Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) starring Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy. In 1665 in Delft, Holland, a girl named Griet (Johansson) is hired as a maid in the household of master painter Johannes Vermeer (Firth). She's a good maid, but she catches Vermeer's eye and he wants more from her. He wants her to help him mix his paints; and to pose for a painting -- a painting which will become the classic "Girl with a Pearl Earring," now considered a masterpiece. But her seemingly improved status comes at a cost. Vermeer's wife is insanely jealous of Griet, and one of his daughters takes a special disliking to her. Meanwhile, Vermeer's patron (Wilkinson) has taken a leering fancy to Griet, and makes trouble of a different kind for her. One feels at all times that her virtue is in peril; as a mere maid, there is little she can do to protect herself and still keep her job. Johansson is perfect as Griet, conveying a wide range of emotions with few words. The filmmakers have done an excellent job of creating a world -- Holland in the 17th century, as we can easily imagine it to have been. All the details are spot on. The movie's subtitles are useful and unobtrusive. Grade: A-
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