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Information

Year
1982
Runtime
108 min.
Director
Peter Greenaway
Genres
Drama, Comedy, Mystery
Rating *
7.3
Votes *
6,209
Checks
1,836
Favs
168
Dislikes
19
Favs/checks
9.2% (1:11)
Favs/dislikes
9:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. CSSCHNEIDER's avatar

    CSSCHNEIDER

    A unique vision of a film. Beautifully rendered and masterfully executed. I'm rather in awe of this film. 8 years 11 months ago
  2. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    Though I'd seen The Draughtsman's Contract back in college when I was discovering art-house director Peter Greenaway, his first feature didn't at the time strike me as one of his most interesting. I mostly bought it to see if Zeitgeist Video's re-releases would be worthwhile. The answer to that is yes, at least. I also liked the film better this time around. The story: An 18th-century artist agrees to draw a wealthy household in exchange for sexual favors from the lady of the house, and he gets embroiled in a murder mystery for which he may end up the patsy. The look of the film is very stiff because Greenaway was applying a painterly approach, and the witty dialogue seems pulled from Restoration drama/comedy. So I understand the barriers that made my 20-year-old self lose interest. Historically interesting because Greenaway's usual theme of an artist being consumed by his art can be found in the rest of work, Contract also provides an unusual mystery, but not a pat solution. It's there in the clues, but there's no scene where all is explained. 8 years 6 months ago
  3. Emiam's avatar

    Emiam

    7/10
    A good movie, unpredictable. A sophisticated movie that requires its man/woman to be able to concentrate on the whole movie - for it is basically constant dialogue. Good direction, good script. Nice movie-cover and nice digital menu (as if the cartoonist wrote the menu). The film is known for each scene being framed like a painting. The film digs deeper and deeper into the mystery, and not necessarily against one or more explanations...
    5 years 4 months ago
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  1. musikurt checked this movie 1 day 11 hours ago
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In 8 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #80 in BFI's Top 100 British Films
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    BFI's Top 100 British Fi…

    80
  2. This movie ranks #257 in Harvard's Suggested Film Viewing: Narrative Films
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    Harvard's Suggested Film…

    257
  3. This movie ranks #269 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
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    The Guardian's 1000 Film…

    269
  4. This movie ranks #274 in Time Out's 1000 Films to Change Your Life
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    Time Out's 1000 Films to…

    274
  5. This movie ranks #473 in Jennifer Eiss's 500 Essential Cult Movies
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    Jennifer Eiss's 500 Esse…

    473
  6. This movie ranks #689 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    1001 Movies You Must See…

    689
  7. This movie ranks #718 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films: 1001-2500
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    718
  8. This movie ranks #854 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
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    David Thomson's Have You…

    854
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