"Girl With a Pearl Earring" combines the crafts of production design, cinematography and musical score sublimely. Director Peter Webber stands back, handling his cast in restraining fashion. Female lead, played by Scarlett Johansson on the verge to have her breakthrough with "Lost in Translation", releasing at international film festivals at the same time, gives the character of Griet undermined cold appearance. Nevertheless her potential is not fully explored in an adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's equally named novel on the evolutionary creation of the painting by Johannes Vermeer in 1665. Peter Webber delivers hardly the overall punchline "You've seen inside me", when Scarlett Johansson needed to be pushed out of the comfort zone of the ghostly dragging peasant girl, cleaning the artist's household. British actor Colin Firth, given the part of Vermeer, almost in the same restrained fashion. The characters of Griet and Vermeer share one tender moment, when the girl's ear needs to be pierced in order to hang the ear ring at her earlobe. The actors' hands meet for brief moment of truth, which saves the otherwise conventionally playing interpretation of historical period piece. Additional supporting cast members as Tom Wilkinson and Cillian Murphy are also in the film, but share the same fate of not getting intrigued into their characters enough in order to elevate the picture beyond mediocrity. "Girl With A Pearl Earring" can be enjoyed for its splendor in audio-visual decor, mainly through the expertise of a flawless collaboration between Cinematographer Eduardo Serra and Ben Van Os and round finish of Alexandre Desplat's minimalist piano score. For Director Peter Webber it has been a craftsman exercise towards cinema, from which never really departed to this day.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend

Scarlett Johansson isn't a perfect actress, but she sure is a mesmerizing one. She's able to bring so much to her performances when it counts. She's one of those actresses that's better with the silent stuff, with her expressions and her gazing off. She has a very introverted type of acting, internalized that might conflict when she has to go "bigger" or more dramatic but when put to use (like here and in both Lost in Translation and Under the Skin) you simply can't take your eyes off of her. The supporting performances are good, particularly Essie Davis (who I saw for the first time in The Babadook) doing sort of tremendous, if one-note because of the limited role, work. Overall, definitely a film to recommend.

Review: Although this movie is about an historical moment, I did find the pace quite slow and boring in parts. The director captured the period very well and I did feel for the servants who had to work extremely hard for there disrespectful masters. Griet, whose played by Scarlett Johannson, didn't do anything wrong as a servant, but she was constantly getting punished because of the attention that she was getting from Johannes Vermeer, played by Colin Firth. When you actually look at the real picture, you can't help but wonder what is going on in this girls mind. This movie does bring some light to the whole world surrounding this one picture, but I would have liked to see more about Vermeer who was a very unique artist. His attention to detail was a long process and the way that he created the colours were an eye opener. Anyway, you do have to be in the right mood to watch the movie because it has a very moody tone, but it is interesting because of it's historical element. Average!Round-Up: After watching a few of Scarlett Johannson's movies back to back, she did seem to act the same in her earlier roles, but she has grown out of that habit of late. With movies like The Avengers and Lucy, she has become a more physical actress who has been blowing up at the box office. She also showed that she can tone down her roles with movies like Under The Skin and Hitchcock which didn't rely on her physical abilities so she has proved that she can take on any project that is put in front of her. Colin Firth is the master of period dramas so this role was right down his street. He is a proud owner of an Oscar after his brilliant performance in The King's Speech so there isn't that much more for him to achieve in such a versatile career. As for the other actors in this movie, they all put in a great performance but I'm just not a big fan of period dramas. Budget: $10million Worldwide Gross: $31.5millionI recommend this movie to people who are into there period dramas about the famous Girl With A Pearl Earring painting and how it came about. 4/10

A film about a famous painting by Vermeer, itself has to be framed like a painting. So kudos to the cinematographer and the art director for a gorgeous looking film and Alexandre Desplat brings the right notes with the accompanying music.The film depicts Dutch society at the time for a young peasant girl thrown into a religious yet avantgarde household and never quite knowing her place. Scarlett Johansson really hits her stride as Griet showing vulnerability and beauty as well as a yearning to understand art.Colin Firth on the other hand seems to be saddled with a bad wig and you never get into his Vermeer because he always appears to be solemn or brooding or about to lash out as he lives a life of pecuniary and painting commissions in order to make ends meet.Little is known about the artist Vermeer other than that he had lots of children and debt. The film depicting the painting and the characterisation of Griet is fiction. However the film with its is light, shades and colour is a picture.