GWAPE http://www.jigsawlounge.co.uk/film/peterwebberinterview.html

Whoops, me again... Interesting interview with Eduardo Serra at Cinematographer.com re GWAPE along with three quicktime clips (which, as you now know, this whiny moper can't see...) http://www.uemedia.net/CPC/cinematographer/article_5939.shtml

Colin interviewed (I use that term lightly here, strange format) in the Jan/Feb magazine/website for Southwest trains??? http://www.e-motionmagazine.co.uk/SWTEmotion/NewsFeatures/ColinFirth.htm

Thanks for all the links, Maria. I'll have to check them out in the morning. Wasn't it the mymovies' site press conference clip that I was pointing out? The director and writer ones would be new. Thanks! Philip French's in The Observer: Old Masters, young servants Vermeer's masterpiece is bought vividly to life thanks to brilliant cinematography Sunday January 18, 2004 A feminist subspecies of the traditional biopic has arisen in recent years in which recognition is demanded for the women living in the shadow of famous artists. In Percy Adlon's C�leste, the centre of interest is not Marcel Proust, but his devoted housekeeper. Camille Claudel sets out to rescue the sculptress exploited by Auguste Rodin. Tom and Viv seeks justice for T.S. Eliot's maligned wife. Frida claims equality for the painter married to the bombastic Diego Rivera. Surviving Picasso puts the case for the artists' crushed mistresses, Fran�oise Gilot and Dora Maar. For his musical, Sunday in the Park With George, Stephen Sondheim invented a mistress-model, wittily called Dot, for an egotistical Seurat to work into La Grande Jatte. Something similar, though more sombre, lies at the centre of Peter Webber's Girl With a Pearl Earring, a film of the Tracy Chevalier novel. The movie's central conceit is that there was a teenage maid called Griet (Scarlett Johansson) in the cramped household of Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) in Delft who posed for his Girl With a Pearl Earring. This is the painting from around 1665 that sold for the equivalent of 25p in the 1880s and now hangs in the Hague. There is also the invention that Vermeer, who sold as few paintings as his admirer Van Gogh did, had a rich patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson rawing on the overbearing, upper-class side of his repertoire). In this wealthy merchant's house hangs View of Delft and his support, nurtured by the painter's mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt), keeps the cash-strapped Vermeers from starving. When Griet arrives to take up her post, she sees the Vermeers' bankrupt neighbours weeping beside the canal as the bailiffs take away their furniture. This film, then, is about art and exploitation and how a young woman attempts to resist a system designed to make her hopelessly vulnerable. Griet is a Protestant in a Catholic household. The artist's permanently pregnant wife and her cruel children despise and resent the pretty newcomer. The lecherous merchant Van Ruijven lusts after Griet and, in lieu of realising his desires, he agrees to have a painting made of her to leer over in his private gallery. This turns out to be Girl With a Pearl Earring. There is in Vermeer's paintings of servant girls a sense of passivity, of quiet acceptance of their place, that led Claude Goretta to call his celebrated 1977 film The Lacemaker, a reference to the Vermeer painting in the Louvre that he compares with the resigned state of Isabelle Huppert at the end of the movie. But this applies only to the surface appearance of the subservient Griet. Though illiterate, she's strong-willed and intelligent. Vermeer, who appropriately remains a quiet, mysterious man, recognises her natural understanding of art and a sensitivity superior to that of his petulant wife and domineering mother-in-law. She becomes involved in mixing his paints and in the shaping of his work, subtly producing a change in the composition of Woman With a Water Jug. Does Vermeer lust after Griet the way his patron does? Is desire for the model sublimated or expressed in the work of art? Griet feels she is being possessed and when her ear is painfully pierced by Vermeer and her blood flows, it is clear she is being symbolically deflowered. His mother-in-law abets in this act as a way of pleasing the rich patron and her role brings to mind Vermeer's earliest genre painting, The Procuress. Immediately after the piercing, Griet rushes off to surrender her real virginity to a boyfriend, a butcher's son of her own class. Girl With a Pearl Earring is quiet, intelligent and well-acted. Olivia Hetreed's dialogue is plain and inoffensive in an old-fashioned schools-broadcasting manner. What most people will be impressed by, and carry away in their mind's eye, is the film's appearance. French cinematographer Eduardo Serra and his Dutch collaborators, the production designer Ben van Os and the costume designer Dien van Straalen, have given the movie a self-conscious beauty. The landscapes are out of Hobbema. The stern, black-dressed mother-in-law looks as if she has posed for Rembrandt or Hals. The interiors and exteriors of Delft resemble paintings by Vermeer, Pieter de Hooch and their contemporaries brought to life. Van Meegeren the forger never came near this.

