- Sections/characters minimized in the film
A lot of sections/characters from the book that I considered were important and formed a big part of the conflict were minimized or did not appear at all in the film. But I think the most important one was at the end of the book where Griet was supposed to go back to the house to get the pearl earrings; where at the same time she slapped Cornelia just like she did 10 years before. In the movie they only showed when Tanneke came to where Griet was and her the earrings.
- Sections/characters emphasized in the film
Something that I like that they did in the movie was to use different camera shots such as zooming and close up to show how the relationship and the attraction between Griet and Johannes was starting to grow. Everytime they had eye contact or any other gestures toward each other, they gave emphasis to it using different camera angles to show the importance of them.
- Narration- how does the camera show omniscient or limited 3rd person (or POV 1st)
The book was written in first person so I was expecting the film to have some sort of a narration to show the point of view but it was not like that. But what they did was to show the point of view by using different camera angles so we could see the things through Griet's point of view.
- Reoccurring images (motifs)
The reocurring images shown in the film was the way Catharina looked and treated Griet. Just like in the book Catharina strongly hated Griet since the first time she started working in the house. This anger grew more when Johannes defended her over Cornelina during the conflict of the comb. They kept showing Catharina's hate towards GRiet because in any moment she will get tired of her and will fire her from the house.
- Use of music/sound effects
Most of the music used in the movie was suspense. They used it to show the unexpected things that were going to happen to Giret. For example, one of the time where they used was when Van Ruijven was harassing her and she could not defend herself. Another type of music that was used a lot of time was slow music whenever Griet was sad, or when she was around Johannes.
- Description of one shot using strong film terms
One shot used was zooming. This was when Griet had the pearl earring on, and Johannes told her to look at him. At the moment she looked at him, the camera was moving closer and closer to the part of her that would become the painting. When I analyze this camera movement, I realize that they used it on purpose. This is because now that the painting was done, everything will come to light and this will mean the end to Griet in the house.
Girl with a Pearl Earring (Pgs 175-233)
Summary:
Months have passed, Johannes is painting the concert with Van Ruijven and his daughters and the painting of Griet for Van Ruijven. One day while Griet was being painted, Van Leeuwenhoek came to the house so they could see the painting through the camera obscura. There Van Leeuwenhoek told Griet that she needed to watch out for herself because Van Ruijven had an interest in her. Catharina was six months pregnant, Van Ruijven would more frequently to the house because of the concert painting but Griet was worried that Catharina would find out that Johannes was painting her. Every time Van Ruijven came to the house, he would visit Catharina and talked to her, but he was not good at keeping secrets so in any moment he would tell her about the painting. Also he would always touch Griet but she will always push him away. When he was almost done with Griet's painting he saw that something was missing, that the painting will satisfy Van Ruijven but not him. Griet asked him if she could look at it, he agreed and she knew what was missing but she just didn't want to tell him because she knew it will bring trouble. Then one day while he was with Catharina he saw her pearl earring, and there he knew that the earring was what was missing from the painting. But Griet didn't want to wear it because one it belonged to Catharina and she didn't have her ears pierced. But he told her that she need to pierce her ear and that Catharina would not find out because after he was done with the painting Van Ruijeven would take it right away. That day when she was getting ready for the painting, her hair fell from the mantles and Johannes saw it, in that moment Griet felt that she had no longer something precious to hide. That evening, she went to get Pieter, the son and led him to the alley where she let him do anything he liked to. The day of her eighteenth birthday, Maria Thins gave Griet the pearl earrings so Johannes could finish the painting. When she was getting ready to be painted, Pieter, the son came to tell her that he spoke to her father and that he agreed about them getting married. But Griet didn't say anything about it. After Griet handed back the earrings to Maria Thins, Catharina returned home and that's when Cornelia was leading her upstairs to show her Griet's painting. When Catharina saw it, she got mad and she took a knife to destroy the painting. After that Griet run out of the house and never returned back. It was 1676, ten years has passed after Griet left the house. She got married with Pieter and had 5 children. She was working in the Meat Hall now where she heard a lot of stuff about them. She heard that Catharina had 11 children and that she lost the one she was carrying the night where she discovered the painting. One day, Tanneke went to the Meat Hall and told Griet that her mistress wanted to see her. When she got there she saw four of the children seating on a bench outside the house and it reminded her of the first day she when to work to the house as a maid. One of them was Franciscus who recognized her from the painting. She asked where the painting was, and he said that it was with Van Rujven's daughter because he died the year before. When she got to the house, she saw that anything has changed much. Catharina was seating at the table with Van Leeuwenhoek and told Griet that Johannes was dead. On his will, he left a letter where it said that he wanted Griet to have the earrings. Griet took them and when she leaving the house she slapped Cornelia just as she did the first day she started working in that house. Griet didn't want to keep the earrings because she didn't know what to do with them, so she decided to trade them for money.
