Customer Reviews

The Draughtsman's Contract [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.4 Import - Australia ]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is the only movie I've seen more than five times. The plot is always fascinating because every explanation I come up with has some flaw, although there seem to be clues everywhere. The arch dialog is delicious, and delivered by the actors with obvious relish. This is the only movie I find myself quoting lines from, simply for the fun of it. The cast is perfect. The music is wonderfully atmospheric. The scenery is luscious. It may require a decadent taste to enjoy this movie, but if you have that, it is the ideal entertainment. I haven't found anything else of Peter Greenaway's watchable. But The Draughtsman's Contract is a masterpiece.

This beautifully shot, highly intelligent, somewhat surreal and shockingly unknown film was originally made by Peter Greenaway for the opening night of Channel Four Television in Britain, and represents, perhaps, the man at his peak. The story, which avoids any direct explanations of itself or its plot, centres around a draughtsman (Higgins) who is hired to produce twelve drawings of a stately home in England. While he draws, objects appear in the landscape around him, which he includes in his drawings... when a body finally surfaces, do the drawings contain evidence concerning the identities of its murderers, or has some clever person purposely placed the objects in order to frame someone else... possibly the draughtsman himself? One may watch the film many times, each time coming up with a different answer; the motives and dialogue contradict each other just enough to add to the mystery, but not enough to ruin any possible explanation. The sountrack (by Michael Nyman) is also interesting: the themes within it are based on eight-bar samples of Mozart which are repeated and improvised upon, to hypnotising and evocative effect. A fascinating film.

This new digital transfer looks quite nice but keep in mind the limitations of the format it was shot in--Super 16mm (most TV shows were shot in 16mm for British TV and this was financed by Channel 4--when watching this new digitally restored transfer of "The Draughtman's Contract". The plan was for a theatrical release and then a TV airing. The budget was quite small. Super 16mm doesn't yield the fine detail of 35mm or 70mm. The transfer is an improvement over the previously available DVD but it also reveals the flaws of the source so the high definition elements can't mask the limitations of Super 16mm.

The real reason to get this though is for the extras. We get a commentary track by director Peter Greenaway as well as an introduction that's almost long enough to be a featurette on the making of the film. We also get deleted scenes, an interview with composer Michael Nyman ("The Piano"--this was one of Nyman's first scores), a restoration demonstration, behind-the-scenes footage and on set interviews and the original theatrical trailer for the film. There is also a booklet with an essay by Greenaway (don't read it until AFTER you have seen the film if this is your first time viewing it)and an interview with Cinematographer Curtis Clark discussing how he and Greenaway decided to use Super 16mm and the challenge of shooting only by candlelight.


"The Draughtman's Contract" won't be for everyone. Director Peter Greenaway deliberately sought to subvert the way a traditional period piece was portrayed in film with this unusual and elliptic mystery. Part social commentary and avant garde period piece. Greenaway has his actors behave in a stiff, formal way often posing as often as performing. Imagine an avant-garde period film written by Patricia Highsmith and directed by Alfred Hitchcock and you might just get an idea of what "The Draughtman's Contract" is like.

The plot is simple--Mr. Neville a draughtsman who creates pictures of valuable items for the wealthy is employed by Mrs. Herbert the wife of a stuffy and insufferably man. She plans to give the pictures that Neville draws as a gift to her husband when he returns from his journey. Neville's terms are difficult to say the least--he demands that she engage in degrading sex with him, provide room and board plus his usual fee. Neville thinks himself superior to those he provides service to and makes that quite clear his speech and attitude. It's a time of stuffy people doing stuffy things and Neville takes advantage of it. In many respects, Neville is just as bad as the master of the house subjecting the family to his whims but things take an unusual turn when it appears that a murder may have been committed.


"The Draughtman's Contract" is certainly unusual and for those adventurous enough to try it (and those that enjoy "art films" something that Greenaway was trying to take the stuffing out of anyway with this film), you'll probably enjoy it. It is an acquired taste so I would recommend a rental before purchasing.

An enhanced version of this movie is certainly welcome, possibly it will introduce the film to a new audience. If you've never seen the film and you count yourself as a movie buff, you must. I'm not saying you'll come away as a champion of the movie, I'm sure their are as many people who think it was silly and confusing as those who attribute genius to the production. But regardless, it's a stunningly beautiful film and there can be no argument that it's compelling to watch, which seems to be Greenaway's forte, stirring up the pot, but with the most elegant eye candy.

