The Draughtsman's Contract

"A landscape of lust and cunning."

1982 1h 48m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 276

HistoryMysteryComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

R. Neville, a brash young draftsman, is hired to make a dozen landscape illustrations at the estate of Mr Herbert and his wife Virginia. Aside from monetary compensation, the arrangement includes a sexual liaison offered to Neville by Virginia while her estranged husband is away. But when the murdered body of Mr Herbert is discovered at the estate, mysterious clues found in Neville's drawings point to the identity of the killer.

“A landscape of lust and cunning.”

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Cast

Anthony Higgins
Mr. Neville
Janet Suzman
Virginia Herbert
Dave Hill
Herbert
Alastair G. Cumming
Philip - Mr. Neville's assistant (as Alastair Cummings)
Anne-Louise Lambert
Sarah Talmann
Hugh Fraser
Mr. Talmann
Neil Cunningham
Thomas Noyes
David Meyer
Poulenc Brother

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Greenaway
Writers: Peter Greenaway
Languages: Dutch, English, German
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Dutch, English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Greenaway, shot by Curtis Clark. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Nyman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anthony Higgins and Janet Suzman and Dave Hill carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Greenaway directs. Curtis Clark behind the camera. Michael Nyman scores. John Wilson cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in Dutch, English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.4M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Made its money back 6.1× over at the box office.
344 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Dutch, English, German.
5Directed by Peter Greenaway, shot by Curtis Clark. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Michael Nyman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor John Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Anthony Higgins and Janet Suzman and Dave Hill carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A landscape of lust and cunning.".
10IMDB entry: tt0083851 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Curtis Clark
Original score: Michael Nyman
Editing: John Wilson
Costume design: Sue Blane
Makeup / hair: Lois Burwell
Sound: Godfrey Kirby
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $370,800
Box office: $2,256,246
Return: 608% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)

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Peter Greenaway

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-11-11
★ 7/10
Anthony Higgins is artist "Neville" who attracts the eye of the unhappily married aristocrat "Mrs. Herbert" (Janet Suzman). She concocts a plan to have her wicked way with him by commissioning him to sketch twelve aspects of their modest stately home in return for £8 per drawing and unlimited "access" to her person. When "Mr. Herbert" has to go away, that proves convenient for all and their contract is agreed and applied. Midway through his task, her daughter "Mrs. Talmann" (Anne-Louise Lambert) approaches our virile artist with another proposal. She is saddled with the foppish "Talmann" (Hugh Fraser) who would appear to be no use whatsoever in begetting an heir. Her deal with "Neville" however is more on her terms - and he thinks he is in clover. Is he though, or is he being played buy one or both of these women - and where has "Mr. Herbert" got to through all these shenanigans? Peter Greenaway gives this a sort of Regency look to it, the costumes - especially the wigs - are exaggerated to fully illustrate the vacuousness of their petty but privileged existence and there is some humour that just about stays on the satirical side of bawdy! Suzman is great, as is Lambert and though I found Higgins just a bit weak to sustain the title role, this is still a great and entertaining ensemble effort well complimented by Michael Nyman's lively and Handel-esque score. Forty years on, it has lost little of it's power to ridicule and shame, is pithily written and is well worth a watch.

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