The Draughtsman's Contract

I originally watched this film on prime video, and was so taken with it, that I searched for a DVD with bonus features that might provide a more in-depth appreciation of the obviously brilliant work done by the writer and director, Peter Greenaway. I found this Region 2 (UK) release to be the only version including Greenaway’s comments and other bonus features including how the film was restored from the original 16 mm version that had deteriorated over a period of several decades. The restored version is high quality and a joy to watch. Greenaway’s narration is most enlightening and well worth the price of the DVD – and the multi region DVD player I bought so that I could watch it! if you’re not familiar with this film, I recommend that you do what I did. Watch it on prime. If you like it as much as I did, you’ll want to watch the bonus features of this DVD, even if you have to buy a multi region player to do so.

The Draughtsman's Contract was made near the very height of the post-structuralist semiotic orgy that infected France and Germany and, to a lesser extent, the intellectual circles (such as they are) of Britain. If the most famous novel resulting from that frenzied period was The Name Of The Rose and the most widely read piece of theory was S/Z, then The Draughtsman's Contract was the most elegant and popular film. But just as Rose and S/Z were ultimately less substantial than their progenitors tried to claim, so is this movie less than meets the eye. For all Greenaway's insistence on semiotic clues (the objects that appear in the twelve drawings the eponymous Mr Neville is contracted to produce), the fact is that this is a beautiful work that is essentially hollow at the core. But frankly it doesn't matter. No one composes shots like Greenaway. Each frame is constructed with the care of an Old Master. It doesn't matter that the plot is silly and the intellectual guessing-game actually rather thin. What carries the movie is its sense of itself. It is assured, witty, engaging, and wonderful to look at. Greenaway revels in the period costumes and the dialog is always brisk and amusing. This is a movie you would be happy to watch with the volume turned off, were it not for the score which is glorious in itself - a twentieth century interpretation of period composers like Purcell.The plot of the movie has been recapitulated by other reviewers; suffice it to say that really the plot doesn't matter except that it acts as a scaffold for Greenaway's compositions. This is essentially a static movie, a movie in individual frames each of which is to be savoured. It doesn't matter "what Greenaway meant" because in the end the whole post-structuralist theory meant practically nothing. But whereas post-structuralist music is unlistenable and works like S/Z are now mere museum curiosities, The Draughtsman's Contract is still worth watching for the sheer visual delight it provides.

You don't have to be a student of Restoration drama to enjoy, in fact revel in this 17th century story of strategems, intrigue and double entendres. If you are a student of this period, or have a historical familiarity, then you'll be even more delighted. The Draughtsman's Contract from its intimate, candlelit close-ups to its ribald and rapier-like puns, from its sumptuous interiors to its elegant feast of manners will tease your senses as it feeds your intellect.Mrs. Virginia Herbert, an unloved and much neglected wife of a wealthy landowner (thanks to her dowry),commissions a handsome, clever and talented young draughtsman to make twelve drawings of her house while her husband is away. With little ado and certainly no pretence, Mrs. Herbert also privately agrees to satisfy any and all of Mr. Neville's sexual pleasures whenever and wherever he wishes. So begins his commission much to the amused disdain of the Herberts' neighbors. At first Mr. Neville seems to have the upper hand with this coterie to whom wit is prized above all things. Moreover, his audacious style and lusty spontaneity attract another proposal, this time a contract with Mrs. Herbert's daughter Sarah. Sarah is married to a gentleman whose words are like his clothes, she tells him: there's no substance in either of them.Despite his extracurricular activities, the Draughtsman is a conscientious artist who takes great care to reflect accurately in his work all that he observes. When he begins to notice a randomly placed pair of boots in a field, a man's jacket thrown unexpectedly over a hedge, a ladder leading nowhere, Neville is first annoyed and then curious. When Mr. Herbert's horse returns without his rider, Neville suspects murder.Over the years I've seen a few other Peter Greenaway films, Propero's Books, A Zed and Two Noughts, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and her Lover and Drowning by Numbers. Of all his films, The Draughtsman's Contract has, in my opinion, the most substance and also gives the most satisfying entertainment. Propero's Books had promise but seemed to be consumed finally by its own excesses. (...) I found the VHS recording as enthralling as that first experience in 1982 in a New York City theater.

