DRAUGHTSMAN’S CONTRACT, THE

THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT is a departure from such avant-garde films as “A Walk Through H” (1978) and “Vertical Features Remake” (1976), yet it reflects, as all Peter Greenaway films do, his fascination with devices of communication and the passage of time and space in relation to reality. Set in 1694, when an English country gentleman's preferential order of interest is “house, garden, horse, wife,” the story satirizes the artificial manners and mores of the “nouveau riche.” A handsome draughtsman (Anthony Higgins) is commissioned to execute 12 drawings of a magnificent Kent estate. While the master is away, the artist sets up exacting rules in his contract that include daily appointments for sex with the mistress (Janet Suzman). Her married daughter demands equal time with the artist and he gets more than he bargained for in more ways than one. Hidden in the lush landscape, signs of murder and intrigue begin to emerge in the detailed drawings. Blackmail enters the picture and the artist finds he has painted himself into a corner, for which no provision has been made in his contract. Sumptuous costumes and scenery and splendid, antithetical wit dazzle the senses. Absurdist sight gags lend a unique touch to Greenaway's stylish Restoration thriller. “An astonishingly elegant film. . .as mindbendingly rich to listen to as to see. . .Mr. Greenaway is an original.” – Vincent Canby, New York Times