In Greenaway's films much of what appears familiar becomes very unfamiliar through his elaborate, rigorous application of a defined structure. Thus it should not be surprising that his Restoration Comedy ends up as a Restoration Mystery. Mrs. Herbert hires Mr. Neville to create a series of drawings of her house and gardens as a present for Mr. Herbert, away on vacation. Neville, a noted landscape artist, is a technical virtuoso; he produces detailed, carefully composed drawings, but then, inexplicably, unwanted objects creep into his scenes. And as the harmony of his drawings is disturbed, so is his ordered (outlined in contract) life. Thus Greenaway begins his investigation into realism and illusionism, and the difference between seeing and interpreting-which of course are issues raised by his chosen medium, film itself. "Both the film and its central mystery hinge on the space between what is seen and what is understood...Neville's own pictures become subjects for all kinds of speculation. Apparently neutral, non-narrative views of the house and its gardens, they are scrutinized for hidden meanings, covert indictments. However, as the chilling closing scenes make clear, the specific meaning of the pictures is less important than the desire to find meaning in them" (Tony Rayns). Kathy Geritz