critics consensus

Smart and utterly original, The Draughtsman's Contract is a period piece that marks the further maturation of a writer-director with a thrillingly unique vision. Read critic reviews

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The Draughtsman's Contract Photos

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Movie Info

Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins), a brash young draftsman, is hired to make 12 landscape illustrations at the estate of Mr. Herbert (Dave Hill) and his wife (Janet Suzman). Aside from monetary compensation, the arrangement includes a sexual liaison offered to Neville by Mrs. Herbert while her estranged husband is away. But when the murdered body of Mr. Herbert is discovered at the estate, mysterious clues found in Neville's drawings point to the identity of the killer.

Rating:

R
Genre:

drama, comedy
Original Language:

Dutch
Director:

Peter Greenaway
Producer:

David Payne
Writer:

Peter Greenaway
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 17, 2020
Runtime:

1h 43m
Production Co:

British Film Institute, Channel Four Films
Aspect Ratio:

16mm

Cast & Crew

Anthony Higgins
Mr. Neville

Janet Suzman
Mrs. Herbert

Anne Louise Lambert
Mrs. Talmann

Dave Hill
Mr. Herbert

Hugh Fraser
Mr Talmann

Neil Cunningham
Thomas Noyes , Mr Noyes

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The Draughtsman's Contract

All Critics (27) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (1)

Agatha Christy this ain't, but it is weirdly wonderful.

February 7, 2019 | Full Review…

Mark Kermode
Sight & Sound
A well-constructed plot that's both playful and thematically significant.

February 7, 2019 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Alan Morrison
Empire Magazine
Contract is sordid and gorgeous at the same time; its elaborate costumes and coifs and its beautiful landscapes stand in marked contrast to the characters' blunt brutality.

February 7, 2019 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

Tasha Robinson
AV Club
Quote not available.

November 17, 2011 | Rating: 5/5

David Fear
Time Out
Though seemingly a comedy of manners taking place in the country home of a rich man, Herbert, there is an underlying viciousness of these rich denizens that foreshadows coming upheavals.

October 18, 2008 | Full Review…

Variety Staff
Variety
A puzzle book for intellectual aesthetes.

January 22, 2008 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Jeremiah Kipp
Slant Magazine
[A] strange, next-to-unwatchable movie.

March 30, 2021 | Full Review…

Russ Frushtick
Polygon
Greenaway's success lies in his ability to be simultaneously distant and welcoming, a charm that buoys the film's peculiar narrative.

April 13, 2020 | Full Review…

Ian Thomas Malone
Ian Thomas Malone
The Draughtsman's Contract is a curious movie that can surprise or leave one feeling indifferent, but it has the clear power to captivate. [Full Review in Spanish]

September 25, 2019 | Full Review…

Diego Galán
El Pais (Spain)
As an introduction to a unique personal vision, director Peter Greenaway's first commercially released feature film is a calling card of dazzling virtuosity.

February 7, 2019 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

Tom Hutchinson
Radio Times
It shows the director at his best and most playful, and it's a strange delight.

February 21, 2008 | Full Review…

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Quote not available.

November 4, 2007 | Rating: 4/5

Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

View All Critic Reviews (27)

Audience Reviews for The Draughtsman's Contract

Oct 08, 2015

The Draughtsman's Contract has everybody clever in an odd way. I cannot make out what it is about. This is neither irritating enough to make me dislike the film nor intriguing enough to stimulate a rewatch. Would recommend only to those who enjoy the exercise of interpretation; it is not really comical or sexy enough for a casual view.

Robert B Super Reviewer
Jul 03, 2009

There are a lot of good things I can say about this film. The costumes and setting are gorgeous, and all of the performances are great - most of all Anthony Higgins, who is not only masterful in his role but wears Restoration costume as if he'd been born to do so. However, despite enjoying the first two thirds of the film I can't say I was especially enamoured of the ending section, possibly because much of it went over my head. Maybe I'll watch it again sometime and see if I understand it better.

Kylie B Super Reviewer
Nov 26, 2008

Seductive cinematic puzzle, visually rich with deception, both of fact and motive, permeating the texture. Performances are uniformly excellent, while the historical setting is amongst the most vivid committed to film. Michael Nyman's beautifully crafted score contributes greatly.

hawk l Super Reviewer
Nov 10, 2008

This viewer obviously lacked the historical knowledge or the cinemaphile's love of abstract symbolism to appreciate this. The film was far too obscure for my tastes. A sketch artist agrees to a personal services contract with an aristocrat (sort of a "friends with benefits" arrangement) and finds himself set up to take the fall for a murder. A most unpleasant affair that was not sweetened in any way. No skin and little bedroom action of the most chaste variety. The costumes were lavish, the wigs extravagant, the dialog witty, but the story was nearly incomprehensible to this poor viewer. A whodunit in which no one knows, nor do they seem to care. Or maybe it is that everyone in the story knows, but still no one cares. This viewer is beyond caring. Mr Neville will still take the fall. And what was the purpose of the movable statue? Who knows? Another time waster one should stay away from unless in possession of the requisite knowledge to appreciate the subtleties of the 17th century costume drama with an artsy flair.

Mark A Super Reviewer