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At our first meeting, Peter Webber and I realised
that we had lots in common - a true love for cinema, for music and
for "les Beaux arts". It all connected when we spoke about
Vermeer, and Georges Delerue ‘s score for Truffaut’s film
La peau douce.
Click here for more...
Girl
With A Pearl Earring was adapted by screenwriter Olivia Hetreed
from the much-loved and best-selling novel by Tracy Chevalier. The
filmmakers never underestimated the challenges of bringing a much-loved
novel to the screen. “Reading a book is a private pleasure.
Film is a different medium”.
Click here for more...
Delft, Holland,1665. After her father is blinded
in a kiln explosion, seventeen year old Griet must work to support
her family. She becomes a maid in the house of Johannes Vermeer
and gradually attracts the master painter's attention. Though worlds
apart in upbringing, education and social standing, Vermeer recognises
Griet’s intuitive understanding of colour and light and slowly
draws her into the mysterious world of his paintings.
Click here for more...
Click here...
Click here...
 
©
2003 Pathè Features Limited
At our first meeting, Peter Webber and I realised
that we had lots in common - a true love for cinema, for music and
for "les Beaux arts". It all connected when we spoke about
Vermeer, and Georges Delerue ‘s score for Truffaut’s film
La peau douce.
Peter new my work for Jacques Audiard’s Read My Lips
which was dark, haunting and very lyrical. For the Girl With
A Pearl Earring we tried not to be trapped in an academic figure.
We decided to avoid any "period" baroque colours that
the amazing photography and art direction were already portraying.
I therefore tried to show the invisible, the inner world of Griet
and her deep emotions, those of gently sneaking into the silence
and the light of Vemeer’s studio.
Girl With A Pearl Earring is a universal love story.
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT - Composer
Parisian born, Alexandre Desplat has scored more than 50 films as
well as projects for TV and theatre over the last 15 years. He was
nominated for two French Academy Awards (The Césars)
for his scores for Jacques Audiard’s Self Made Hero
(Un Heros Tres Discret) and Read My Lips (Sur Mes
Levres) starring Vincent Cassel. Other credits include Marleen
Gorris' The Luzhin Defence starring Emily Watson and John
Turturro, Miramax Film’s The Advocate, starring Colin
Firth and Ian Holm from writer/director Leslie Megahey, Innocent
Lies starring Stephen Dorff and Gabrielle Anwar from director
Patrick Dewolf and The Revengers’ Comedies, starring
Kristin Scott Thomas, Helena Bonham-Carter and Sam Neill directed
by Malcolm Mowbray.
He lectures in film scoring at the Royal College of Music in London
and at La Sorbonne in Paris.
Desplat composed, orchestrated and conducted the Girl With A
Pearl Earring soundtrack.
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Girl With A Pearl Earring was adapted
by screenwriter Olivia Hetreed from the much-loved and best-selling
novel by Tracy Chevalier. The filmmakers never underestimated the
challenges of bringing a much-loved novel to the screen. “Reading
a book is a private pleasure. Film is a different medium, but we
hoped that the millions of fans of the novel would get something
more out of the film, something that would reflect their imagination.
We wanted to make the film because it is a wonderful, mysterious,
romantic story, set in the 17th Century, but accessible to anyone
today. Tracy’s story cried out to be brought to life –
and we couldn’t have dreamed of a more creative, talented,
passionate team of people both in front of and behind the camera
to help us realise it.”
The film stars Colin Firth as Vermeer, Scarlett Johansson as Griet
and Tom Wilkinson as van Ruijven and marks the feature film debut
of director Peter Webber. Andy Paterson (Hilary and Jackie,
Restoration) and Anand Tucker (director of Hilary and
Jackie) produce for Archer Street and Inside Track. Jimmy de
Brabant is co-producer for Luxembourg’s Delux Productions..
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Delft, Holland,1665. After her father is blinded
in a kiln explosion, seventeen year old Griet must work to support
her family. She becomes a maid in the house of Johannes Vermeer
and gradually attracts the master painter's attention. Though worlds
apart in upbringing, education and social standing, Vermeer recognises
Griet’s intuitive understanding of colour and light and slowly
draws her into the mysterious world of his paintings.
Vermeer is a perfectionist, often taking months to finish a painting.
His shrewd mother-in-law, Maria Thins, struggles to maintain the
family’s lavish lifestyle on the income from his painstakingly
meagre output. Seeing that Griet inspires Vermeer, she takes the
dangerous decision to allow their clandestine relationship to develop.
Plunged into a chaotic Catholic household run by Vermeer's volatile
wife Catharina, surrounded by an ever-increasing brood of children,
Griet is increasingly at risk of exposure or worse. Twelve-year-old
Cornelia, a mischievous girl who sees more than she should, quickly
grows jealous and suspicious of Griet and is determined to cause
trouble.
Alone and unprotected, Griet also contends with the attentions of
Pieter, a local butcher boy, and Vermeer's patron, the wealthy and
lascivious Master van Ruijven, who is frustrated that his money
does not buy him control over the artist. While Griet falls increasingly
under Vermeer’s spell, she cannot be sure of his feelings for
her.
The Machiavellian van Ruijven, sensing the intimacy between master
and maid, gleefully contrives a commission for Vermeer to paint
Griet alone. The result will be one of the greatest paintings ever
created, but at what cost.
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1 Girl With a Pearl Earring
2 Griet’s Theme
3 A New Life
4 The Master’s House
5 Camera Obscura
6 The Birth Feast
7 Cornelia
8 Vermeer’s Studio
9 Winter Nights
10 Van Ruijven
11 Home
12 Colours in the Clouds
13 The Master is Painting
14 By the Canal with Pieter
15 Catharina’s Pearls
16 Colours in the Clouds (Strings)
17 Girl With a Pearl Earring (Reprise)
18 Silence and Light (Piano Solo)
19 Griet’s Theme (Reprise)
20 Griet Remembers
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Vermeer Colin Firth
Griet Scarlett Johansson
Van Ruijven Tom Wilkinson
Maria Thins Judy Parfitt
Pieter Cillian Murphy
Catharina Essie Davis
Tanneke Joanna Scanlan
Cornelia Alakina Mann
Griet’s Father Chris McHallem
Griet’s Mother Gabrielle Reidy
Maertge Anna Popplewell
Director Peter Webber
Producer Andy Paterson/Anand Tucker
Based on the novel by Tracy Chevalier
Screenwriter Olivia Hetreed
Click www.girlwithapearlearringmovie.com
for more details.
www.universalclassics.com
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