Artist and Model. Review on Girl with a Pearl Earring Movie

Living in a small town like I do in order to see what are considered less then blockbuster category movies I have to wait for their release on D.V.D. The Girl With The Pearl Earring was a movie that I had been wanting to see for a number of reasons. Foremost was the fact that Colin Firth would be playing the pivotal role of Dutch 18th century Dutch artist Vermeer. He is one of the few actors I would pay to watch read a dictionary.

Aside from the appeal of Mr. Firth's acting talents is the fact that as someone who depends on inspiration for my own attempts at creation, I have a fascination with anything that provides insight into the creative process, and motivations, of those I consider masters of their art form. I grew up with a reproduction of one of Vermeer's more famous paintings handing in our living room, Girl with a pitcher of water,(which makes an appearance in the movie near the beginning; it's this painting which makes the artist realize his servant, Grete, (played by Scarlet Johansen) has an awareness of painting) and so felt like I would be visiting the studio of an old friend. The plot of the movie is on one level fairly straight forward. A young woman, Grete, whose family has fallen on hard times is forced to enter into service. She hired to be the maid of the household of the artist Vermeer. He, his wife and six children live under the roof of the artist's mother in law, who not only controls the purse strings but ensures the sustaining of their lifestyle through an attitude of obtaining commissions for her son in law ''by any means necessary'' This ultimately becomes the focal point for the major conflict within the movie.

As the story progresses we and Vermeer becomes aware of the talents of his servant, their relationship changes. In the beginning she is responsible for cleaning his studio, along with her other chores, but soon becomes directly involved with her masters' work. Mixing his paints gives her confidence enough to one day change the composition of the aforementioned painting that adorned my family home. Unfortunately for her this also brings her to the attention of the one person the family's income is dependant upon: Vermeer's patron. In an effort to place Grete in a position that will enable him to seduce her he winds up convincing Vermeer and his Mother in law to surreptitiously paint her portrait for his personal perusal. As Vermeer's wife is not blind to the growing attachment her husband is forming for the servant, and there is an underlying suggestion that affairs are not alien to the artist, there is a conspiracy formed of necessity by the Mother in law, Vermeer, Grete and the patron.

While Grete is genuinely falling under the spell of Vermeer, whether love or just bedazzlement, with Vermeer we are never quite sure what motivates him. Is it his desire for a beautiful woman? Or is it the desire to paint the picture he can see in his mind's eye that compels his actions. The distinction is lost upon the wife and all she can see is the betrayal. When she screams at the completed picture ''Why can't you paint me like that'' we hear her saying why can't you look at me like that?

Colin Firth as Vermeer is brilliant. He portrays a man who lives for his art, and everything else is secondary. When he is not painting he can be the consummate husband, doting and loving, but when his muse has spoken nothing else matters. No judgment is made on this characterization, and Mr. Firth does a masterful job of showing us the genuine pain he experiences at hurting his wife, all the time while surrendering to the compulsion to do the things he must do in order to create art. Scarlet Johansen's portrayal of Grete's growth form innocence to awareness is suitably paced, and the nuances of her performance allow us to see that she realizes betrayal on two levels. One when she understands that Vermeer doesn't love her, and two coming to the understanding that he will do what ever is needed to paint a picture, even if it is coming to an understanding with a slime like his patron. Ultimately she leaves his world and returns to the straightforward life of a servant but not without more of understanding of what it is to create art.

As befits a movie about an artist who was famous for his use of light, the cinematography has been carefully light to capture mood and atmosphere. Shadow, candle light, and the grays of a Dutch winter all play important rolls in the creation of our understanding of how Vermeer's creations came to be. The way the light plays off his subjects on the canvass is brought to life in his environs significantly enough for us to see their influence clearly.

This is a well acted and well paced movie with fine performances from the whole cast. We are given an intimate portrait of an artist and his means of creation. We are left to judge his behavior against what he produces. When does the cost of creation, no matter the resulting beauty, become too much is left for us to decide. No easy answers are awaiting us in this movie, no nice sentiment wrapped in a bow. Like all good art it shows a picture and leaves us to figure it out.