Thanks Maria for the Southwest Trains interview;-) Good to hear him say nice things about Winchester; it's a gorgeous city. (Where you get off to go to Chawton, JA's home; she's buried at the Winchcester cathedral)) Just a short while ago he referred to it as "the sticks".

Just a short while ago he referred to it as "the sticks". He wasn't wrong IMHO! It may look nice in parts but thereis not much going on there. They did not have a cinema until about 6 years ago :-(

FYI: Ebert will mention GWAPE again next weekend, when they do a program on "Most Overlooked Films of 2003."

And Cosmo has spoken, from the Sunday Times: His dark interiors Girl with a Pearl Earring is impeccably tasteful yet strangely anaemic, says Cosmo Landesman Last week, we had Scarlett Johansson in a film, Lost n Translation, about a younger woman's relationship with an older man (Bill Murray). This week we have Scarlett Johansson in a film, Girl With a Pearl Earring, about a younger woman's relationship with an older man (Colin Firth). What could a film set in contemporary Japan and a film set in 17th-century Holland possibly have in common, other than Scarlett Johansson and older men? Answer: repression. At a time when an older generation of film-makers--Brian De Palma, Paul Verhoeven, William Friedkin--can be heard complaining that the puritanism of the George W Bush era is pushing sex out of films [Ed note: Aren't you glad I posted that article on O&E? ], we have two films by younger directors who seem to be saying: no sex, please, we're American art movies. Both are works that revel in restraint. Watching Girl with a Pearl Earring, I realised I hadn't seen so much drama beneath the surface since the final act of James Cameron's Titanic. Based on Tracy Chevalier's hit novel, it purports to tell the story behind the creation of Johannes Vermeer's painting of that name. I hate to be a party-pooper, but nobody knows who the girl in the painting really was, so what we are watching is an illusion. This film is the biography of a masterpiece based on pure speculation--and nobody seems to mind. When Hollywood does this sort of thing, everyone groans about distorting the truth; but when it's a conspicuously artful work like this, it's called poetic truth (ie, a lie with classy cinematography). Anyway, this is the story of how Griet (Johansson), an uneducated but beautiful 17-year-old servant girl, came to play a part in the creation of Vermeer's masterpiece. Her blind father is sick, and to support her family, Griet must leave her quiet Protestant home to work as a servant for the noisy, Catholic Vermeer family. Life with the Vermeers is a cold, harsh and crowded affair, full of bawling babies, petulant kids and scheming adults. Her jealous mistress, Catharina (Essie Davis), is a headache, and the house is ruled by the Machiavellian mother-in-law, Maria (Judy Parfitt). And there's the great man himself (Firth), who spends his days locked away in his studio, scowling. The world of the Vermeers is full of dark interiors where people creep around in the shadows, spying on each other. Most of Griet's time is spent shopping, scrubbing, boiling and fetching. We see her soft white hands slowly turn into red lumps of scarred meat. But her beauty, which is kept tightly under wraps, soon attracts the eye of her master, Vermeer. A relationship develops based on her interest in art, and soon she is cleaning his studio before graduating to mixing his paints. Her elevation from maid to muse is made explicit when we see Vermeer watching her wash his studio windows--this provides the inspiration for another famous Vermeer painting, Woman with a Water Jug. Griet is taken into the private world of his creative life like a mistress to his bed. Soon, they begin an illicit affair of the art--for, behind his jealous wife's back, Griet sits for Vermeer in the painting that is to become Girl with a Pearl Earring. On paper, this story is the stuff of melodrama, a young-servant-girl-in-peril story. Griet faces the sexual attentions of her master and the even more explicit erotic longing of Vermeer's manipulative patron, the lecherous Master van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson). But the director, Peter Webber, is more keen to create a mellow drama than a melodrama. The dominant tone is understatement. What interests him are those little events--the brush of a hand, the licking of lips, the letting down of Griet's hair--that carry such an erotic charge. But the film is a little too restrained for my taste; the central drama is left looking too anaemic to make an impact. Johansson is perfect as Griet; such is her luminosity that she seems to be lit from beneath her skin. But Colin Firth has reacted against the film tradition of portraying painters as larger-than-life figures and ends up with a character who can't fill the screen. This is one of those films you feel obliged to admire because it's so self-consciously artistic. The cinematographer, Eduardo Serra, has framed his frames with the simple use of light and composition that comes straight from Vermeer paintings. It's done with such impeccable good taste that real life seems to be smothered beneath its sumptuous style. By the end, you feel as if you've seen a wonderful exhibition of Vermeer, but where's the drama? Girl with a Pearl Earring, 12A, 100 mins, one star