I first saw 'The Draughtsman's Contract', a 1982 British film written and directed by Peter Greenaway, on TV (when it was first broadcast on C4 I think). Now, over 30 years later I've finally got to watch it again on DVD and (mainly due to the fact that I clearly didn't understand it properly then !) what a different experience it was !This DVD features the film after 'digital restoration', which whilst it doesn't elevate the picture and definitely the sound (which remains mono) to levels we might expect nowadays, it certainly looks pretty good when played back upscaled to make the best they could have done apparently for a production which is often sumptuous in its presentation and has numerous beautiful external shots or darkly lit internal scenes.Since it immediately reveals more than it should, as I think the Amazon synopsis incorrectly repeats the film description from the disc box, so here it is minus the 'spoiling' first sentence :"In an apparently idyllic 17th century Wiltshire, an ambitious draughtsman is commissioned by the wife of an aristocrat to produce twelve drawings of her husband's estate, in return for which he will receive payment, board and bed - hers. Extravagant costumes, a twisting plot, elegantly barbed dialogue and a score by Michael Nyman make the film a treat for ear, eye and mind."Peter Greenaway isn't exactly known for his films being 'mainstream' (he made 'The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover') but they are certainly usually very novel and daring. 'The Draughtsman's Contract' is slated as his first conventional feature film and what a debut, there is really nothing else quite like it !It has a delicious blend of period costume/language, stark/convoluted conversation and ultimately 'surprise' sex/violence - all occurring in the original setting of a grand English house, with a rousing Michael Nyman 'classical' musical soundtrack (which I can almost guarantee that anyone will have heard something of before, without realising it is from this film ie 'Chasing Sheep Is Best Left to Shepherds').The cast will be largely unknown to most (save for Janet Suzman and an almost unrecognisable Hugh Fraser) but everyone is extremely competent in their role and rise to the challenge of playing such extrovert characters, usually wearing elaborate/heavy clothing and make-up ! Aside from the costumes/make-up the production values are quite basic, relying on the character of the grand house to propel all that occurs towards us with such grace, beauty and intrigue.I was careful to edit the publicised plot as I believe that if you are anything like me, the twists therein will not be fully realised until the intended time - or some perhaps not at all, as the reasoning/background to some events are open to misunderstanding and certainly missable.So, if you like the general feeling of the film that may be justification to watch it again soon after - in the hope of fully appreciating all the nuances.Or, take my suggestion and after your first watch then listen to the Greenaway feature-length commentary on this DVD as it is utterly absorbing, comprehensive and will probably reveal at least one significant nuance of the plot that you had missed !Considering how much is going on in the film and that the main theme of the activities of the 'draughtsman' are so captivating, it is understandable that the aspects of drawing will be the most alluring - and that is why you will almost certainly miss those pertinent sub-plots despite them often smacking you in the face ! A small hint would be to say that, on first viewing, I really hadn't realised the full importance of the phrase 'draw what you see, not what you know' and the significance of framing, which Greenaway uses to such great effect.I've attached a photo of the back and inside of the disc box to show all the disc info and accompanying text, as it's not already on the main Amazon page.So, whilst this film might be over 30 years old, for me it hasn't aged much at all as the restored picture on this DVD brings things almost up to scratch; it is a pity that the marvellous musical soundtrack is only mono but that is a small issue in the bigger scheme of things. What Greenaway has given us here is a timeless classic piece of British cinema, with so much originality, focus on period detail and plot 'complications' that anyone should remain captivated - and perhaps end a little confused, but certainly shocked. I remain baffled why 'The Draughtsman's Contract' has apparently so little popularity...

Peter Greenaway's art and films have always fascinated me and I have a rather rare book of his with the drawings that appear in the film so finding this rather elusive DVD was a delight! I hadn't seen the first of Greenaway's conventional films, since the 80's when it was first released for Channel 4. It's costumes {a little exaggerated but to good effect,} set and location is so in tune and provides a perfect backdrop for a period drama of murder and mystery. darkly delightful with a slightly menacing allure this is one of Greenaway's best I feel.

The Draughtstman's Contract is the first film I saw of Peter Greenaway''s on Channel Four Television when Channel Four were an alternative film channel. The film is Peter Greenaway at his most inventive. The look, pace and feel beautifully out of step with the faultering British film industry of the early 80's which is why it still stands up today. The period setting, the clever, knowing wink of irony and the wonderfully judged performances heralded the beginning of an original talent using film as art and producing art on film. Greenaway may not have been to everyone's taste as the decade wore on but the Draughtsman's Contract remains his timeless classic.Mark Kilmurry

I was so looking forward to seeing this film again after 35 years, but sadly I had to give up on it after a few minutes as it was giving me eyestrain and a headache. The quality is very poor, no definition and glaringly bright. Dialogue and music also quite fuzzy and indistinct. Hugely disappointing.

Strange encounters from another time. Although not entirely explicit, the erotic nature of the Draughtsman's Contract is powerfully moving, and set against a background of exceptional formality and extremes of manners and behaviour, the Contract is even more unsettling in its matter-of-factness. Meanwhile, the set is strewn with odd figures whose role is puzzling, and there are political overtones which will make you reach for your William III background history - unless you accept this as a weird and wonderful murder mystery with beautiful house and gardens as its setting.