Girl With a Pearl Earring

Coming so soon after her marvellous performance in 'Lost in Translation', Scarlett Johansson stars in this stately, if dramatically leaden affair. Based on the bestseller by Tracy Chevalier, the film imagines the inspiration behind the most famous work of Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer. Set in the mid 17th century, we follow a young peasant girl, Griet (Johansson), forced to work in the household of Vermeer (Firth). Married to a woman who seems to be perpetually pregnant (Parfitt), dominated by his mother-in-law (Davis) and worried by his lack of funds, Vermeer lives in fear of his benefactor, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), a man whose ignorance is only superseded by his wealth. The striking Griet soon attracts the attentions of both men - while Van Ruijven wants to get jiggy with her, the painter decides that she'd make the perfect subject matter for his most ambitious project.

Although that's about as exciting as things get in this sombre, downbeat picture, Webber does some good work here, imaginative in his photography and production values. Chevalier won much praise for her audacious blend of fact and fiction and even if the material doesn't always appear to be the most cinematic - lengthy pregnant pauses and longing glances don't make for the most exciting viewing - you can't fault the director's ambition or his efforts. Let's just hope he goes for something with a little more dramatic oomph next time around.