This DVD presents a "restored" version of the film, which as explained in a special feature, is not actually a frame by frame "Vertigo" style effort, but a digital wash through a couple of programs that eliminate flicker and improve detail. In any case, as illustrated in the examples shown, the process does produce a noticeably cleaner film. The question is should you rush out and replace your existing copy? I have the 1999 DVD, and I can now see the flaws, but they weren't so bad that it affected my enjoyment in any way. Your call, even the new version is not that great, this was his first (feature) film, and was filmed with rather primitive equipment.

Now, if this new series, with "Greenaway" across the top, will finally produce an appropriate DVD version of "Prospero's Books", not the ridiculously horrible version burped up by AA Classics sometime back, that would be something to celebrate indeed.

Peter Greenaway may be the last indisputably distinctive Anglophone filmmaker. With "The Draughtsman's Contract," he broke through from relative obscurity as an experimental artist into feature-length narratives. While his subsequent films have been more conservative than his earlier work, he remains a highly original and innovative artist. "Contract" may be his most balanced film, integrating much of his earlier formal experimentation with the demands of narrative.

Greenaway is just about the only well-known filmmaker with an interest in the art and film theory of the past thirty-five years. His is a "meta-cinema," at least as much about the act of making and watching movies as about particular situations. Summarizing the story of "The Draughtsman's Contract," for example, gives only a limited sense of what watching the movie is like. As some of the reviews here have pointed out, you cannot watch "Contract" without noticing the perspective tools used by Mr. Neville. These technologies anticipate the optics used in photography and cinematography. As we are aware of how they contribute to 17th century draftsmanship we (in theory at least) recognize the construction of the very images we are viewing. In short, through these and other techniques, you are too aware of experiencing the film to become engrossed in it.

If you are not comfortable with such distancing, "The Draughtsman's Contract" may not be your cup of tea. On the other hand, there is certainly "much to be applauded" in "The Draughtsman's Contract." As in virtually all of Greenaway's work, the visual design and cinematography are exquisite and all the more remarkable given the film was shot in 16mm. The actors obviously relish the chance to make the film's baroque dialogue compelling, lively, believable as everyday speech. (Incidentally, fans of the British "Poirot" series should get a chuckle out of Hugh Fraser's snide, arch, thoroughly unpleasant Mr. Talmann. It's almost impossible to believe that under the wigs and layers of linen and between the pauses in a viscous German accent is Poirot's amiable poodle, Captain Hastings.) "Contract" was also as much a breakthrough for Greenaway's favorite composer, Michael Nyman, as it was for the director. The score's Purcellian themes and arrangements are a little a-typical for the composer, however.

If you are familiar with the film or Greenaway's other work, you should be aware that the transfer is adequate without being stunning. While matted for widescreen, the disc is not 16:9 enhanced, which is a pity. Blown up to fill a widescreen TV, the grain gets a bit noticeable. I recommend viewing the disc in matted 4:3 mode. If you have never seen a Greenaway film, "The Draughtsman's Contract" makes an excellent introduction to the intricacies and paradoxes of his thematically and sensually rich cinema.

The first Peter Greenaway's feature "The Draughtsman's Contract" (1982) - is absolutely delightful, devilishly clever (just imagine the best Agatha Christy's mystery with all sorts of clues and suspects but without Poirot or Ms. Maple to explain in the end whodunit and why. You are on your own to try to figure out - everything you need to know is right there), and funny (Yes, Greenaway can be funny!) art film - the perfect example of an art film. It combines the elements of social satire with murder mystery, meditates on the power of art and role of an artist, studies family drama and mothers - daughters love and understanding, perfectly wraps it in sensual pleasure - and what the pleasure it is. I know I will watch it again because it is a feast for eyes (I've seen big budget movies that looked plain comparing to this one shot on the limited funds), ears (Michael Nyman wrote one of the best score ever for this film) and for brain - there are mysteries and puzzles in every frame and in every dialog.

There is couple of Greenaway's thoughts on his first film and on the films that influenced him from the interview that was published in L'Avant-Scene Cinema", No 333, October 1984:

"Majority of my films may be viewed on several levels. Thus, in "The Draughtsman's Contract" there was the desire to open the symbolism of plants and fruits, to study the connections between the aristocrats and the common people, the conflicts between the worlds of gentlemen and of servants. With my films, I hope to generate interest, to stimulate imagination, to wake feelings...

I consider that 90% of my films one way or another refers to paintings. "Contract" quite openly refers to Caravaggio, Georges de la Tour and other French and Italian artists...

Before the work on the film began, I did not explain to film crew what I wanted, but I showed them five European films: "Fellini's Casanova", "The Last Tango in Paris" by Bertolucci, "The Marquise of O" by Eric Rohmer, "Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach" by Jean-Marie Straub and, most importantly, "Last Year at Marienbad" by Alain Resnais which has been the most influential film for me."

