Review №1

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, and Cillian Murphy

Director:  Peter Webber

Synopsis: The film represented a fictional story of creating the most famous Johannes Vermeer’s picture, in maid his maid was the sitter (The screenplay was adapted by screenwriter Olivia Hetreed based on the novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier)

Review

The action of the film was happening in 17th century in Dutch Republic. The famous artist Johannes Vermeer, is an art-captured man, who saw the inspiration in ordinary things. His pictures are created under the different influence and two of them he drew with the help of his maid, Griet. The motion of her hands and head during cleaning the window inspired him to make a beautiful picture. But the most important picture of his life was also written with Griet’s help but, moreover, the young lady was the sitter.  

The 17th century claimed the special atmosphere and costumes and, in my opinion, people who were responsible for it made their job very well. Every house, every dress and every act told that the action took place in the Dutch republic of that time. Rich women wore beautiful dresses and made hairdos, while maids were in dim, grey clothes with cap under which it was impossible to see their hair. They slept in cellars and had no warm clothes for winter-time.

I should mention the Scarlett Johansson’s performance because I think she represented Griet in an expert manner. Her behavior with the master and mistress, her smiles to Pieter and her fear of Van Ruijven seemed to me realistic and I believed her. Colin Firth is a genius actor and, for sure, he coped with his work. He could show a seeking artist who spent more time with art then with his family. The scene when he was searching for the wife’s jewel demonstrated his agony and aggression which he hid during the film. Other actors were also great in their performance and made the film interesting and professional as well.

The film deeply impressed me and I am still under its influence. I mentioned that the characters spoke not much and this peculiar added something special to it. I need not words because there were enough only actions. I enjoyed every scene in the movie and they seemed me very touching and light. Johannes Vermeer’s paintings, the process of his work made me appreciate his art. I saw Vermeer’s passion, Griet’s interest, Mrs. Vermeer’s unhappiness and jealousy, and Pieter’s love. Actually, the film did not have an interesting plot or thrilling actions but I like it so much because of its calm and tenderness which the actor brought in it.

Individual Reading №6

Chapters 50-58

The narrator gave a story about Abraham, a man with great talent in the medical sphere. The man had good job and perfect future perspectives but he had left all this stuff and moved to Greece, where he earned a little. But he seemed his happiness in this freedom which he had only there. On the other side, there was Alec Carmichael who instead of Abraham had become a well-paid doctor, who saw his happiness in success and money.

The narrator wanted to know more about Strickland’s life in Tahiti and Tiare helped him by telling some facts. Charles married to Ada, a seventeen-year old girl, who deeply loved the husband. Strickland continued to draw; Ada did not interrupt him and made everything he wanted. Then their babies were born but the artist did not suppose them his because he was interested only in art, he had his passion to create beauty. Their house stood far from the town and they enjoyed freedom and loneliness. Then the narrator found out that Charles got ill, he had the typical appearance of the leper. Ada did not live him alone and shared with him last year of his life. People were afraid of the illness and became very aggressive towards this family. The baby-girl, the Strickland’s daughter, had died and Charles was going to. Several years later he passed away, leaving the greatest creation of his life: he had drawn the walls of their house but then Ada burnt it because of his desire. Strickland he had been blind for nearly a year but did not stop to draw.

The life of this man was finished and Ada with their son moved where began a new life. The narrator returned to London and decided to tell Mrs. Strickland about the life of her husband. That day one man came; it was a reporter who was writing about the great artist. The narrator told everything in details, except Ada and the son. Despite everything, Mrs. Strickland was proud of her husband and even had his pictures in her house.

The End

Individual Reading №5

Chapters 41-49

Strickland was not invited in the narrator’s house but it seemed that he did not need to have permission. He behaved relaxed and usual in the house and even let himself sharpen jokes. The narrator did not hide his hate to him but at the same time he wanted to know specialities about his life and relation to recent events. Blanche Stroeve was only a model for him while the woman fell in love with him. During drawing the picture he was interested in her presence but then she began to remain him his former wife but it did not bring happiness. Charles showed his pictures to the narrator and they seemed awful and odd he could not imagine how popular they would after several years after Strickland’s death.

The narrator saw Charles in Paris and then the latter moved to Marcel. The idea of writing this book came to the author in Tahiti because there he had known again the artist. The captain told him how Charles arrived there. Strickland desired to go to East, in Australia or New Zealand, and he refused offers connecting with the USA. One day was successful for him because one ship needed a worker and Charles agreed because it let him escape anger of his enemy. In France his belongings were sold but his pictures were not successful and later people understood how wrong they had been: Strickland’s pictures became famous and expensive.

