I saw the film in early December where I work at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Our film program director somehow managed to negotiate a screening prior to its public release.
Simply stated, the movie is visually and cinematographically one of the most stunning I have ever seen. The subtle, natural lighting, the compositions, the authentic settings and costumes and the very fine acting do great justice to the quiet, delicate art of Johannes Vermeer. Several of the outdoor scenes are filmed in Delft. For a lutenist, the movie gives a great impression of Holland in the 17th Century. Alas, there is little actual 17th C. music, except for a scene where one of Vermeer's patron's plays on a genuine harpsichord (Lachrimae tune - perhaps Sweelinck?). There is no lute or cittern music (too bad, considering especially that the cittern is the most frequently depicted instrument by the artist). However, in one scene there is a renaissance lute propped on a chair which quickly caught my eye. This being said, however, I found the rather minimal synthesized contemporary music which sounds throughout the film at choice moments to be VERY appropriate and fine! At all other times, the film uses no score and instead relies on the everyday types of sounds that would be heard in a crowded household in Delft in those years (children, domestic noises, dogs barking, bird calls). I recommend this movie very highly to all to see soon! Kenneth Be Cleveland, Ohio --