Quote:
" I heard the stairs creak, and the sound of heavy breathing. Catharina was pulling herself up the stairs. In that moment I knew what was going to happen—to her, to him, to me. Cornelia is there, I thought. She is leading her mother to the painting " (Chevalier 211).
Reaction:
This quote introduces the turning point in the book. Everything that was hidden is coming to light and Griet's future is unclear after this. At the beginning of the book, I saw Cornelia's hate towards Griet. In this quote, Chevalier shows that Cornelia is finally going to get what she wanted, get Griet out of the house. After reading this quote, I could hypothesize that this was going to be the end for the life that Griet was living in the house. However, I didn't expect her to run from the house and accept Pieter's proposal. Also I thought that Johannes and Maria Thins would say something about the earrings but they didn't. I think that Chevalier did a good job in persuading the reader to think something by the actions of the characters but at the end contradict us by what they do when everything comes to light.
Months have passed, Johannes is painting the concert with Van Ruijven and his daughters and the painting of Griet for Van Ruijven. One day while Griet was being painted, Van Leeuwenhoek came to the house so they could see the painting through the camera obscura. There Van Leeuwenhoek told Griet that she needed to watch out for herself because Van Ruijven had an interest in her. Catharina was six months pregnant, Van Ruijven would more frequently to the house because of the concert painting but Griet was worried that Catharina would find out that Johannes was painting her. Every time Van Ruijven came to the house, he would visit Catharina and talked to her, but he was not good at keeping secrets so in any moment he would tell her about the painting. Also he would always touch Griet but she will always push him away. When he was almost done with Griet's painting he saw that something was missing, that the painting will satisfy Van Ruijven but not him. Griet asked him if she could look at it, he agreed and she knew what was missing but she just didn't want to tell him because she knew it will bring trouble. Then one day while he was with Catharina he saw her pearl earring, and there he knew that the earring was what was missing from the painting. But Griet didn't want to wear it because one it belonged to Catharina and she didn't have her ears pierced. But he told her that she need to pierce her ear and that Catharina would not find out because after he was done with the painting Van Ruijeven would take it right away. That day when she was getting ready for the painting, her hair fell from the mantles and Johannes saw it, in that moment Griet felt that she had no longer something precious to hide. That evening, she went to get Pieter, the son and led him to the alley where she let him do anything he liked to. The day of her eighteenth birthday, Maria Thins gave Griet the pearl earrings so Johannes could finish the painting. When she was getting ready to be painted, Pieter, the son came to tell her that he spoke to her father and that he agreed about them getting married. But Griet didn't say anything about it. After Griet handed back the earrings to Maria Thins, Catharina returned home and that's when Cornelia was leading her upstairs to show her Griet's painting. When Catharina saw it, she got mad and she took a knife to destroy the painting. After that Griet run out of the house and never returned back. It was 1676, ten years has passed after Griet left the house. She got married with Pieter and had 5 children. She was working in the Meat Hall now where she heard a lot of stuff about them. She heard that Catharina had 11 children and that she lost the one she was carrying the night where she discovered the painting. One day, Tanneke went to the Meat Hall and told Griet that her mistress wanted to see her. When she got there she saw four of the children seating on a bench outside the house and it reminded her of the first day she when to work to the house as a maid. One of them was Franciscus who recognized her from the painting. She asked where the painting was, and he said that it was with Van Rujven's daughter because he died the year before. When she got to the house, she saw that anything has changed much. Catharina was seating at the table with Van Leeuwenhoek and told Griet that Johannes was dead. On his will, he left a letter where it said that he wanted Griet to have the earrings. Griet took them and when she leaving the house she slapped Cornelia just as she did the first day she started working in that house. Griet didn't want to keep the earrings because she didn't know what to do with them, so she decided to trade them for money.