Individual Reading №4

Chapters 31-40

Next day after Stroeve’s coming he left the narrator though the latter asked him to stay. Dirk was a weak-willed man without self-respect and because of it he began to follow his wife Blanche but did not get any answer from her. She did not want to speak to Dirk and even see him. The narrator could not understand his behavior and recommend him to leave Paris and move to Holland, his native country. However, Stroeve supposed to be necessary to Blanche and stayed. The narrator had no explanation why the woman had behaved that way and helped Dirk by sending a letter to her with Stroeve’s feelings. One evening he met Charles and Blanche and spent little time with them but could not recognize whether she was happy or not because her face did not show anything.

Several days later Stroeve came to the narrator in a panic and informed that Blanche tried to kill herself. She did not die and was sent to the hospital. Dirk was absolutely destroyed by this news and asked the narrator to help. The woman did not want to see anyone even the narrator whose Stroeve took for this purpose. The doctor did not predict her future condition because horrible consequences were possible. Next week Dirk visited the hospital but the nurse did not let him to see her. Blanche felt worse and worse and was going to die in two or three days. Once Dirk again came to the narrator and the latter understood that the woman had died. Stroeve made up his mind to move to Holland but before it he told about his meeting with Strickland and his picture. The widower hated him but the picture impressed him greatly he could not destroy it. His wife was depicted on this piece of art and Charles gifted it to Stroeve. Next month the narrator had seen anyone he knew but later he met Strickland who had a visible desire to communicate with him.

Individual Reading №3

Chapters 21-30

 

The narrator invited Strickland to the restaurant and used the behavior of indifference to get information from him. It was a successful method and soon the former found out what he wanted. Charles opened his mind and seemed as a man without human feelings but with abnormal passion. He did not care about his family, his apartments and money and was interested in art. The only he wanted to draw despite he liked neither of his own pictures. Moreover, he even went against the narrator to see the pictures. The narrator needed money but also refused to show them to the narrator buy one.

Charles’ character let him say what he wanted to anyone and Dirk Stroeve was one of his targets. The former found Dirk’s weakest point and hit there. The nature of Stroeve did not let him to be offended at his words for a long time and new and new grins towards him changed nothing. One day the narrator and Dirk decided to search for Charles because did not see him for a month. It emerged that the latter was very ill and because of his conditions Stroeve decided to bring him at his house. However, Mrs. Stroeve was strongly disagree and looked for something bad with Strickland’s coming. She hated him with her whole heart but had to give up and even care of Charles. She and her husband spent all days near his bed but had never heard words of thankfulness.

One day Dirk came to the narrator in a grief and informed him that Mrs. Stroeve had left him because of her love to Mr. Strickland. Despite of Dirk’s attempts to talk around her, the woman had chosen Charles. Dirk loved his wife more than himself and let them life in the Stroeve’s house. He himself happened to have no home and no wife.

Individual Reading №2

Chapters 11-20

On the way to Paris the narrator began to feel his mission difficult and hopeless because he had seen Mr. Strickland a few times and thought he had no rights to discuss Charles’ personal life. The man expected to find him in a fashionable hotel; however, the address brought him in a cheap one. Their meeting was not successful because Mr. Strickland refused to return. Moreover, the narrator was confused by Charles’ relation to his wife and children because the man did think about them and was not interested in their future at all. The narrator was informed about Charles’ desire to become an artist and start to draw. Mrs. Strickland perceived this information through hate to the husband and decided not to apologize him ever. Her sister took caring about the children and Mr. Strickland had to provide money only for her.

After five years the narrator left London to Paris and saw Charles again. It happened after the narrator’s meeting with his old friend Dirk Stroeve. In his opinion, Dick was not a talented artist but he sold his pictures successfully. The narrator did not like commonness in his art and tedious style of drawing. Dirk told him about Charles and the narrator came to see the latter. Charles had changed; he did not seem as a successful artist because of his appearance. The narrator noticed a lack of money. Dick recognized Charles’ pictures original and interesting and Charles himself as a man with great talent.    

Individual Reading №1

Chapters 1-10

This novel is written from the point of view of the narrator, who told us about the artist Charles Strickland. The former had a chance to know his person with great talent and he shared his memorials with readers. Mr. Strickland would have been unknown if Maurice Huret had not written the article about him. After it he became famous and debated, his works seemed extravagant, his reputation was established by critics. The narrator faced him at the first time in the Stricklands’ house and he did not impress him: the man seemed boring, ordinary and no art-oriented. But his wife was his opposition; the woman was interested in art and in people connecting with the world of art. The narrator spent several lunches and dinners in the Stricklands’ house and found out that the family was typically one where the members of it love and respect each other. Except the parents there were the sixteen-year old son and the fourteen-year old daughter. No one could suppose that some changes were going to happen in thethis family.

The last time the narrator saw the Stricklands they were going to holiday and he promised to visit them in autumn because he left London as well. The day of next visiting was full of information which the narrator did not expect to get. It was nonsense that Mr. Strickland left the family and moved to Paris. His wife received the letter which informed about his decision. The woman was in grief and only wanted to return him. The narrator was asked to go to Paris and meet with her husband. He did not like the idea but could not refuse and promised to do his best.