End Play

1976 Australian film

George Mallaby
John Waters
Ken Goodlet
Delvene Delaney

CinematographyRobin CoppingEdited byDavid BilcockMusic byPeter Best

Production
company

Hexagon Productions

Distributed byRoadshow

Release date

1 January 1976 (1976-01-01)

Running time

114 minsCountryAustraliaLanguageEnglishBudgetA$294,000^[1]Box officeA$800,000 (Australia)^[2]

End Play is a 1975 Australian thriller film directed by Tim Burstall and starring George Mallaby, John Waters and Ken Goodlet. It was an adaptation of the 1972 novel End Play by Russell Braddon. It was made by Hexagon Productions.^[3]

Plot

Hitchhiker Janine Talbot is picked up and murdered by an unseen assailant. Mark Gifford, a merchant sailor on leave, then disposes of the body, attracting the suspicion of his wheelchair-using brother Robert. The police become suspicious of both brothers, who are rivals over their half-cousin, Margaret.

Cast

George Mallaby - Robert Gifford
John Waters - Mark Gifford
Ken Goodlet - Superintendent Cheadle
Delvene Delaney - Janine Talbot
Charles Tingwell - Doctor Fairburn
Belinda Giblin - Margaret Gifford
Robert Hewett - Sergeant Robinson
Kevin Miles - Charlie Bricknall
Walter Pym - Stanley Lipton
Sheila Florance - Mavis Lipton
Reg Gorman - TV Reporter
Adrian Wright - Andrew Gifford
Jan Friedl - Policewoman
Vicki Raymond - Robbie's Mother
Elspeth Ballantyne - Welfare Officer
Terry Gill - Ticket Collector

Production

Russell Braddon's novel was originally set in England but was relocated to Australia.^[4] Burstall made the film as part of a deliberate effort to move away from "ocker material". He was attracted to Braddon's novel because it would be simple to film as it was basically a two hander, while also preparing Eliza Fraser (1976). The movie was budgeted at $244,000 but eventually cost $294,000.^[1] Shooting commenced in January 1975.

The two leads, George Mallaby and John Waters, were familiar faces on Australian television at the time.^[2]

Reception

The film performed reasonably at the box-office, and in 1979 reported that it had just broken even. It also rated highly on television, the rights for which earned Hexagon $70,000.^[2] Burstall admitted the film might have been more effective as a TV movie, but says it would have been harder to make a profit that way.^[1]

The film is rated M in New Zealand for violence and cruelty.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Scott Murray, 'Tim Burstall', Cinema Papers Sept-Oct 1979 p495, 576
^ ^a ^b ^c David Stratton, The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival, Angus & Robertson, 1980 p34
^ Moran & Veith p. 78
^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 297