(Cosmo) one star Pox on Cosmo. As I've always said ...with a name like that he's always on the offensive. (Allison)It may look nice in parts but there is not much going on there... LOL. C'mon Allison, you make it sound like a hamlet in the Cotswolds;-)

Very good review by Jenny McCartney in the Sunday Telegraph. "Painterly, beautifully understated gem"...."Firth, temporarily liberated from the rigours of romantic comedy, none the less looks his most romantic here. The straggling locks of an Old Master suit him. His performance emphasises Vermeer's overwhelming selfish obsession with the craft of painting - although other considerations - kindness, desire, the increasingly urgent need to earn money - can be seen drifting in and out of his consciousness." Definitely a difference in male/female perspective! Doesn't the ghastly Cosmo use a different rating system - no star, one star, two. Doesn't go any further?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/sundance/ A good BBCInteractive site - you can email the reporter and ask her to report back on particular movies (or maybe questions for cast/director?). "Trauma" is on her list of films to see.

Bethan - Great link for Sundance info. Thanks.

Thank you for the reviews and all the links. Maria I especially liked the Telegraph's Olivia H. interview. Chevalier thought for a second about writing it herself. I spoke with her last night and she said that her agent quickly talked her out of it by saying she didn't know how to write a screen play and that she should stick to books. Her Vermeer she says was quite ruthless and the reason he made Griet pierce her other ear was because esthetically, she didn't look right wearing only one. She had to have them both on. The film was "reussi" and Scarlett was perfect and although she doesn't look like Griet, she became her at the end.

You can listen to Ebert & Roeper's reviews of GWAPE, and also check out their memo to the Academy list with CF. http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/today.html

(Moon) The film was "reussi" Translate, pl. (author via Moon) Her Vermeer she says was quite ruthless.. Hmmmm.Wonder if she told Colin that. To me in the book Vermeer came across as a predator. Thankfully, Colin didn't play him that way.

(Bethan) Doesn't the ghastly Cosmo use a different rating system - no star, one star, two. Doesn't go any further? Is that right? One wonders why he even bothers with stars. Would be easier to say: No, OK, and yes. (Moon) The film was "reussi" Translate, pl. Precipitous. ;-)

Speaking of precipitous...... Spoke to someone in Press Office, conveniently 20 ft away at the moment..... We were told definite shows were Marc Evans and Mena Suvari, with Colin and Brenda Fricker as TBD-but unlikely. :-( Well here's hoping. They didn't say a definite "No." Will check for updated list tomorrow. Later!

Thanks Dorine for the update. Can't believe that (mumble mumble) won't be there.

is this still news ? i'm not sure, but here goes : a flood of gwape publicity pix up on french sites (movie opening here in march) : here's one i hadn't seen yet (hello there, hand lovers) : also, they changed tack in terms of poster and went straight for the recreation of the painting : very nice imo... check it out @ alt poster thanks for the news everyone.

Merci, sophie! (Moon) The film was "reussi" (Evelyn), Translate, pl. Succeeded. All the goals were attained. (Karen), Precipitous. ;-) ?????

