Peter Greenaway became a director of international status with this witty, stylised and erotic English country house murder mystery.
In an apparently idyllic 17th-century Wiltshire, an ambitious draughtsman is commissioned by the wife of an aristocrat to produce 12 drawings depicting her husband’s estate, in return for which he will receive payment, board and bed – hers.
Extravagant costumes, a twisting plot, elegantly barbed dialogue and a score by Michael Nyman make the film a treat for ear, eye and mind.
Extras
Newly remastered by the BFI National Archive and presented in High Definition
Audio commentary by Peter Greenaway (2003)
Introduction by Peter Greenaway (2003, 10 mins): the director discusses the genesis of The Draughtsman’s Contract, his creative choices and the film’s central themes
Visions: A Film Comment by Angela Carter (1982, 21 mins): the novelist’s contemporary TV review of The Draughtsman’s Contract
The Guardian Interview: Michael Nyman (2002, audio only, 7 mins): the composer discusses his work on The Draughtsman’s Contract
The Greenaway Alphabet (2017, 60 mins): Saskia Boddeke’s deeply personal portrait of her husband Peter Greenaway, his art and his relationship with his daughter
H is For House (1976, 9 mins): an early short film by Peter Greenaway
A Walk Through H (1978, 42 mins): Greenaway’s short depicting the symbolic journey of an ornithologist through a mysterious bird-filled country
Insight: Zandra Rhodes (1981, 15 mins): Greenaway’s profile of the fashion designer
Interviews with Janet Suzman, Peter Greenaway and Anthony Higgins (1981, 5 mins)
