I refuse to repeat a movie on this project and will do anything not to repeat a movie. Would you see The Butterfly Effect or My Baby’s Daddy again? I think not. So for today I got out of KKSM early today and drove all the way to Hillcrest to catch a movie I haven’t seen yet. Luckily it was an early showing and I beat the traffic getting there.
The movie for Thursday’s entry is The Girl with a Pearl Earring starring Scarlett Johansson, Tom Wilkinson, and Colin Firth. It’s playing at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinema which makes the trip worthwhile, I can visit Bronx Pizza for a delicious veggie or eggplant pizza or I can go to Off the Record where I can browse through stacks and stacks of vinyl. In fact you can do both!
As a former AP Art History student I had to study many works of art from Renaissance to post modern art. The painting that this film is about was painted by Johannes Vermeer and is considered one of his masterpieces. In AP Art History our instructor had us write an essay on certain works of art and write up a possible story behind the painting. I remember I did my essay on Rembrandt’s “Night Watch”. The film Girl with a Pearl Earring is like the essay we had to write up in AP Art History, a theoretical tale behind Vermeer’s most studied painting.
The girl with the pearl earring is Griet (Scarlett Johansson), a poor peasant girl who sent off to work at Vermeer’s household. In Vermeer’s house his mother-in-law is the boss and head while his wife is nothing more than a baby machine making babies every year while Vermeer makes paintings every year as well. Griet works hard in the household and soon enough is getting the attention of Vermeer. A rich patron of Vermeer lusts for Griet and commissions Vermeer to paint Griet. Also in the mix is a young butcher who is also attracted to Griet.
Watching The Girl with a Pearl Earring is like watching Vermeer’s paintings come to life. If you compare the actual painting to Scarlett Johansson in this film the likeness is uncanny. The film has the same radiance and beauty that you would find in any of Vermeer’s paintings. The cast in this film is top notch and all give fine performances that are not too melodramatic and over-the-top. I found this an interesting essay on the painting and it makes you wonder about other famous paintings. Who was Mona Lisa? There are no records of any model sittings for Mona Lisa. Who was Blue Boy? Like Amadeus, Girl with a Pearl Earring delivers an interesting and original story based on an enigmatic piece of art.