The Draughtsman's Contract [Blu-ray]

Director: Peter Greenaway Peter Greenaway

Overview

Peter Greenaway's first fiction feature (after the mock-documentary The Falls) made him immediately famous and was named one of the most original films of the 1980s by British critics. The action is set in the director's beloved 17th century. Ambitious young artist Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins) is invited by Mrs. Herbert (Janet Suzman) to make 12 elaborate sketches of her estate. Besides money, the contract includes sexual favors that Mrs. Herbert will offer to the draughtsman in the absence of Mr. Herbert. Entirely confident in his ability to weave a web of intrigues, Mr. Neville eventually becomes a victim of someone else's elaborate scheme. The film is structured as a sophisticated intellectual puzzle like the ones popular in the 17th century. There is a lot to pay attention to besides the intrigues -- fancy wigs, conversations by candlelight, English parks, Purcell-inspired baroque music by Michael Nyman, all to please the eyes, soothe the ears, and stimulate the mind.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/13/2023
UPC:	0738329262662
Original Release:	1982
Rating:	NR
Source:	Zeitgeist Films
Language:	English
Time:	1:48:00
Sales rank:	12,737

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Anthony Higgins	Mr. Neville
Janet Suzman	Mrs. Herbert
Anne Louise Lambert	Mrs. Talmann,Actor
Neil Cunningham	Mr. Noyes
Hugh Fraser	Mr. Talmann
Dave Hill	Mr. Herbert
David Gant	Mr. Seymour
David Meyer	The Poulena,The Poulena
Nicholas Amer	Mr. Parkes
Suzan Crowley	Mrs. Pierpont
Lynda Marchal	Mrs. Clement
Michael Feast	The Statue
Alastair Cummings	Philip
Steve Ubels	Mr. Van Hoyton
Ben Kirby	Augustus
Sylvia Rotter	Governess
Kate Doherty	Maid
Joss Buckley	Mr. Porringer
Mike Carter	Mr. Clark
Vivienne Chandler	Laundress
Geoffrey Larder	Mr. Hammond
George Miller	Valet
Michael Nyman	Composer

Technical Credits

Peter Greenaway

Peter Greenaway	Director,Screenwriter
David Payne	Producer
Peter Sainsbury	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

The Draughtsman's Contract is a seductive cinematic puzzle, with all the visual richness and style that have come to be associated with the film's director, Peter Greenaway. Like other Greenaway efforts, the story is dense with multiple layers. Deception, both of fact and motive, permeate the texture to the point that there is almost too much for audiences to assimilate in one viewing. While the performances are uniformly excellent, it is Greenaway's ability to create a vivid historical setting that most distinguishes the film. Michael Nyman's carefully crafted and historically appropriate score contributes greatly to the verisimilitude. The cinematography is unusually straightforward for a Greenaway film, with numerous static camera set-ups providing a head-on look at the proceedings.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam