michael_gothard_archive

Massacre Play is a drama, filmed in Italy, and directed by Damiano Damiani.

The exact release dates are unknown.

The film examines the relationship between successful film director Theo Steiner, and his boyhood friend Clem Da Silva. Clem feels that Theo’s success has come at the price of his own; that Theo has stolen some of his ideas.

Michael Gothard plays actor Michael Zabo, one of the pawns in the game being played out between these two giants of the cinema. He is one of many guests at Theo’s villa, and Theo uses him to play the role of Clem in a couple of scenes he sets up, in pursuit of his aim to make a film about his old friend, and to find out how Clem feels about his impending death.

Zabo is one of very few of Theo’s guests who is prepared to say what he really thinks of Theo’s ideas; perhaps that is why Theo chose him to play Clem.

Very little seems to have been written about this thought-provoking drama. Please leave links or references in comments.

Publicity still



Michael’s character, Zabo, is wearing sunglasses in this publicity still, but in the film, he is not wearing them when he arrives at the villa - see screencap below.



Review by Cranston Mcmillan.

“Damiano Damiani remains one of the most difficult Italian directors to categorise. He is comfortable at the helm of commercial exploitation such as Amityville 2, but would be better remembered as the key political movie-maker of his generation, with a string of socially aware dramas that puts the better known cinema of Rosi and Gavras to shame.

Massacre Play (The Killing Game) is a rather unknown entry in the Damiani canon, but is well worth the investment of a couple of hours purely for the amazing performances of the two leads. Milian is quite magnificent and Elliott Gould shows just how good an actor he is: they play two friends, both film directors who have taken very different paths. Wordy, intelligent but never boring and with a few little surprises along the way …

Not in Damiani's top league but all in all, very worthwhile.”

Watch Massacre Play on Youtube.

IMDB entry

Michael Gothard as Terry Marvin, bottom right. Terry is described as "an intruder", but he is not the one endangering Ann Fairfax Denver's life.

Thanks to Belsizepark for these.

The last episode of "Arthur of the Britons" was first broadcast 28 November 1973.



According to A.S., the daughter of one of Michael's close friends, Michael got to see most, if not all, of his fan mail, and answered it. He was lovely with fans, always giving autographs. He insisted that he only had work because of the people who wanted to see him. She remembers helping by writing out the envelopes in which he would send his replies, and signed photos.

Former girlfriend N.B. said, 'I remember that he talked about the fans he used to have after the TV series of "Arthur of the Britons" and that his picture was very sought after for a certain period of time.'

Michael Gothard as the Butler, Albie.



Albie and ‘medium’, Mr Benton (Ralph Richardson) perform a séance with Auntie Roo (Shelley Winters), who wants
to communicate with her dead daughter Katherine.





Albie with housemaid Clarine (Judy Cornwell), his girlfriend.



Albie, with two young gate-crashers, Christopher (Mark Lester) and Katy (Chloe Franks).



Albie introduces Christopher and Katy to Auntie Roo.





Albie finds Christopher where he shouldn't be, and gives Christopher and Katy a fright.



Albie ejects Christopher from the house.



Albie confronts Aunty Roo, with a blackmail demand.

The July 1971 issue of "Films and Filming" included a four-page picture review of "The Devils."

Here are the two pictures which featured Michael Gothard as Father Barré.
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The Last Valley: French film trade card: no.2 in the 'Les Fiches de Monsieur Cinema' Card set.

The French title of the film translates as "The Lost Valley"; presumably it was felt that "La vallée perdue" was more evocative than "La dernière vallée."

Keith (Michael Gothard) with his second victim, Sylvia (Judy Huxtable.)
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