The Draughtsman's Contract

Peter Greenaway's first fiction feature (after the mock-documentary The Falls) made him immediately famous and was named one of the most original films of the 1980s by British critics. The action is set in the director's beloved 17th century. Ambitious young artist Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins) is ...more

The Draughtsman's Contract is a seductive cinematic puzzle, with all the visual richness and style that have come to be associated with the film's director, Peter Greenaway. Like other Greenaway efforts, the story is dense with multiple layers. Deception, both of fact and motive, permeate the texture to the point that there is almost too much for audiences to assimilate in one viewing. While the performances are uniformly excellent, it is Greenaway's ability to create a vivid historical setting ...more