GWAPE did well again this weekend, with an excellent $9,215 per screen average: Girl with a Pearl Earring $470,000 +48.4% 51 +10 $9,215 $1,873,000

(Mari)GWAPE did well again this weekend, with an excellent $9,215 per screen average Now if they would just get it to a theater near me I can assure you it will do even better;-)

GWAPE is coming to South Africa 'tentatively' on 9 April. Can't wait. Thanks for all the reviews - they make the wait durable.

10 Bafta nominations for GWAPE - see BBC Entertainment site

For those who don't go to O&E, Emma was kind enough to type the BAFTA nominations and list them on #178.

Go to www.tribute.ca and then go to Tribute TV to see an interview from Toronto with Colin and SJ. This was supposed to have been on TV here on Saturday but was pre-empted by skating, so I'm happy as a happy girl :-)

Here's a direct link to the video: http://www.tribute.ca/multimedia/interview.asp?m_id=7883&firstin=1

And we're happy that you brought it to us. Thanks Brenda. She has improved her interview skills tremendously since Toronto. Obviously a fun shoot. Their compatibility paid off.

Thanks Brenda and Karen for the direct link. I get an error and am unable to watch the SJ and CF video but there is a seven minute video of just Colin if you go to star chat and click on clipstream...(And yes, I gave up on being good at work...:-))

Thanks Maria for the additional info. I believe Brenda had posted transcribed text before, which is also on the site: http://www.tribute.ca/newsletter/121/starchat_01.html This link takes you directly to the StarChat page: http://www.tribute.ca/newsletter/starchats/index.asp

The star chat video stream is almost the same as the audio except you get to see his hands a lot and pulling on his nose;-) Sounds as if it was SJ who set the tone on the set. Her enthusiasm and vitality was infectious.

I had missed the longer clip! Thanks for that link. I wouldn't have gone back to the chat page. Very nice clip! Makes me think they may have read my emails begging for more Colin :-D

Thanks, everyone. Interviews, chats, and BAFTA noms...now that is my kind of Monday. (Maria)...(And yes, I gave up on being good at work...:-)) I'm pleased to hear it;-)

News Release Monday 19 January 2004, 12:46 GMT Monday 19 January 2004 FILM AWARD Pathe Distribution British film GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING scores 10 BAFTA nominations LONDON, January 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Path� Pictures' GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, released on Friday 16th January and starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson received 10 BAFTA nominations today. THE ALEXANDER KORDA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR Andy Paterson, Anand Tucker, Peter Webber THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD FOR SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT BY A BRITISH DIRECTOR/PRODUCER OR WRITER IN THEIR FIRST FEATURE FILM Peter Webber BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Olivia Hetreed BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Scarlett Johansson BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Judy Parfitt THE ANTHONY ASQUITH AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM MUSIC Alexandre Desplat BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Eduardo Serra AFC, ASC BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Ben Van Os BEST COSTUME DESIGN Dien Van Straalen BEST MAKE UP AND HAIR Jenny Shircore GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING unravels the mystery behind one of Dutch Master artist Johannes Vermeer's greatest and most enigmatic paintings. Seventeen year-old Griet (Johansson) is forced by family tragedy to become a maid for the Vermeer family. As intimacy grows between master and servant, disruption and jealousy spread within the ordered household and beyond, fuelling a scandal which threatens to ruin them all. The screenplay for GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING was adapted by Olivia Hetreed from Tracy Chevalier's best-selling novel and the film marks the feature film debut of director Peter Webber. Andy Paterson and Anand Tucker produce for Archer Street on behalf of Inside Track; Jimmy de Brabant is co-producer for Luxembourg's Delux Productions. The film opened on Friday 16th January to excellent reviews: "Vermeer's masterpiece is brought vividly to life...brilliant cinematography" - Philip French - The Observer - Film of the Week "Stunning...hauntingly beautiful" - Peter Bradshaw - The Guardian - Film of the Week "A magical film...it will leave you spellbound. Scarlett Johansson gives a stunning performance" - Allan Hunter - Daily Express - 5 Stars All images available on www.image.net. Note to Editors: Director Peter Webber and Producer Andy Paterson are available for interviews. Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Pathe Distribution http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=115403

I completely agree with this description of Colin in GWAPE: http://www.iofilm.co.uk/fm/g/girl_with_a_pearl_earring_2003.shtml Vermeer is shown as a weak man, prone to outbursts of temper, but essentially trapped in a loveless marriage, controlled by a harridan and disliked by his children, whom he ignores. Firth gives one of his brooding, unshaven, devilishly attractive performances, borrowed from romantic fiction, in which the look in his eye and the movement of his hands speaks poetry.

