Girl With A Pearl Earring

Every vibrant, golden-lit scene seems to come straight from a Johannes Vermeer canvas in this charming story centring on the painter's relationship with a beguiling young servant girl. In this triumph for cinematography, we are transported back to 17th century Holland to join the middle-class Vermeer family, whose lives generally revolve around flattering wealthy arts patrons and sneering at their drably dressed workers.

Timid new servant Griet (Lost In Translation's Scarlett Johansson) spends her time contemplatively cleaning windows and polishing silver bowls until the creatively frustrated Vermeer (Colin Firth) begins to see her potential, soon initiating conversations about art and colour. When Griet tells him the clouds are not white but in fact "blue, yellow and grey", he realises she is just as pretentious as him beneath her dowdy peasant exterior and sets out to pass on his artistic wisdom.

Light touches of fingers and fervent glances are as far as the relationship goes physically, but eventually Griet is led to pose for a commissioned painting wearing a coloured headscarf, an earring borrowed from Vermeer's snooty wife and an evocative pout. For the sake of the family, the artist's mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt) desperately tries to keep her jealous daughter from finding out about the painting, whilst Vermeer's curly-topped brat of a daughter makes a habit of spying from every corner in order to cause trouble for Griet.

Johansson's pallid face is the real star of this movie, with lingering headshots dictating the mood of every scene. Her eyelids alone give better performances than many of Hollywood's highest paid stars. The rest of the cast carry off their roles well, though many of the characters seem just a little too clichéd in this adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's novel of the same title.

In reality very little is known of Vermeer's life, so of course it's all complete tosh, but nonetheless Girl With A Pearl Earring makes wonderful viewing so long as you can cope with the unhurried pace.

William Summers, 21.01.04