Pearl earrings might be a word widely used in jewelry fashion. But it also has a mentionable use in the film industry. There might be a thousand scenes in almost every Hollywood film where someone is wearing a pair of pearl earrings. But this is not the topic of our discussion. There was a British film by the name ‘Girl with a Pearl Earrings’ released in the year 2003. This UK drama film Girl with a Pearl Earring was adapted by Olivia Hetreed based on a novel written by Tracy Chevalier. This film is named after painting with the same title by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The painting depicts a girl wearing pearl earrings. This film ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ was directed by Peter Webber and produced by Andy Peterson and Anand Tucker. The film was edited by Kate Evans and the nice cinematography by Eduardo Serra. The film stars Colin Firth as the painter Johannes Vermeer and the lovely Scarlett Johannes as Griet the girl wearing the pearl earrings.
This film is a portrayal of the relation between master and servant. The pearl earrings wearing girl is Griet whose father is a ceramic painter who has lost his sight. Due to this, Griet was forced to work as a domestic helper in Vermeer’s house. During her interactions as a servant Vermeer discovers her interests and knowledge in painting. Vermeer subsequently begins giving her lessons in painting, taking care to keep their meetings secret from his wife Catharina, who would react very negatively if she found out the relation between Griet and Vermeer.
On a routine trip outside her master’s house, Griet befriends a young man named Pieter played by Cillian Murphy. Vermeer’s sponsor Van Ruijven sees Griet on a visit to the Vermeer household and asks the painter if he will give her up to him to work in his own house. When Vermeer refuses, Van Ruijven ordered to serve him with a painting of Griet for him. Vermeer pierced Griet’s earlobe so that she can wear one of his wife’s pearl earrings for the portrait. After the painting, Griet runs to Pieter to get emotional strength. And this is somehow the whole story in the film.
The film was so nice from all the angles of appreciation that it won various film awards in the year 2003, namely the Dinard British Film Festival Audience Award, the Dinard British Film Festival Golden Hitchcock, C.I.C.A.E. Award etc. It also got various nominations like Academy awards of Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Costume Design. BAFTA nominations for best British film, best score, best cinematography, and best costume design, best hair make-up, best actress, best supporting actress, best art direction and best-adapted screenplay. This film depicting a girl wearing pearl earrings also won a nomination for the best film in British Independent Film Awards.
So, if you are looking for a film showing a little jewelry with a difference, you can look for the DVD of ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’.