Peter Watkins — Playwright (3)
The Gladiators (1969) [Movie] WikiData IMDb TMDB
Gladiatorerna
director: Peter Watkins actor: Arthur Pentelow / Frederick Danner
other title: Gladiatorerna / The Peace Game
Some time in the future, East and West have stopped maintaining standing armies and nuclear weapons. Instead, to settle their differences they pit different teams of crack combat specialists against each other.
Punishment Park (1971) [Movie]
Punishment Park
director: Peter Watkins actor: Patrick Boland / Carmen Argenziano
other title: Strafpark
In this fictional documentary, U.S. prisons are at capacity, and President Nixon declares a state of emergency. All new prisoners, most of whom are connected to the antiwar movement, are now given the choice of jail time or spending three days in Punishment Park, where they will be hunted for sport by federal authorities. The prisoners invariably choose the latter option, but learn that, between the desert heat and the brutal police officers, their chances of survival are slim.
The War Game (1966) [Movie]
The War Game
director: Peter Watkins actor: Michael Aspel / Kathy Staff
other title: La Bombe / El juego de la guerra
A docudrama depicting a hypothetical nuclear attack on Britain. After backing the film's development, the BBC refused to air it, publicly stating "the effect of the film has been judged by the BBC to be too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting." It debuted in theaters in 1966 and went on to great acclaim, but remained unseen on British television until 1985.