A beautiful story of how a great painting came to be, the movie follows young Griet, who is sent into the city to help her family by being a maid at the home of of the great painter Johannes Vermeer. There, she not only catches the eye of the painter but also that of the Van Ruijven, the regular patron.
Torn between the good match of the butcher boy and the impossible love of Vermeer, Griet allows herself to be made love to in paint rather than physically in what is now one of Vermeer's greatest works.
Languid and flowing, this film has the air of a masterpiece. With beautiful music and a great story it flows with great easy and surprisingly little dialogue. Johansson does a great job as the tortured Griet but Firth still has the air of Darcy about him, something I'm not sure he'll ever live down, and that takes away from his role.
All in all, this is a wonderful film well worth watching.
8/10
Torn between the good match of the butcher boy and the impossible love of Vermeer, Griet allows herself to be made love to in paint rather than physically in what is now one of Vermeer's greatest works.
Languid and flowing, this film has the air of a masterpiece. With beautiful music and a great story it flows with great easy and surprisingly little dialogue. Johansson does a great job as the tortured Griet but Firth still has the air of Darcy about him, something I'm not sure he'll ever live down, and that takes away from his role.
All in all, this is a wonderful film well worth watching.
8/10