Portrait pics of Mena Suvari (and her husband) and Marc Evans: http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=gls====48141&evntI=594 Trauma premiere: http://www.wireimage.com/GalleryListing.asp?navtyp=gls====48092&evntI=594

FILM REVIEW: Webber's artistic 'Pearl' is a slow-moving, subtle gem By Meaghan Chambers The Hoya (Georgetown U.) 01/19/2004 (U-WIRE) WASHINGTON -- Among the films released this holiday season, "Girl with the Pearl Earring" is perhaps the most subdued -- in acclaim, in attention and in tone. Unlike the practically animated "Big Fish" or adventurous "Lord of the Rings," "Girl with the Pearl Earring"'s aim is much more low-key. Readers of Tracy Chevalier's novel of the same name, however, should understand that the transition to film is no simple undertaking, making this quite an accomplished film. Like the novel, the film is not driven by its plot, but rather by character development. It is not fast paced, but through the embedded character study, it manages to come off as charming and artistic. "Girl with the Pearl Earring" tells the fictionalized story of the creation of a painting by Johannes Vermeer in 1665 Netherlands. The teenage protagonist of the film, Griet (Scarlett Johansson), works as a maid in the house of Vermeer (Colin Firth). The painter's home is a foreign but strangely intriguing world to Griet; her mother warns her to stay away from their Catholic prayers and cover her Protestant ears if she hears them. During her work, she quickly befriends the other maid and quickly irritates Cornelia (Alakina Mann), one of Vermeer's children. Vermeer's wife Catharina (an astonishing Essie Davis) also dislikes Griet and remains wary of her throughout the film. Vermeer himself is mysterious -- he works alone in his studio and rarely crosses Griet's path in the beginning of her time at his house. Griet views Vermeer's studio as a sacred space and is always very careful when she works there. As Griet slowly becomes more visible to Vermeer, he begins to see something special in her -- an interest in art. They develop a friendship in which he teaches her about art and she blossoms with the responsibilities entrusted to her. Scarlett Johansson is perhaps Hollywood's most promising young actress. From her acclaimed performance in "Ghostworld" to this year's "Lost in Translation," she rarely gives audiences anything other than a stellar performance. As Griet, she possesses great poise and delivers a performance that is shy and uncertain, but done with a streak of confidence. Upon first meeting the Vermeer's butcher, she sends back the meat he gives her and asks for the freshest cut. Her manner is slow, deliberate and open. But in the presence of her master she becomes slightly awkward, almost paralyzed with admiration. Colin Firth's naturally enigmatic expressions are appropriate for Vermeer. He has long, untamed hair and lurks around his house and studio like a madman (or some might say, a genius). The interactions between Firth and Johansson are extremely touching. At one point, Vermeer introduces Griet to the camera obscura -- a basic camera -- in what is one of the film's most intimate and honest exchanges. Griet catches the eye of -- and befriends -- the butcher's son, Pieter. She also attracts Vermeer's patron Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), a lecherous, wealthy man with a history of impregnating maids. Wilkinson's performance is a great combination of jovial exuberance and sexual innuendo. But it is clearly the relationship between Griet and Vermeer that is at the heart of the film. It is unclear whether Vermeer is actually attracted to Griet or if he sees in her only great artistic inspiration. Whatever the case, the tension between them is beautiful and strong. Director Peter Webber chose wisely to avoid changing the novel's plot and inventing a Hollywood romance. The mise-en-scene wonderfully illustrates the atmosphere of the city, Delft, and of Griet's situation. Drab blues, white, grays and yellows depict the winter scenes of the Netherlands and the clouds that Vermeer brings to Griet's attention. Each camera shot seems like a painting of its own. As the film begins and ends, Griet is shown looking lost and without direction as she walks across a compass made of tiles in a town square. This mural of colors and shapes may be the most beautiful shot of all. The long-lasting close-ups on Griet while she poses for a painting highlight the importance of the moment and the similarities between the actress and the actual painting. Webber does an exemplary job with images in the film, greatly compensating for the lack of narration. Johansson is also largely responsible for these expressive images; her nonverbal expressions speak volumes. These moments include the adrenaline rush she has when she influences Vermeer's art and the fear of a painting of a dying Jesus in her sleeping quarters. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" is a beautiful cinematic translation of a wonderfully illustrative and imagined novel. As a film about painting, it takes the artistic aspect of filmmaking very seriously and turns out an artistic success. The film resists all melodramatic urges and instead draws interest from its authentic, beautiful and realistic characters and settings.

