Join us in the Sanctuary for Peter Greenaway’s 1982 arthouse breakthrough, now newly restored in 4k!
THE DRAFTSMAN”S CONTRACT (108 mins). An aristocratic wife (Janet Suzman) commissions a young, cocksure draughtsman (Anthony Higgins) to sketch her husband’s property while he’s away—in exchange for a fee, room and board, and one sexual favor for each of the twelve drawings. As the draughtsman becomes more entrenched in the devious schemings in this seemingly idyllic country home, curious details emerge in his drawings that may reveal a murder. Adorned with intricate wordplay, extravagant costumes, opulent photography by cinematographer Curtis Clark, DRAUGHTMAN’S CONTRACT features a boisterous, period-inflected score by composer Michael Nyman, who went on to provide soundtracks for many of Greenaway’s films. The debut feature of British iconoclast Greenaway catapulted him to the forefront of international arthouse cinema. THE DRAUGHTSMAN’S CONTRACT was an enormously successful worldwide hit, launching Greenaway’s prolific career, including A ZED & TWO NOUGHTS; DROWNING BY NUMBERS; THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE AND HER LOVER; PROSPERO’S BOOKS; and THE PILLOW BOOK.
”A TANTALIZING PUZZLE, WRAPPED IN EROTICISM AND PRESENTED WITH THE UTMOST ELEGANCE. The raw materials of this story could have been fashioned into a bawdy romp like Tom Jones. But the director has made a canny choice. Instead of showing us everything, and explaining everything, he gives us the clues and allows us to draw our own conclusions. IT’S LIKE A CROSSWORD PUZZLE FOR THE SENSES. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A MOVIE QUITE LIKE IT.– Roger Ebert
“Greenaway’s breakthrough… startled and entranced British audiences and European audiences with its mad elegance and mysterious eroticism…After 40 years…it looks more brilliant, more uncompromisingly cerebral and more exasperating than ever.”—Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
ABOUT TONIGHT”S CURATED LIBATIONS:
“The setting for the film is late 17th century England, a dynamic time for alcoholic beverages. We could explore many types but we will focus on four that were important to British society during this era : Cider, Champagne, Claret (red Bordeaux), and Sherry(Jerez). These will definitely set the mood and context for this remarkable and entertaining film.” -Rob Forman
About Sommelier Rob Forman:
Starting in the wine industry in 1988 in specialty retail in Austin, Texas, Rob’s Italian wine obsession began in the early 1990s. Relocating to Connecticut he worked in both distribution and imports before joining Dalla Terra in 2002, a nationally recognized and leading importer/agent of Italian wines. Rob has been nurturing both producer and distributor business in various roles over the years deriving success by being grounded, consistent and conscientious, while also educating through context and clarity. Rob has a predilection for wines with opacity, acidity and finesse.
Parallel to work, Rob’s other activities revolve around music in the forms of his unending and expanding music collection, non-commercial radio activity, running the experimental label Sedimental Records and small event curation in unique settings. Raised in Texas (with mid-west roots) Rob has had stints in the Northeast, Texas and returned to the Northeast again in 2019, settling in Western, MA with his family. We are honored that Rob has recently joined the Board Of Directors at Epsilon Spires serving as Secretary.