4.5/5 (9/10)

Peter Greenway's first feature combines "Masterpiece Theater" dialogue and settings with an unusual mystery that unfolds slowly like a rose. The draughtsman Mr. Neville(Anthony Higgins)is hired by Mrs. Herbert to draw portions of her husband's estate while he is away on business. There's something amiss about the drawings that Mr. Neville doesn't catch but others do suggesting that all is not as it seems at the Herbert estate. Well directed by Peter Greenway, the use of candlelight for key scenes in the film reminds me of the ambitious Kubrick film "Barry Lyndon". Although there's much more happening both on the surface of this film and below than most Hollywood films, "The Draughtsman's Contract" has such a static, placid surface that it's easy to get lulled into watching it without seeing what's going on. The formal dialogue and look of the film suggests a Merchant-Ivory period piece in some respects although it's clears that Greenaway is making a comment on how we see the world around us. It's also a comment about our possessions and how they define us. Depending upon what's in them, the drawings could represent different things. If, for example, Mrs. Herbert's clothing items appeared as part of the landscape, it's clear that the drawings would be much more about her. As it is, her husbands things from shirts to boots dominate the landscape predicting a strange and unusual twist at the end of the film.

The print used here is washed out and doesn't have the detail one has come to expect in a DVD transfer. I'd blame that on the source print used which appears to have been exhibited one too many times losing much of its bold colors and sharpness. The transfer isn't the best but the film looks decent on DVD. It's possible some of the defects seen here could be due to the fact that the film was shot in Super16mm. There's little in the way of extras which is a pity; I'd love to have heard Greenway's commentary track or thatof the actors involved in the making of the movie. We do get some production credits, awards as well as a limited filmography.

I'd suggest renting or paying as little as possible as this just isn't the greatest transfer and needs to be spiffed up with extras. Greenaway boldly tries a number of unusual experiments in his first feature film. Evidently hisoriginal cut of this was nearly four hours long (luckily, we didn't have to suffer through that version as this is perfect at a little under two hours). An arthouse hit in 1982, "The Draughtsman's Contract" signaled the arrival of a bold new talent in film.

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...and open your knees!"

So says the dastardly Mr Neville, the epitome of the self-made 17th Century Englishman in Peter Greenaway's sumptious 'Draughtman's Contract', the contract in question being one of a sexual nature; Mr Neville agrees to sketch the financially embarrassed Mrs Herbert's house and gardens in return for twelve sexual favours from his reluctant employer.

Yet what begins as a simple story of a sado masochistic relationship unravels into a perlexing jigsaw puzzle of a film where nothing is as it first appears, our affections switching from one character to another as we (as well as THEY) try to figure out exactly what is afoot in Mrs Herbert's beautiful garden.

A film about perception, art, sex, age, gender, 17th Century British politics, murder, love (and pineapples!), 'The Draughtman's Contract' is as cerebrally challenging as it is visually beautiful, with Michael Nyman's sensational mock-Baroque score the perfect icing on this multi-layered cake.

Anthony Higgins is worryingly sexy as the autocratic Mr Neville, and Janet Suzman is wonderfully womanly as the much older Mrs Herbert, their strange relationship confusing us as much as them until the shocking final scene.

An absolute delight.

Intelligent and entertaining - I always liked this movie: could have been 5 stars. Too bad Fox Lorber didn't care to put much effort into the DVD release: There should be at least subtitles (for hearing impaired persons - and foreign viewers ;-) ) on every DVD release by now - so this completely "special-feature"-less disc is somewhat overpriced in comparison to other releases. It's not what it could have been.

This tale of a 17th Century draughtsman who takes a commission to do drawings of a wealthy Englishman's estate only if he can "do" the Lady of the estate at the same time, is an intriguing piece for those unhurried and with a taste for something different.

Meticulously recreating the era, with the best candlelit scenes since Barry Lyndon, we realize that a stately sort of mystery is unfolding as we watch the arrogant artist have his way with first the mistress of the house and then her daughter, all the while insulting and denigrating everyone around him.

The Draughtsman is arrogant, self-confident, and sure that he is superior to the aristocratic twits he serves with his art. That he believes he is smarter than everyone around him will come around to be his undoing. Being used while he thinks he is doing the using, the Draughtsman finds out too late that he has been nothing more than a pawn in a game he never understood.

Not for everyone, I found the film fascinating but as detached and aloof as its protagonist. This cold detachment becomes the wry amusement in the story, but also separates us from any emotional connection to the characters. There are also the typical Greenaway non sequiturs, in this case a naked fool, painted, posing as statues etc. At any rate, worth a look for those wanting something different.