The Draughtsman's Contract (1983)

To me, this movie is perfection.

One of my all time favorites.

Just what I expected

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Peter Greenaway's classic comic murder mystery is a parade of fanciful language, English accents, long, white wigs, and beautiful countryside. It is a period piece that, at times, oddly and indescribably recalls fantasy and science fiction. It is a heavily stylized and artistic film that is surreal, witty, and dark all at once. The surrealism present is always subtle and hard to describe, which makes the atmosphere feel even stranger. It is almost uncomfortably unique and bizarre, which makes it all the more impossible to look away from. While this film is highly artistic and, at times, feels almost like a step into an 18th century painting, it balances style with substance gloriously. The story and characters are engaging, and their conversations are often witty. It is a film that requires attention and intelligent from the viewer, you must grasp what each character is saying to follow the hidden jokes, as well as the obvious ones. Michael Nyman's score is one of the finest in motion picture history. My jaw practically dropped the second the film began. How can music sound this damn good? It compliments the film's stylistic characteristics with elegance and grace as well as a sly wickedness that feels almost darkly humorous.For fans of stylized, art-house cinema, there are few films that capture this mood nearly as well as "The Draughtsman's Contract". It cares about great story and characters as much as it does great atmosphere and music.

Peter Greenaway's films have characteristic features: beautiful aesthetics, Michael Nyman scores, grotesquely humorous plots. His first film shows his gifts came fully formed: 'The Draughstman's Contract' is a bizarre costume drama that displays all of his talent, while, at the same time, being arguably about nothing. Greenaway's films really are pure cinema: his interest in what he can do with the form exceeds any external message, and there's no attempt to hide the the sense of artistic experiment. They're an acquired taste, but in an age of identikit blockbusters, his strange combination of imagery, originality and plain silliness weaves a magic all of its own.

Peter Greenaway's masterpiece is simply one of the best films I have ever seen. Every shot is of superb beauty and the joy of English is sublime. Every phrase spoken beautifully and inspiredly, leading me to believe every English person in the late 1600's was of absurdly impressive wit. Michael Nyman's score has stayed with me for 24 years and will always remember the insouciant pseudo baroque echoes making one feel as if the music is of repetitive grandeur and of the greatest intimacy.Every performance captivating, it is a movie that I wish I could again see in the big screen. The beauty of colour is simply too great.I insist, a film that anyone who loves art should see.Marcellny

An artist is hired by a rich woman to create a series of paintings while her husband is missing in action. The contract also includes some language about sexual favors. The settings are beautifully photographed but the movie is full of talking heads. They talk and talk and talk without saying anything interesting. Reflecting Greenaway's obsession with male nudity, there is an inexplicable running gag about a naked guy who turns up all over the estate posing as statues. Somewhere along the way, a dead body turns up. For those who manage to say awake until then, the ending will make no sense but who cares, as most of the film makes little sense.