Draughtsman's Contract

Streaming video - 1982

Set in a richly exaggerated 17th-century England, Peter Greenaway’s sumptuous and sensuously charged brainteaser catapulted him to the forefront of international art cinema. Adorned with intricate wordplay, extravagant costumes and opulent photography, Greenaway’s first narrative feature weaves a labyrinthine mystery. An aristocratic wife commissions a young, cocksure draughtsman to sketch her husband’s property while he is away—in exchange for a fee, room and board, and one sexual favor for each of the twelve drawings. As the draughtsman becomes more entrenched in the devious schemings in this seemingly idyllic country home, curious details emerge in his drawings that may reveal a murder. THE DRAUGHTMAN'S CONTRACT is a lusciou...s cinematic banquet for eye, ear and mind. Winner of the Grand Prix from the **Belgian Film Critics Association.** Nominated for a Golden Lion at the **Venice International Film Festival.** *"What we have here is a tantalizing puzzle, wrapped in eroticism and presented with the utmost elegance. I have never seen a film quite like it." - Roger Ebert, **The Chicago Sun*** more