Page To Screen: Girl With A Pearl Earring

I recently reviewed the book Girl With A Pearl Earring. Since I loved the book, I decided to watch the movie to see how it stacked up. The basic premise of the movie is the same as the book. Greit is a poor sixteen year old girl who is sent to work as a maid in the painter Johannes Vermeer’s household in the 17th century.

I was disappointed with the way the Scarlett Johansson portrayed Greit in the movie. I wanted her to be strong like she was in the book. Instead, Johansson walked around with her mouth open and a stunned expression on her face most of the time. I found myself yelling, “Close your mouth!” at the screen several times. Very annoying. That would have bothered me even if I hadn’t read the book first.

Several characters were left out that, if included, would have helped Greit come across as a stronger person. Her siblings were not in the movie and her relationship with Vermeer’s oldest daughter didn’t make it to the screen either. As this movie was only 99 minutes long, I think there was some room to develop Greit’s character more.

The movie plays up the sexual tension between Vermeer and Greit. In the book, I felt like their relationship was more of a mentor/mentee or father/daughter type relationship with just the barest hint of any romantic tension. Colin Firth’s portrayal of Vermeer walked the line between appearing smitten and just looking like a creepy old man.

I think that even if you haven’t read the book, this movie is just okay – I give it three stars.