Two Scarlett Johansson films in as many weeks? But you are spoiling us.
It took a little to persuade me to see this film. Colin Firth isn’t exactly a box office draw in my book, but the beauty of the film was mentioned by everyone I heard talk about it. So I relented.
Taking a popular book that I haven’t read as its source, it tells a fictional story behind a Vemeer masterpiece (side note here: I notice that the film tie-in version of the book hilariously has removed the Vermeer from its cover, replacing it with a close-up photo of Johansson and Firth), as Vermeer becomes slowly infatuated by his young maid to the jealousy of his wife.
The pace is slow and deliberate but never less than fascinating. In some respects Johansson is playing exactly the same role as she did in Lost in Translation acting as an untouchable love interest. She plays the role wonderfully.
I should mention that this seems to be a lottery funded film, with other funds seemingly gathered from around the continent (Film Fund Luxembourg, etc.). If Alexander Walker were alive today, I’m sure that he’d mention this information, although it’s the best use of lottery money I’ve seen in a long while.
This is director Peter Webber’s first film, but rightly everyone mentions Eduardo Serra’s cinematography. It’s a beautiful recreation of 1665 Delft drawing on Vermeer for just about every shot. I can’t pretend I know much about Serra, so I looked him up on IMDB. That explained a lot since his work includes the cruel world of Jude, the lusciousness of Wings of a Dove, and a pair of terrific Patrice Leconte pictures, the Hairdresser’s Husband and Le Parfum d’Yvonne.