The Draughtsman's Contract

In 1694 England, an ambitious young draftsman named Mr. Neville is hired by Virginia Herbert to produce twelve drawings of her husband's country estate while Herbert is away. The arrangement Neville negotiates extends beyond payment to include Virginia's sexual favours. When Herbert's body is found on the estate, the meticulous drawings Neville has made begin to take on a different significance, turning the artist into a suspect in a domestic intrigue whose real shape he does not fully grasp.

The film is Peter Greenaway's first feature and the earliest title in the directing career the facts list, running through The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The Baby of Mâcon, The Pillow Book, 8 ½ Women, The Tulse Luper Suitcases, Part 2: Vaux to the Sea and Nightwatching. Greenaway also wrote the screenplay, David Payne produced, and the cast is led by Anthony Higgins as Neville and Janet Suzman as Virginia Herbert, with Dave Hill, Alastair G. Cumming, Anne-Louise Lambert and Hugh Fraser among the twenty-three credited performers.

Set in Wiltshire and combining comedy, history and mystery, the film had a worldwide box office of about 2 million dollars. On IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from 23 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.1 out of 10 from 276 votes, a warmer audience figure from a much larger sample. A critics' rating of 8.3 out of 10 from 33 reviews places it well above both audience scores.