Testing, testing, testing. I've had different relationships with this microphone from one
show to the next, but if you came for what was in the trailer, you'll be very disappointed,
I'm sorry to say. We have our own mayhem, but it's not that. Good afternoon, and welcome
to this celebration of director, writer, artist, Peter Greenaway, with today's first-ever double
bill screening of The Draftsman's Contract and Prospero's Books. I wanted to run this
special program dedicated to one of cinema's most imaginative and unconventional visionaries
for a long time, so it was a great privilege for the Art Director's Guild's Film Society
to be able to share with you these two immaculate 35-millimeter prints today. My name is Tom
Walsh, and I have the privilege of serving as the co-chair of the ADG's Film Society,
along with production designers John Muto and John Nicavelli. Today is the final program
of our Film Society's 19th season of screenings. Our society's primary mission is to screen
visually important films that are either underappreciated in their day or which represent significant
achievements by their creators, their teams, and their craft colleagues. Today's films
constitute a fitting conclusion to what has been a particularly impressive season. First
some final thank yous to those individuals who make our programs possible. Thanks to
the members of the Art Director's Guild for their ongoing support of these screenings.
We gratefully thank Gwen de Galiz and Margo Gerber and the staff at the American Cinematheque
here at the Egyptian for their ongoing partnership and for providing our programs with access
to this exceptional venue so that we might share with you these visually remarkable cinematic
stories. Thanks to Cherry Warner, Rick Markovits, and their media advisors team at Weissman-Markovits
Communications. Thanks to the Guild's special events producer, Debbie Patton, and to the
ADG's archivist, Rosemary Konopka. Thanks to the Guild's visual content editor and videographer,
Scott Berger, and a huge, huge thanks to our media sponsor, The Hollywood Reporter.
A warm welcome to our friends from Batha who have joined us today. Also, special thanks
to the Draftsons Contract cinematographer and our panelists, Curtis Clark ASC, for allowing
us to share with you this rarely screened, original 1982 print of that film. Finally,
our special thanks to our professionally accomplished guest panelists, actress Susan Crawley plays
Mrs. Peer Putt, and makeup artist extraordinaire and does a few things as well, you'll find
out. Lois Burwell, who along with Curtis are all veterans of the making of Draftsons Contracts.
So it'll be a really wonderful panel of people who are there. Today, after the screening
of the Draftsons Contract, we will take the briefest of intermissions, after which we
will begin our panel discussion. Afterwards, we will launch directly into the running of
Prospero's books. Please stay for this rarely screened, groundbreaking visual feast. It
is an imaginative, mashfully crafted retelling of the Tempest, considered by most to be one
of Shakespeare's finest plays. I feel certain that you may not have an opportunity to see
again as fine and original print of this as the one we will see on the big screen today.
So let's get started. And now this is where I have to digress. Curtis is not going to
introduce the film. He wants the film to be judged on its own merits, and rightfully so.
The one talking point I was going to ask him to share with you, and I will do it on his
behalf, is to remind you all to pay close attention to the conversation and the visual
imagery. The clues for this mystery are all in there. But if you start to digress or just
sort of look at the pretty pictures, you'll lose important information, and you won't
quite put it together. But the clues are there. It's a great mystery puzzle to watch in real
time on the big screen. So thank you for coming. Enjoy the screening.
