Draftsman's contract

BAFTA 1983 - nomination: Best Costumes (Sue Blane) IFF Venice 1982 - nomination: Participation in the main competition (Peter Greenaway)

Peter Greenaway's first feature film. It's 1694, and an ambitious cartoonist appears in the candlelit mansion. The young man hired is to make a series of twelve sketches of the palace and the surrounding gardens.

Greenaway, assisted by cinematographer Curtis Clarke, plays with framing, using the cartoonist's frame and easel to focus his gaze on the details in the film frame. Greenaway's artistic education is evident in references to the works of Caravaggio and Gainsborough, and scenes intertwine dim candle-lit interiors with sun-drenched views of the mansion and its gardens.

The extravagant costumes of the Restaurant by Sue Blane harmonize with flowery dialogues that barely hide the scandalous behavior and intrigues of the characters. The stylish pastiches of Henry Purcell's music performed by Nyman enhance the film's historical atmosphere while giving it a contemporary twist.