A young woman named Griet (Scarlett Johansson) is forced to go to work as a maid for a painter, Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) and his wife, Catharina (Essie Davis).
Griet is a very sad girl and hardly speaks at all, yet she learns the ropes as best she can. She does not befriend the people of the house very well; they don't really like her. One day, though, while cleaning the master's studio, he noticies her and decides to paint her.
The master painter is very taken with young Griet and asks her to help him mix paint, set up his work station, etc., so he can get a good enough look at her to be able to paint her properly.
Vermeer's financer, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), is over for dinner one day and notices Griet. He insists that her portrait be painted, and commisions Vermeer to do so. But as Vermeer sets out to start his latest assignment, his wife becomes exceedingly jealous as she knows something is going on between Griet and Vermeer. She won't rest untill she finds out the truth.
There isn't a lot of dialogue in Girl With a Pearle Earing. Scarlett Johansson hardly speaks through out the picture, acting out expressions instead of speaking them. This prooves to make aunique story.
Too much dialogue would make this film a sappy melodrama and ruin it. But, in her quiet, shy, subtle way, Scarlett - as Greit - is very effective in capturing the essence of the film. She doesn't speak, but we know what she means. Along side co-star Colin Firth, she is amazing as the young maid, and was dubly snubbed by the Oscars for her role here (which was great enough to garner a nomination) and in Lost in Translation (which she also should have been nominated for.)
Plot: 
The plot is simple: a man who simply cannot have what he most desires obtains what he wants through other means. In other words, Vermeer wants Griet, but can't ahve her because of his extremely jealous wife. So he paints her instead.
Visual Effects:
There is fabulous art/set direction in the period piece, and everything is authentic to the time. Costumes are exceptional as well.
Cinematography is well done, and was well deserving of the Oscar nomination. There are many unique camera perspectives, especially when looking at Vermeer's paintings. It's as if you are looking at them through the eyes of Johannes Vermeer himself.
Sound: 
The score is average and not all that memorable.
Character Development:
We don't really learn anyhting about Vermeer or his wife, and for that matter about Griet either. There is no back story to Vermeer and his wife; we don't know why they live like they live. It's never really explained why Griet must leave home; all we see is this bloody old man and her mother, and then she's out the door. Griet's parents show up later in the film, but what they are doing is never explained.
The ending to the film does not rap up everything; there are several loose ends left untied, and it would have been nice to know how these ended.
Atmosphere:
Suprisingly, this is an easy film to get into.
Realism:
This is a good telling of the story of a famous painting. Almost all of the details of the life of Vermeer (the ones that we are told, anyway) are factual.
Warren’s Rating:
10/10 Is the movie worth your time to watch?
03-02-05
