"I try very hard never to distort or dissemble," says Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins), a ... more
draughtsman of considerable talent contracted by a certain Mrs Herbert (Janet Suzman) to make 12 drawings for her absent husband of their English estate. Part ofthat...
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A stunning new print of Peter Greenaway's acclaimed first feature a satisfying complex ... more
Jacobean murder mysery set in an English country garden during the height of a late 17th century summer. A draughtsman hired to execute 12 drawings of an estate neg...
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"I try very hard never to distort or dissemble," says Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins), a ... more
draughtsman of considerable talent contracted by a certain Mrs Herbert (Janet Suzman) to make 12 drawings for her absent husband of their English estate. Part of tha...
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Peter Greenaway became a director of international status with this witty, stylized, ... more
erotic country house murder mystery. In an apparently idyllic 17th century Wiltshire, an ambitious draughtsman is commissioned by the wife of an aristocrat to produce ...
"I try very hard never to distort or dissemble," says Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins), a ... more
draughtsman of considerable talent contracted by a certain Mrs Herbert (Janet Suzman) to make 12 drawings for her absent husband of their English estate. Part of that contract involves Mr Neville taking his pleasure with Mrs Herbert. While Mr Neville aims for fidelity in his drawings, infidelity in private is quite another matter. The film becomes a cerebral puzzle when objects start appearing mysteriously in the subjects of Mr Neville's various drawings: a ladder that wasn't there before, a pair of boots standing in a field. Mr Neville's penchant for realism is stymied by these clues, which may or may not suggest the murder of Mr Herbert. Peter Greenaway seems to have directed this, his first art-house success, with the aim of exploring the failings of perspective in art and casting his doubtful eye on the possibility of "faithful" drawings such as those by which Mr. Neville makes his living. Greenaway was, after all, an art student, and must have known that drawing machines like the one Mr Neville uses in the film (which is set in 1694) led not only to the invention of photography, and therefore of film itself, but also to the renouncing of perspective that informs so much of 20th-century painting.In the film, Greenaway overlays the story's mysterious elements with highly mannered tableaux, shooting each scene like a realistic, though sumptuous, painting, while his actors spout witty and complicated sentences, suggesting the falseness of surfaces. Mr Neville's faith in surface is his downfall, and Greenaway's triumph is in his distortions and dissemblings, the narrative lie that gets closer to the truth than any architectural drawing could. --Jim Gay, Amazon.com
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Drama - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Shelagh Fraser, Barbara Flynn, Keith Drinkel, Felicity Kendal, Pam Ferris, Colin Douglas
Advantages: Not a lot really Disadvantages: Drags, below par acting, unbelievable bits
It's not often that a film with big names slips past my radar, but The Contract is certainly one that went unnoticed by me. Released in 2006, the film was a bit of a flop, despite having Morgan Freeman and John Cusack as its top billing stars.
So, why wasn't it a success? And was it unfairly a disappointment, but really a hidden gem? Well, I can certainly eradicate this second question: it's not a gem. The film starts off with a few scenes to explain to us that ex-cop Ray Keene has recently lost his wife to cancer. Struggling to cope with the loss is their teenage son, Chris, getting into trouble with the law.
Elsewhere, contractor Carden is planning his next assassination, with his team of ex-military mercenaries. The two stories converge when a captured Carden ends up being caught and transported to jail, the car crashing in ...
Advantages: Good cast but unfortunately even they can't save it Disadvantages: Story, action, script... need I go on?
luckily for me it was simply that this is such a dire film!
The story, although there?s nothing stand-out about it could have been quite good and on the premise of what was going to happen I decided to stick with it but unfortunately this film seems to disappoint every way you look at it. It?s one of those films that isn?t bad enough to turn off although you really want to yet you want to keep watching, not to see what happens but because if you manage to sit through until the end of it you can see it as some sort of big achievement. Much like me managing to miraculously sit through Lord Of The Rings or Star Wars! Luckily The Contract doesn?t quite fit into the category as those two hideously bad films however it doesn?t do itself any favours in the form of being associated with them.
I used the term ?luckily? very loosely in ...
Great_reviewer07 04.06.2009
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Contract (DVD)
Advantages: Scenic, lots of action Disadvantages: Weak characters
I rented this film recently, but I had heard very little about it & chose it on the basis of the actors, title & how recent it was. To be honest, I was just curious.
Story
First we are introduced to a criminal group - ex-military, now assassins, with one new member, preparing for their next mission. They kill a very wealthy man - son of a billionaire & the next victim in their plan. The motive of the killing is connected to the opposition of stem cell research, but little is really mentioned on this as the killers are contract killers so purely doing it for the money. The client is not, to my memory, mentioned. Cardin, the leader of the group then finds himself in a nasty car accident & awakens in hospital handcuffed to the bed. Suddenly the group's plans are at stake. The newcomer seems reluctant to continue, but the remaining ...
A rich landowner invites a young and ambitious draughtsman to his house, where he is persuaded to accept a very strange commission from the landowner's wife. He must produce twelve drawings of their estate in return for twelve sexual favours. But as he draws, the young draughtsman becomes trapped in a bizarre conspiracy of adultery, blackmail and murder.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
BFI VIDEO; PIAS UK; SONY DADC
Release date
23/02/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
BFIVD 563
Barcode
5035673005637
Cinematographer
Curtis Clark
Composer
Michael Nyman
Art Director
Bob Ringwood
Costume Designer
Bob Ringwood, Sue Blane
Editor
John Wilson
Languages
Main Language
English
Dubbed Language
French
Subtitle Language
Dutch, French
Technical information
Special Features
Directors Commentary, Filmed Introduction By Peter Greenaway, Interview With Michael Nyman, Behind The Scenes Footage, On Set Interviews, Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailers Which Feature The Draughtmans Contract And A Zed And Two Noughts, Featurette On The Films Digital Restoration, Hidden Features
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Wide Screen
DVD Description
Set in Wiltshire in 1694, on the country estate of Mr and Mrs Herbert, this erotic murder mystery is Greenaway's lavish breakthrough creation as director. The Herbert's are having some marital difficulties, so he decides to take a two week holiday by himself. To surprise him on his return, Mrs. Herbert commissions an effete artist to draw twelve portraits of her estate. The artist agrees on the condition that he may sexually exploit Mrs. Herbert's body for those two weeks, she accepts his condition and he sets to work around the beautiful, formal and manicured grounds. When Mr. Herbert is found dead in his own moat at the end of those two weeks, the artist is the prime suspect, and Mrs. Herbert believes the mystery can be solved by close examination of the drawings the artist has done. With extravagant costumes, witty indulgent dialogue, impeccable production and a score by long-time collaborator Michael Nyman, THE DRAUGHTSMAN'S CONTRACT is a veritable feast for the senses.
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