Deadly Game (1982) (TV)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

George Schaefer

Writers:

Friedrich Dürrenmatt (novel)
James Yaffe (writer)

Release Date:

22 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

Retired Lawyers amuse themselves by prosecuting, defending and judging a hapless traveler.

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

George Segal	...	Howard Trapp
Trevor Howard	...	Gustave Kummer
Robert Morley	...	Emile Carpeau
Emlyn Williams	...	Bernard Laroque
Alan Webb	...	Joseph Pillet
Lesley Dunlop	...	Nicole
Brian Croucher	...	Pierre
Connie Booth	...	Helen Trapp

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

BBC Drama Group

A DVD Release For This Exceptional Show

"Deadly Game" is a videotaped production of a live stage performance which brings together the considerable talents of George Segal, Trevor Howard, Robert Morley, and Emlyn Williams. The photography is top drawer and the lighting and stage direction are flawless in this sharp little thriller about a man (Segal) who takes refuge at a secluded château in the middle of a snow storm. He is greeted warmly enough by his hosts, a retired judge (Morley), a retired defense attorney (Williams) and a retired prosecutor (Howard, giving one of the strongest performances of his distinguished career). After dinner, the three old men invite Segal to play a "parlor game" - a mock trial in which Segal is the defendant and Howard must discover his "crime" - which on the surface appears to be a harmless enough way to pass the time while snowbound in a mansion in the Swiss Alps. But once the game begins and Howard's wily prosecutor probes deeper into Segal's past, revealing a crime that the defendant may or may not have been aware he'd committed, the mock trial seems less and less like a game and more like the real thing.

"Deadly Game" was one of three videotaped stage plays (all photographed like movies) that HBO aired in the early 80s. The other two were "Sherlock Holmes" with stunning performance by Frank Langella in the title role, and "Wait Until Dark" with Katherine Ross as a blind woman matching wits with a truly spooky and deliciously wicked Stacy Keach. All three are absolute musts for mystery/thriller fans.

If you happen to be one of the many people who saw "Deadly Game" "Sherlock Holmes" and "Wait Until Dark" when they were originally aired on HBO in 1981-82 and would like to see them released on DVD, please send a brief email to [e-mail], requesting they release these exceptional productions on DVD, or, at the very least, re-air them on one of the many HBO channels -- every email counts, so please take the time to send one.