LL-L "Movies" 2004.04.14 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
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From: Georg.Deutsch at esa.int <Georg.Deutsch at esa.int>
Subject: Girl with a Pearl Earring

Dear Reinhard/Ron and friends of "Lowlands",

a month or two ago Ron wrote about the movie "Girl with a Pearl Earring".

As of tomorrow this (European) movie playing in Vermeer's  Delft can be also
seen in the Netherlands, only few months after the premiere in the US.
(I had the chance to see the movie - with Dutch and French subtitles - few
weeks ago in Belgium. Thank you Ron! Without your recommendation I probably
would not have seen it.)
This peculiar fact of the late start in the "own" country  triggers me to
mention an aspect Ron did not mention, I think.

The movie shows in (all very subjective assessment, of course) an excellent
way aspects of Dutch life in about 1670.
For me the movie itself is like a painting, and I also think this is highly
recommendable.

However, whilst such attention is paid to have visually everything correct,
I
wonder whether I am the only one who is disturbed by the fact that master
Vermeer and everybody else in Delft speaks English in this movie.
Of course I do know that it is quite an accepted habit to disregard in
movies
the actually spoken language - still, in SUCH an artistic movie I believe a
Dutch spoken (preferably in the Dutch of the 17th century) would have
proveded  a considerable added value. Or am I too demanding?
Maybe as a coincidence, there are two recent well-known  (American) movies
where the original language is not disregarded: a disputable one, playing
about 30 A.D., but this really has nothing to do with Lowlands; the other
one, funny enough with the same main actress  as the "Girl with a Pearl
Earring" (Scarlett Johansson), also shot in 2003: "Lost in translation" (no
relation either with Lowlands).

Back to the subject: anybody else who would have preferred such a movie in
Dutch (with subtitles in any required language)?
I would have, even if I would not have understood one word.
To show a Lowlands' life with a wrong language leaves me with an unsatisfied
feeling. (Still: a wonderful picture! And I enjoyed the fact to live only
half an hour driving distance from The Hague - enabling me to see easily
again the original painting)

kind regards

Georg Deutsch

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Movies

Servus, Georg!

Great to hear from you again.  It's been more than a month, though, I hate
to say.  I posted my recommendation on January 16 of this year ...  I know.
Time flies when you're having fun.

Whilst much of the movie was shot in Delft, I understand that it is not a
Dutch film but an American-Luxembourgish co-production.  This and the fact
that the main actors are English speakers (with stellar perfomances by Essie
Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Judy Parfitt and Tom Wilkinson) explains why the
movie uses English rather than Dutch.  However, I agree with you: it would
have been a special treat in 17th-century Dutch, even if mostly a treat for
Dutch speakers, and for "Neerlandophile nerds," also found on certain a
certain discussion list.

Yes, the entire picture sure is a picture.  It's a visual treat!

Thanks for backing my recommendation!

The movie's official website: http://www.girlwithapearlearringmovie.com/

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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