FROM THE U.K : THE DRAUGHTSMAN’S CONTRACT

You may or may not have picked up on this but I LOVE British cinema. I love the use of wit over well… Everything else basically. Writing clever and exciting plots, really original plots are a talent and it’s something Hollywood is very good at. What doesn’t come out of Hollywood is wit. That’s what makes a lot of British films stand out from the crowd, and it’s what the British are, in my humble opinion, are good at. Peter Greenaway’s “The Draughtsman’s Contract” brims with wit. It is without a doubt one of the most intelligent and original thrillers I have watched in my life and believe you me, I have watched one HECK of a lot of thrillers…
We are transported back to the 17th century, to England. Mrs. Herbert is the wife of a rich businessman, Mr. Herbert. Mr. Herbert is the owner of a very large estate, and it is Mrs. Herbert’s desire to have drawn 12 sketches of the estate to present to Mr. Herbert. For this purpose she makes a contract with Mr. Neville, a master draughtsman. However, Mr. Neville is the best of the best, he thinks incredibly highly of his work and every line he draws comes at a price. Mrs. Herbert must pay for the sketches with money but with her body as well. Whenever Mr. Neville pleases. So, the contract is drawn up and Mr. Neville begins work on the sketches. He is pleased with the whole deal at first; having no doubt in his mind that he has got himself a good deal. However, is it really going according to plan? And if it is, according to whose plan? Mr. Neville’s or somebody else’s?
Now, you may or may not know that Peter Greenaway comes from a background of painting. This is very obvious in another of his films; The Cook, The Thief, His Wife Her Lover (one of my all time favorite movies incidentally) but more so here. There are many little clues and tips of the hat to old masters such as Caravaggio and Rembrant (I don’t pretend to have caught on to all of them). The compositions of the shots even, have a “painters” touch. And it is, on one hand, a film about painting by a painter, something fascinating to behold…
And then there is the main storyline. You may be conned into thinking yourself in a familiar realm. That of period drama and scheming aristocrats. You would not be exactly wrong, but you would be simplifying the whole thing rather a lot. First of all, although ample clues are available, it is VERY tough to get to the heart of the adventure a second before Mr. Greenaway intends us to get there… The drama, the tension unfolds slowly, gently almost, like the poor unfortunate Mr. Neville we are lulled into thinking we know EXACTLY what is going on and then… Wham! One of the best plots I have seen in a long time. And the wit doesn’t stop there of course. All through the film, long, 17th century, and very British sentences and stabs make the journey a sheer delight. If you get to watch it, please note the opening monologue concerning an anecdote about plums… I almost fell out of my seat laughing at it… =)