The Draughtsman's Contract

The Draughtsman's Contract is a fascinating and highly stylized period piece directed by the esteemed British director, Peter Greenaway. Released in 1982, the film has since been acknowledged as an important work in the postmodern film movement. Its intriguing blend of visual splendor, mystery, and intellectual challenge captivates its audience from the very opening scene till the very end.

Set in 1694, the film stars Anthony Higgins as Mr. Neville, an ambitious and egotistical young artist who has made quite a name for himself as a draughtsman. His life goes through an unexpected twist when he gets a lucrative and somewhat peculiar job offer from the rich and elegant Mrs. Herbert, played with great skill by Janet Suzman. Mrs. Herbert offers Mr. Neville a contract to create twelve detailed drawings of her estate while her husband is away. Seeing an exciting opportunity in this proposition, Mr. Neville readily accepts but raises an interesting condition - besides regular payments for his work, he insists upon sexual favors from Mrs. Herbert for each drawing he completes.

The Draughtsman's Contract, while being a period drama, forefronts the postmodernist aesthetic through the intricate relationship of visual art and narrative. Greenaway, with his background in painting, painstakingly recreates the exquisiteness of the era with a grandeur of style, elaborate costumes, and magnificent set design. The landscape and architecture of the estate become significant elements of visual storytelling, narrating the tale through the protagonist's perspective.

However, Mr. Neville soon finds himself enveloped in a web of lies, decadence, and increasing hostility as a mysterious turn of events takes shape. His precise and somewhat voyeuristic drawings of the estate embroil him into a murder plot that raises many questions he isn't able to answer. Greenaway's intriguing use of the art of drafting as a metaphor for narrative control and perception hints at the film's deeper conversations about the subjective nature of truth and the power of artistic interpretation.

Parallel to the tension growing in the mansion, the movie ushers in Anne-Louise Lambert’s character, Mrs. Talmann, who is Mrs. Herbert’s reserved and peculiar younger sister. With her talent for astrological prediction and her cryptic warnings to Neville, she adds a layer of mystique to the plot, making the audience question the reality of the situations and the intentions of all the characters involved.

Although the film is set in a specific historical context, its exploration of modern themes gives it a timeless relevance. The scope and depth of Greenaway's allegorical interpretation of art and control, sex and power, vision and blindness give way to multiple layers of understanding. The director’s playful blend of satire, mystery and intellectual complexity, crowned by the film’s open-ended structure, makes for a poignant cinematic experience that pushes traditional narrative boundaries.

Moreover, the film is underpinned by an exquisite musical score by Michael Nyman. The baroque-inspired music, with its recurrent and cocooning melodies, plays a pivotal role as it underscores the narrative's increasingly somber and surreal tensions.

The Draughtsman's Contract is more than just a period drama; it's an exploration of power dynamics, an allegory on the contradictions of artistic intentions and interpretations, and a statement on the blurred lines between reality and illusion. The film's distinct style is vividly characterized by Greenaway's doctoral carefulness and meticulous aesthetics that even extends to the film's naturalistic and surprisingly mesmerizing dialogue.

In conclusion, The Draughtsman’s Contracts stands out as a postmodern cinematic masterpiece. The exceptional performances from the cast, led by Anthony Higgins, Janet Suzman, and Anne-Louise Lambert; the remarkable blend of art, mystery, and metaphor; and the thematic complexity offer a roiling pot of intense drama and intellectual challenge. This blend of art-house cinema and mystery thriller is a genuine classic in the postmodernist filmmaking canon and an essential piece for anyone interested in challenging, artistic and thought-provoking cinema.