Movie

The Draughtsman's Contract

1982 · 108 min

A stylized, witty puzzle that keeps you at a cool distance, rewarding close attention with barbed social satire and a chilling finale.

Tagline: A landscape of lust and cunning.
Overview: R. Neville, a brash young draftsman, is hired to make a dozen landscape illustrations at the estate of Mr Herbert and his wife Virginia. Aside from monetary compensation, the arrangement includes a sexual liaison offered to Neville by Virginia 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.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: satiricalstrength 3 of 3
cynicalstrength 2 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
campystrength 2 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: power
class
betrayal
obsession
art
Places: single country house
countryside
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: twist ending
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence strong
Sex strong

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	3
Humour	6
Realism	6
Romance	3
Tension	6
Darkness	7
Complexity	8
Emotional weight	6

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Details

Genres: history, mystery, comedy
Directed by: Peter Greenaway
Written by: Peter Greenaway
Starring: Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman, Dave Hill, Alastair G. Cumming, Anne-Louise Lambert, Hugh Fraser, Neil Cunningham, David Meyer
Music: Michael Nyman
Cinematography: Curtis Clark
Runtime: 108 min
Country: United Kingdom
Languages: Dutch, English, German

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The Draughtsman's Contract

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