Remember, reviews, reports, general audience reaction type stuff here. Spoilers about the film (details) on Spoilers. From the BBC's Sundance site: (Stella) it's a discomfiting watch - as the title suggests. Firth's performance is certainly a departure from the soft-centred roles we're used to seeing him in, but he pulls it off very well. That's very good to hear. In all, Trauma is the kind of high impact movie High impact? Now *that* I love! but rather like a Chinese takeaway, it left me feeling unsatisfied. Nevah heard of her.

From the woman who wrote in the SF Chronicle: "Painstakingly slathering paint on canvas, Firth displays the intensity of a great artist," Ruthe ran to see Trauma too. Wonder why? ;-) She wrote: The emotional effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks may account for the bad things that unexpectedly befall a parade of characters. Festival director Geoffrey Gilmore believes this year's crop of indie filmmakers--the first since Sept. 11 to have their work come to fruition--are reflecting the subconscious fears of the population. "The kind of self-centered complacency that America was so full of in the '90s has seemed to evaporate. There is much more of a sense of anxiety," Gilmore said. Sundance offerings like "November," "The Machinist," "Trauma" and "One Point O" "deal with people trying to resettle themselves in a world much less assured than it used to be and far more threatening." In "Trauma," it's Colin Firth whose world falls apart after a car crash that kills his wife and leaves him first in a coma and then delusional. "Colin's character is adrift," said director Marc Evans. "He doesn't know where his anchor is, either emotionally or socially. He goes to a shrink, but actually, he gets the truth he is looking for from a medium. It is very true that since 9/11, we are all looking for solace any place we can find it."

Brenda, thanks for the links to the interviews from the Toronto FF! Really enjoyed watching them. Whie we're waiting for the Sundance Kids to wake up . . . (Karen)Portrait pics of Mena Suvari (and her husband) and Marc Evans Awww, no Butch Cassidy. :-( :-( I really figured he'd show, thinking that supporting your director, publicizing the film, possibly enhancing chances of distribution deals and meeting serious film people who just might do you some good would be worthwhile things. Silly me. *Lightbulb* Maybe Mishimoko is Italian for "no more field trips." ;-)

I love this! From Londoner's Diary in today's ES. Some chastening news for pin-up Colin firth. SJ, the precocious 19 year-old New yorker who plays opposite him in the new film, GWAPE, has been teasing him about his "chicken legs". "The characteristic was accentuated by the breeches that Colin wore in the film", says direcor PW. "It's true his legs did look skinny in the old Dutch trousers he wore which finish above the ankle. Maybe Scarlett had a point - the trousers did make him look like he had chicken legs. I only put one shot of his ankles in the whole film, perhaps as a kindness."

Thanks Brenda, Maria and Karen for the video links to the Toronto interviews... Even though we've read transcripts from these interviews it's always a little more telling to see the images. For instance, I very much got a kick out of hearing how the intervewer was just a wea bit flustered when asking those silly questions about his hearthrob status. I liked the way he handled it and shut it down pretty quickly. But then again, I'm not sure I would have been able to do any better. (Allison)... only put one shot of his ankles in the whole film, perhaps as a kindness. Interesting to see that post today. I saw the film again last night and noticed that very shot..it's when he's climbing up the ladder to where the paints are mixed....funny thing is that I had said to myself at the time "Gosh, he really does have skinny legs..."