September 2004
True Views
Three films with a real-life story to tell
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING ***
Based on the best-selling novel by Tracy Chevalier,
Girl with a Pearl Earring explores the relationship between the mysterious artist Johannes Vermeer, played by Colin Firth (
Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s Diary), and the muse of one of his most famous paintings. Set in Delft, Holland, in 1665, the story follows 17-year-old Griet, beautifully played by Scarlett Johansson (
Lost in Translation), who must work to support her family after her father is blinded in an accident. She finds employment as a maid in the Vermeer household and soon attracts the attention of the master painter, who recognizes her as more than just a servant. Griet becomes fascinated by the paintings and becomes a willing student in the study of color and light. While Vermeer’s mother-in-law encourages her son-in-law’s growing obsession in the hope that he will produce another painting before funds run out, his wife Catharina keeps a jealous eye on his new subject. On top of this, Griet also has to contend with the affections of a local butcher boy and the overt rashness of Vermeer’s patron, the wealthy and lascivious Master van Ruijven, who commissions Vermeer to paint Griet. Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design,
Girl with a Pearl Earring is nothing if not a tantalizing feast for the eyes. Beautifully lit by cinematographer Eduardo Serra, the film was clearly created to mirror the paintings of Vermeer. Colin Firth plays a convincing artist who is tormented by both his fears and his desires, but it is Scarlett Johansson’s quiet sensuality that impresses the most. Together with her role in
Lost in Translation this film shows the great versatility of this emerging actress and ensures her place as a leading lady for the future.
www.girlwithapearlearringmovie.com
German Release Date (subject to change) September 23
US Rated PG-13 for some sexual content
THE TERMINAL ***
Working for the third time with Academy Award winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg (
Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan), Tom Hanks (
Philadelphia, Forrest Gump) offers another character study that would melt the hardest of hearts. In
The Terminal Hanks plays the eastern European tourist Viktor Navorski, who is stranded in the JFK terminal in New York City after a military coup in his home country renders his passport “unacceptable.” Unable to leave the terminal, the “man without a country” has to improvise and live in the terminal’s transit lounge until the war back home is over. As weeks stretch into months Viktor struggles on in this strange new world, dealing with government bureaucracy and being forced to sleep on those uncomfortable chairs. That’s not to mention airport official Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), who sees Viktor as a problem he desperately wants erased. Nevertheless, Viktor does make a few friends with airport staff and falls tenderly in love with flight attendant Amelia Warren, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones (
Chicago, Intolerable Cruelty). As Viktor speaks almost no English, the language barrier offers some humorous moments, and Hanks’ accent is impeccable, whatever his native tongue is supposed to be. Hanks also skillfully demonstrates the difference between loneliness and being alone. The romantic pairing of Viktor with the impulsive Amelia is a bit hard to swallow, but the conclusion presents an un-Hollywood romantic reality. Based on a true story about an Iranian exile who lived at Charles de Gaulle airport, the film is ultimately about waiting, following through on a promise and the patience required for both.
www.theterminal-themovie.com
German Release Date (subject to change) September 2
US Rated PG-13 for language
New release on DVD
The Passion of the Christ ****
If there is one word to describe this controversial film, it’s courageous. Self-
financed to retain his artistic integrity,
director Mel Gibson’s portrayal of the last 12 hours of the life of Jesus Christ is a grueling cinematic journey. The sparse dialogue is in Aramaic and Latin with subtitles, but it is the images that provoke a sometimes gut-wrenching reaction. “Passion” in this sense refers to suffering, and the audience is made to suffer right along with the Son of God. Seeing a man whipped time and again while his mother and loved ones look on with tears of sorrow and helplessness is harrowing indeed—even in today’s world, where most have become desensitized to images of graphic violence on television, film and video games. If you can get past the pain and suffering then you will experience the love and promise this film has to offer.
www.thepassionofthechrist.com
German Release Date (subject to change) September 2
US Rated R for violence
