Mr. Neville, a way to confident young artist is hired by Mrs. Herbert to draw twelve pictures of her wealthy husband’s estate. But as Mr. Herbert is surprisingly found dead, and curious objects tied to his murder also seem to appear in Mr. Neville’s drawings, the plot thickens. The Draughtman’s Contract was Paul Greenaway’s first conventional feature, and was nominated for the Golden Lion in Venice. It takes on the form of the comedic murder-mystery that later would become one of Greenaway’s trademarks.