Quote:
" I heard the stairs creak, and the sound of heavy breathing. Catharina was pulling herself up the stairs. In that moment I knew what was going to happen—to her, to him, to me. Cornelia is there, I thought. She is leading her mother to the painting " (Chevalier 211).
Reaction:
This quote introduces the turning point in the book. Everything that was hidden is coming to light and Griet's future is unclear after this. At the beginning of the book, I saw Cornelia's hate towards Griet. In this quote, Chevalier shows that Cornelia is finally going to get what she wanted, get Griet out of the house. After reading this quote, I could hypothesize that this was going to be the end for the life that Griet was living in the house. However, I didn't expect her to run from the house and accept Pieter's proposal. Also I thought that Johannes and Maria Thins would say something about the earrings but they didn't. I think that Chevalier did a good job in persuading the reader to think something by the actions of the characters but at the end contradict us by what they do when everything comes to light.
Girl with a Pearl Earring (Pgs 117-174)
Summary:
Griet is starting to know things about the family that she did not know. Pieter, the son told her about Catharina's brother and how he hit her when she was pregnant with Johannes and how Tanneke got in and tried to protect her. Pieter, the son is interested in Griet. One Sunday, he went to her church and met her parents. At first they were not easy on him but when he started to go to the church frequently, they started to like him. One day they invited him over to their house and he accepted. When it was time for him to go, Griet went with him and then he kissed her. Johannes finished the painting with the baker's daughter and sold it to him on May but he did not started his next painting until July. His next painting was going to be of Van Ruijven's wife. One day while Griet was cleaning she moved the things that were in the background on the painting because according to her it needed that to follow his style. When noticed that a change had been made he made in the painting and asked Griet why did she do it but she simply explained that the painting needed something to tease the eye. When he was working on this painting he had to use Catharina's jewelry box, but Catharina did not like this because since Griet was sleeping in the attic she did not know what was Griet going to do with it. Catharina complained about this with her husband, and he decided to take the box back to her room after he was done working with the painting each day. Cornelia did not like Griet, so she would always do something so Griet could get in trouble. One day she took one tortoiseshell comb from her mother and put it in Griet's things so she could get in trouble. When Griet heard about this she went to her things to look for her comb and she saw that it wasn't hers, so she told her master what was happening and he took her side and they punished Cornelia for what he did. After this everyone was questioning why did he took Griet's side and Maria Thins had to tell her daughter that Griet had been assisting him while he was painting. Everyone in the house started to treat Griet with more respect after this incident because they knew that Johannes was on her side. Catharina was expecting another child, so Maria Thins went to talk to Johannes about his next painting. When Van Ruijven came to get the painting of his wife, Maria Thins suggested the continuation of one of the paintings Johannes had already painted for him. The problem is that Van Ruijven wanted Griet to be in the painting. Everyone at the Meat Hall was talking about it, but Griet was the only one to not know about it. Pieter, the son was mad because he didn't want her to be painted next to Van Ruijven after what happened with the maid of the red dress. One Sunday Griet went to visit her brother and he was working. He was working really hard as form of punishment because he wanted his master's wife. Griet was telling him that what he has done was wrong, but Frans told her that she did not have the right to judge him because no matter how she tries to hide in front of everyone he knew that she also wanted her master. Griet tried to answer back but she knew that what he said was true. When Johannes was doing the next painting, Griet will always go to do errands in order to avoid interactions with Van Ruijven. Johannes was going to paint Griet. It was 1666, and one day Griet went to visit her parents,and her father told her that she smelled like linseed oil but she did not tell him about her master painting her. Griet's mother noticed that after Griet started working, she has changed and their relationship changed as well. When Pieter, the son visited them he even noticed the awkward silences between them but he did not say anything at all. He has started to trust Griet.
Quote:
" "You don't understand what its like," Frans murmured. "Working here, it's exhausting, it's boring. It was something to think about, that's all. You have no right to judge, you with your butcher that you'll marry and have a fine life with. Easy for you to say what my life should be like when all I can see are endless tiles and long days. Why shouldn't I admire a pretty face when I see one?" " (Chevalier 166).
