The Draughtman's Contract(15)
10th Oct 2023Peter Greenaway - 1982 104 mins
UK
Language English
A young artist is commissioned by the wife of a wealthy landowner to make a series of drawings of thre estate while her husband is away. The contract extends much further than either the purse or the sketchpad, as is made clear when the body of Mr Herbert is discovered.
Score: 62.50%
Some members' comments:
4 A's: Appears slightly dated but … groundbreaking cinematic techniques and lighting that we now take for granted make this a landmark film!*** A most interesting and multi-layered film.*** Stunning film.*** ***** 11 B's: Entertaining. Of its time.*** Quirky*** Niche*** Visually stunning but still just as bizarre after all these years!*** No comment but beautiful costumes.*** Can’t fault satire.*** Compelling but just as pretentious as it was when I first saw it in 1982. The filming and soundtrack remain as memorable as when first released.*** A different plot. Certainly a stitch-up.*** Ended up as hard work.*** ***** 6 C's: Best thing was Michael Nyman’s music.*** Very puzzling. Do we need a classical education to understand it!*** “Weird”- the best bit was the music.*** Great photography but what the hell was it about.*** Can’t pretend to understand much of this, but interesting.*** Enjoyed the music.*** No better second time round, except for the hats.*** ***** 2 D’s: Why?*** ***** 3 E's: Why a Georgian setting?*** Where’s the fire alarm when you want it?*** Grotesque caricatures who were not entertaining and even the music was annoying.***