| | Draughtsman's Contract DVD
| Category | Dramas DVDs, Comedies Movies, Thriller Videos, Mystery, Fantasy, Black Comedy, Surreal | | Starring | Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman, Michael Feast, Dave Hill | | Director | Peter Greenaway | | Art Director | Bob Ringwood | | Cinematographer | Curtis Clark | | Composer | Michael Nyman | | Costume Designer | Sue Blane | | Editor | John Wilson | | Featured | Hugh Fraser, Anne Louise Lambert |
Peter Greenaway directs this 17th-century costume romp-cum-murder mystery. This elegantly barbed extravaganza, with music by Michael Nyman and photography by Curtis Clark, launched Greenaway to the forefront of global arthouse cinema. Mrs. Herbert and her husband are having some marital difficulties, so he decides to take a two week holiday by himself. To surprise him on his return, Mrs. Herbert commissions an artist to paint twelve portraits of her estate. The artist agrees, but on the condition that Mrs. Herbert lend him the use of her bodily favors for those two weeks. When Mr.. Herbert is found dead in his own mote at the end of those two weeks, the artist is the prime suspect, and Mrs. Herbert believes the mystery can be solved by close examination of the paintings the artist did. Greenaway's film feels a bit like BLOW-UP, but examines a world far stranger than the one of its setting; it feels as though the film takes place in a parallel universe rather than the 17th century. Draughtsman's Contract Reviews: "...The way [Greenaway] explores the relation between fact and fiction, 'truth' and 'beauty' is ingeniously carried out..."
-- Jill Forbes, Sight and Sound "...An extraordinarily detailed picture....Greenaway is an original."
-- Vincent Canby, New York Times "[I]t's one of his most accessible and enjoyable films."
-- Geoffrey Macnab, Sight and Sound Draughtsman's Contract | List Price | $29.99 (You save $9.84) | | Studio | Zeitgeist Films Ltd. | | Orig Year | 1982 | | All Time Sales Rank |  52150  | | CD Universe Part number | 7546594 | | Catalog number | 1096 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Feb 12, 2008 | | Rating | R (MPAA) | | Running Time | 108 Minutes | | Additional Info | Subtitled | | Movie Details | Color; Subtitled |
Draughtsman's Contract Movie Review  Deliciously Rotten Pineapple
When I saw this film at its release, I fell in love with it instantly. It was a love at a first sight. It was a discovery of a new talented director, Peter Greenaway. Produced with limited budget and limited settings, Greenaway already revealed his style like no other directors.
Beauty and ugliness. You can see Greenaway's familiar paradoxical theme here. In all arrogance and elegance of the aristocrat society, you are lead to nothing but a rotten fruit.
You can appreciate "The Draughtman's Contract" in all aspects of film making. Peter Greenaway is one of few directors who can create films as an art form today.
Like his later films, the structure of the plot is geometric. You can enjoy yourself wondering in the maze of the story.
Being an illustrator, Greenaway has great sense of visual. Carefully composed images of old English garden is breathtaking. Air, mist, green--, everything is alive. When shadows of clouds move on the ground, it's stunning.
Collaboration of visual and music here is comparable to Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone. It's almost unthinkable without each other. Michael Nyman's music takes a great role defining Peter Greenaway's world. When Greenaway and Nyman worked together, their products became a haunting symphony. I strongly hope they work together again in the near future.
DVD transfer is not as sharp as you wish. But considering the fact that the original format of the film is Super 16 (16mm film), this might be as good as it gets. But this will not jeopardize deliciously provocative world of Peter Greenaway.
Submitted by nualchemy (Daly City, CA, USA) 
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Draughtsman's Contract DVD Anamorphic Widescreen -
1.85
Full Frame -
1.33
Audio:
(unspecified) - English
Subtitles - English - Closed Captioned
Additional Release Material:
Featurette: "Restoration Demonstration"
Deleted Scenes (4)
Behind the Scenes: Making Of
Interviews: Michael Nyman - Composer
Audio Commentary: Peter Greenaway - Director
Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
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