tas@ariel.UUCP (T.SKROBALA) (07/18/83)
The Draughtsman's Contract is a murder mystery of sorts set in 17th century England. An artist, in exchange for monetary and sexual remuneration, is commissioned to sketch a country estate, which he proceeds to do with extraordinary meticulousness. It is eventually discovered that his drawings include some details which may be construed as evidence of some kind of foul play going on at the estate. This movie is to be seen more for its texture than for its plot. It happens in the days when real men wore powdered wigs (and others hired themselves out as living statues), and when the King's English was a language spoken by cultivated mouths. As a matter of fact, much of the fun to be had is in listening to the verbal interplay and sentence construction. Also to be enjoyed are many of the visual images, including views of the estate and intimate closeups of vain popinjays. Finally, there's a certain bawdiness to it, though not as much as in, say, Tom Jones. In short, I recommend The Draughtsman's Contract, though with the caveat that one must be alert in order to fully appreciate it. Tom Skrobala houxe!ariel!tas
rts@unc.UUCP (07/18/83)
I agree with Tom Skrobala's review. I personally had a hard time understanding what was going on, but the dialogue and scenery made the movie worthwhile anyway. I would appreciate a synopsis of the plot (either by mail or posted with spoiler indicated); it would be nice to know who was deceiving whom when. Rick Snodgrass <rts@unc> (csnet)