Girl With a Pearl Earring (movie)

The shimmering city of Delft leaps from the pages of Tracy Chevalier's delicately descriptive novel onto the screen in the film 'Girl With a Pearl Earring'. 17th century Holland is recreated with breathtaking splendor. From the folds of the dresses to the attitudes of the day, the film stays in character and does not add Hollywood gimmicks to modernize the tale. Servants are servile and illiterate, though not necessarily unintelligent. The titular teenage maid does not have an insolent attitude.

Scarlett Johansson plays the young Griet, the daughter of a former tile painter who is sent across town to serve the Vermeer household. Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth), a painter, is drawn to Griet's quiet loveliness. Though few words pass between them, their mutual eye for aesthetics develops into strong attraction and deep appreciation. Her pure complexion also attracts Vermeer's vulgar patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson) and the young butcher Pieter (Cillian Murphy).

Each frame is a painting within itself, supported by a charming score (though some have called the music obnoxious). Though every scene is beautiful, Griet's position is not romanticized; her arduous labor is evident throughout the movie. Instead of altering the story to conform to a 95 minute film, sections of the story are simply deleted or unexplained. Particularly the character of Tanneke is underdeveloped, compared to the book character.

The acting is dramatic yet understated. Expressions are affectively portrayed without losing subtlety. Johansson expressively displays the young, almost timid side of Griet. Colin Firth is an attractive Vermeer; he has natural and exciting reactions. Tom Wilkinson is surprisingly low key as Van Ruijven, compared to the character in the novel; however, he still manages to be repulsive. Essie Davis's performance is also a standout as Vermeer's insecure wife, Catharina.

'Girl With a Pearl Earring' establishes its setting in an unforgettable light, and the story has enough magic to satisfy the patient viewer.

Michael Clayton: Searching for Grace

This is a story of Michael Clayton (George Clooney) a legal "janitor" who suffers a crisis of conscience when a manic-depressive friend and lawyer, Arthur Edens (Tom Wilkinson), does the same. While the plot is a typical corporate thriller which banks in occasionally on the audience's suspension of disbelief, it is far more realistic and well crafted than most films of its genre.

George Clooney gives an intense performance, perhaps the best of his I've seen, as the titular Michael Clayton. His boyish, aging face conveys both competence and weariness. He is especially convincing in the miraculous, quiet moments of grace which occur both in a field and a taxi. As Arthur, Tom Wilkinson's English accent occasionally slips through. This does not prevent his portrayal as a passionate, intelligent man searching for morality, high on a chemical imbalance, from resonating. Tilda Swinton as executive Karen Crowder seems perhaps too calculated, but because Karen's intimate moments may be as fake as the calm face she presents to the world, Swinton's acting works perfectly. Acting is believable all around, including Denis O'Hare as a panicked, aggressive client and Sydney Pollack as Michael's efficient, realist boss.

Robert Elswit cinematography is fantastically dark, subtle, and poetic. James Newton Howard's score is also touching, involving throbbing beats and lovely moments of clarity. Tony Gilroy's script is a little overly symbolic, but otherwise incredible. The corporate and legal worlds, Arthur's manic depression, and Michael's psychology and relation with his son are deeply authentic.

This film is engrossing but not full of blockbuster trademarks. It also does not say anything original about the sins of the city, major corporations, and law firms, but what it does say it does in a novel manner. It is a tale of banal evil and redemption, a very common, but a very necessary, message indeed.