Colin Firth,
Scarlett Johansson,
Tom Wilkinson,
Judy Parfitt,
Cillian Murphy
... see more 
The subject of one of Johannes Vermeer's most enduring portraits becomes the focus of this biographical period piece from director Peter Webber. Girl With a Pearl Earring is told from the point of vie... read more
Directed by: Peter Webber
Release Date: January 9, 2004
Keywords:
quiet,
colin firth,
scarlett johansson,
pearl earring,
story behind,
Colin Firth ,
Scarlett Johansson ,
Cillian Murphy ,
Pearl Earring
DVD Release Date: May 4, 2004
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Stats: 3,285 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (3,285)
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March 26, 2012Visually this film about the creation of Vermeer's famous painting from the 1600s is very pleasing. The majority of the shots look like paintings themselves at first glance. The cast is also excellent. So why did this not work for me? Maybe you have to be into art to appreciate t... read more
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December 14, 2011This movie, in my humble opinion, is targeted for audience with peculiar sense. The pearl's value didn't quite add up to much entertainment, and the earring was not as close to heart as it was to ears. The performances didn't matter to me in this case. But if it helps any, every ... read more
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February 1, 2011This fictionalised version of characters and events surrounding the creation of Vermeer's masterpiece is a cinematographer's wet dream come true. To be honest, I find many period dramas a load of overly melodramatic, hand wringing nonsense, but The Girl With The Pearl Earring was... read more
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December 9, 2010Quite passive and a bit terse, this true account of the painting that changed its creator's life, is filled to brimming with a tense silence between the muse and master, a violent home life, and the obvious ineptitude of the times. Beautifully done, of course.
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September 3, 2010A very average period drama that tells a very dull story indeed if it were not for the history. Some nice visualisations of Delft in the 17th century, though the CGI was a bit too fake looking at times, and the acting wasn't ever good enough to separate Johannes Vermeer from Coli... read more
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January 13, 2010A beautiful film, but the plot holds no revelations, and moves at glacial speed (indeed, you occasionally feel that you are watching paint dry). The story holds nothing new and is so buried by nuance that you just can't seem to care about Johannson's plight as a young woman virtu... read more
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October 2, 2009The story behind the masterpiece! Not much of a story though eh! Apart from the beautiful cinematography, with frames that almost look like paintings and the wonderful set design, there isn't much to it! It?s all looks and no content! The acting is wooden to say the least and the... read more
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August 3, 2008One of the few films I like more than the novel they were based on. The mis-en-scene is particularly beautiful; several of the set ups look as if they could have been paintings as well.
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March 30, 2008this was a really good film with star power and solid performances until the final 15 minutes where the film completely fell apart. until the end, the story was intriguing and innovative and i was really curious as to how the film would end. when the film wound down to its fina... read more
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March 9, 2008Incredibly gorgeous mise-en-scene and art direction. Every shot is like a Vermeer painting and the script is sparse enough to convey a tense and quiet sense of power-struggle. The ear-piercing scene is erotic as all get-out and that bonus music video on the DVD is totally whack.
Critic Reviews
January 30, 2004
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
January 29, 2004
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic
A feast for the eyes.
January 22, 2004
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
A virtual ricochet-fest of eyeball action. Those looks, those glares, those gapes, those gawks!
January 21, 2004
Rex Reed, New York Observer
A rare and elegant film bathed in the kind of soft, delicate light that can build unexpectedly to feelings of both anxiety and bliss. Full Review
January 16, 2004
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
The picture is simply ravishing, but at times it falls prey to its own contemplations. Full Review
January 16, 2004
Tom Long, Detroit News
Girl With A Pearl Earring is one of those quiet, restrained films that softly haunts the viewer for weeks afterward. It won't knock you over, but it won't soon leave you either.
January 16, 2004
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Beautifully lit, designed and photographed, it is, like much of the Dutch master's work, more to be admired than emotionally embraced. Full Review
January 16, 2004
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Girl With a Pearl Earring brilliantly captures the texture of ordinary life.
January 16, 2004
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
To earn its props, a period film must resonate in our time. A movie about art doubles that demand. Webber has delivered the goods and then some. Full Review
January 16, 2004
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
An extraordinary embodiment of the period, [Johansson] looks to have stepped right into a Vermeer frame. Full Review
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Girl With a Pearl Earring
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