Reaction:
It is clear that irony is depicted in this quote. This is because Griet is arguing with her brother telling him that what he did was wrong about wanting his master's wife, but at the same time she wants her master. Her brother was punished for wanting his master's wife, so is Griet going to be punished for wanting her master as well? At the end of Griet's visit with her brother, I was able to see that he knew that Griet wanted her master,and that even though she tried to hide it from everyone, she was not able to do it with him. Everyone in the house is questioning why did he defended Griet when Cornelia tried to play dirty on her. This makes me think that sooner or later they are going to notice that Griet wants her master and that she might get fired for her job for not respecting that he was married and for not knowing what was her place in the house.
Griet is starting to know things about the family that she did not know. Pieter, the son told her about Catharina's brother and how he hit her when she was pregnant with Johannes and how Tanneke got in and tried to protect her. Pieter, the son is interested in Griet. One Sunday, he went to her church and met her parents. At first they were not easy on him but when he started to go to the church frequently, they started to like him. One day they invited him over to their house and he accepted. When it was time for him to go, Griet went with him and then he kissed her. Johannes finished the painting with the baker's daughter and sold it to him on May but he did not started his next painting until July. His next painting was going to be of Van Ruijven's wife. One day while Griet was cleaning she moved the things that were in the background on the painting because according to her it needed that to follow his style. When noticed that a change had been made he made in the painting and asked Griet why did she do it but she simply explained that the painting needed something to tease the eye. When he was working on this painting he had to use Catharina's jewelry box, but Catharina did not like this because since Griet was sleeping in the attic she did not know what was Griet going to do with it. Catharina complained about this with her husband, and he decided to take the box back to her room after he was done working with the painting each day. Cornelia did not like Griet, so she would always do something so Griet could get in trouble. One day she took one tortoiseshell comb from her mother and put it in Griet's things so she could get in trouble. When Griet heard about this she went to her things to look for her comb and she saw that it wasn't hers, so she told her master what was happening and he took her side and they punished Cornelia for what he did. After this everyone was questioning why did he took Griet's side and Maria Thins had to tell her daughter that Griet had been assisting him while he was painting. Everyone in the house started to treat Griet with more respect after this incident because they knew that Johannes was on her side. Catharina was expecting another child, so Maria Thins went to talk to Johannes about his next painting. When Van Ruijven came to get the painting of his wife, Maria Thins suggested the continuation of one of the paintings Johannes had already painted for him. The problem is that Van Ruijven wanted Griet to be in the painting. Everyone at the Meat Hall was talking about it, but Griet was the only one to not know about it. Pieter, the son was mad because he didn't want her to be painted next to Van Ruijven after what happened with the maid of the red dress. One Sunday Griet went to visit her brother and he was working. He was working really hard as form of punishment because he wanted his master's wife. Griet was telling him that what he has done was wrong, but Frans told her that she did not have the right to judge him because no matter how she tries to hide in front of everyone he knew that she also wanted her master. Griet tried to answer back but she knew that what he said was true. When Johannes was doing the next painting, Griet will always go to do errands in order to avoid interactions with Van Ruijven. Johannes was going to paint Griet. It was 1666, and one day Griet went to visit her parents,and her father told her that she smelled like linseed oil but she did not tell him about her master painting her. Griet's mother noticed that after Griet started working, she has changed and their relationship changed as well. When Pieter, the son visited them he even noticed the awkward silences between them but he did not say anything at all. He has started to trust Griet.
Quote:
" "You don't understand what its like," Frans murmured. "Working here, it's exhausting, it's boring. It was something to think about, that's all. You have no right to judge, you with your butcher that you'll marry and have a fine life with. Easy for you to say what my life should be like when all I can see are endless tiles and long days. Why shouldn't I admire a pretty face when I see one?" " (Chevalier 166).
Reaction:
It is clear that irony is depicted in this quote. This is because Griet is arguing with her brother telling him that what he did was wrong about wanting his master's wife, but at the same time she wants her master. Her brother was punished for wanting his master's wife, so is Griet going to be punished for wanting her master as well? At the end of Griet's visit with her brother, I was able to see that he knew that Griet wanted her master,and that even though she tried to hide it from everyone, she was not able to do it with him. Everyone in the house is questioning why did he defended Griet when Cornelia tried to play dirty on her. This makes me think that sooner or later they are going to notice that Griet wants her master and that she might get fired for her job for not respecting that he was married and for not knowing what was her place in the house.