 |
|
|
Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
 |
 |
|
|
|
British director Peter Webber makes an astonishing feature debut with this ravishing period drama. Based on a bestselling novel by Tracy Chevalier, it's a fictionalised reconstruction of the story behind 17th-century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer's celebrated painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. Following her outstanding turn in Lost in Translation, Scarlett Johansson cements her golden girl status with a heartbreakingly brilliant portrayal of Vermeer's housemaid and eventual muse. Inadvertently drawn to the secretive artist (a brooding Colin Firth), she finds head and heart colliding to costly effect. Though a work of fiction, the exquisite tale feels authentic thanks to the strong central performances and a naturalistic script that avoids tawdry melodrama. Instead, the film's considerable emotional and erotic power comes from expectation and electric flashes of intimacy, with one look from Johansson enough to convey a thousand words. The cinematography is equally intoxicating, transforming every detailed frame into a richly coloured tableau vivant, while Alexandre Desplat's beautiful score adds extra intensity. SF
|
Tell us what you think
Email us at rtfilmcomments@bbc.co.uk to tell us what you think of this film. Your comments may appear in Radio Times magazine.
|
Running time
|
95min
|
Country of origin
|
UK / Lux / US
|
Genre
|
Period Drama
|
Original language
|
English
|
Screenplay
|
Olivia Hetreed, from the novel by Tracy Chevalier
|
Theatrical distributor
|
Pathé
|
UK cinema certificate
|
12A
|
UK cinema release date
|
January 2004
|
|
|
|
|
| awards information |
|
|
|
Award |
Category |
Name |
Nominee/Winner |
|
|
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
Scarlett Johansson |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role |
Judy Parfitt |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
Best Screenplay (Adapted) |
Olivia Hetreed |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2003 |
The Alexander Korda Award for the Outstanding British Film of the Year |
|
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2003 |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama |
Scarlett Johansson |
Nominee |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Radio Times is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
|
|
|
|
|
|
