The Draughtsman's Contract (1982)

Mr. Neville, a cocksure young artist is contracted by Mrs. Herbert, the wife of a wealthy landowner, to produce a set of twelve drawings of her husband's estate, a contract which extends ... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Greenaway

Writer:

Peter Greenaway

Stars:

Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman, Anne-Louise Lambert

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Higgins	...	R Neville / Mr Neville
Janet Suzman	...	Virginia Herbert / Mrs Herbert
Anne-Louise Lambert	...	Mrs. Talmann (as Anne Louise Lambert)
Hugh Fraser	...	Mr Talmann
Neil Cunningham	...	Thomas Noyes / Mr Noyes
Dave Hill	...	Mr Herbert
David Gant	...	Mr Seymour
David Meyer	...	The Poulencs
Tony Meyer	...	The Poulencs
Nicholas Amer	...	Mr Parkes (as Nicolas Amer)
Suzan Crowley	...	Mrs Pierpont
Lynda La Plante	...	Mrs Clement (as Lynda Marchal)
Michael Feast	...	The Statue
Alastair Cumming	...	Philip
Steve Ubels	...	Mr. van Hoyten

Storyline

Mr. Neville, a cocksure young artist is contracted by Mrs. Herbert, the wife of a wealthy landowner, to produce a set of twelve drawings of her husband's estate, a contract which extends much further than either the purse or the sketchpad. The sketches themselves prove of an even greater significance than supposed upon the discovery of the body of Mr. Herbert.

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Plot Keywords:

artist | contract | drawing | indignant | dutch | 

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Taglines:

A landscape of lust and cunning. [Video Australia]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German Dutch

Release Date:

30 June 1983 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

A rajzoló szerződése

Filming Locations:

Groombridge Place, Groombridge, Kent, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Film Institute (BFI), Channel Four Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The close-up shots of the draughtsman drawing are of Peter Greenaway's hands.

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Goofs

The cooing of a collared dove is not a sound that would have fallen on Jacobean ears, as the species was unknown in Britain until 1955.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Noyes: Mr. Chandos was a man who spent more time with his gardener than his wife. They discussed plum trees - ad nauseam. He gave his family and his tennants cause to dread September, for they were regaled with plums till their guts rumbled like thunder and their backsides ached from overuse. He built the chapel at Fouvant, where the pews are made of plumwood, so the tennants still have cause to remember Chandos through their backsides - on account of the splinters.

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Connections

Spoofs Last Year at Marienbad (1961)

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Soundtracks

"Garden Is Becoming A Robe Room"
(uncredited)
Written by Michael Nyman
Performed by Nyman Band

User Reviews

Can Mathematics Be Erotic?

Hugely enjoyable, if somewhat a tad too clever for its own good. A very good English director's attempt to be more continental, by being deliberately obscure, and throwing in large dollops of raunchy eroticism. Imagine if you will an episode of PBS's Mystery set during the Restoration, with a script by Einstein, and direction by Frederico Fellini.

Two excellent stage actors - Anthony Higgins and Janet Suzman - in combination with the very sultry and seldom seen Australian actress Anne Louise Lambert, act their sexy sox off in this delightful delicate pastry of a movie. In the year 1694 an artist is commissioned to create a series of precise drawings of an enormous country house. The twist is that his agreed form of payment is most unusual.

Michael Nyman's score is a careful, yet loud, modern arrangement with contemporary wind and string instruments. The photography by Curtis Clark is incredible, and these two creative artists convince you, you are in the 17th Century. The interior scenes are lit only by candlelight - as was also the case in Kubrick's superb historical masterpiece Barry Lyndon. This movie somehow combines elements of sophisticated themes of woman's self-empowerment, the inhumanity of the aristocracy, mathematics, and Benny Hill eroticism. Really rather wonderful and unique, but also in-retrospect, less than the sum of its parts. For a superior Peter Greenaway picture, try Drowning By Numbers, A Zed and Two Naughts, and The Cook, the Wife, etc..