Peege

Wow, I haven't thought of this short film in years! It was shown to me and others back in grade school, or maybe junior high, as a "message film" I suppose about not discarding the elderly. I guess it was very popular and well known back there in the 1970s and 1980s. I remember it being very touching and well done, though probably rather maudlin. But if nothing else it is a sweet and moving premise, not to brush aside an elderly person, who still has plenty of feelings and memories in her. I guess i couldn't help but see my own experiences with grandma in the film, so in that sense it just yanks on your heartstrings determined to get you to cry! I would love to get my hands on it to see it again!

I saw this movie in 1975, I was in the 7TH grade. I was taking a class called Interior Design. For some reason my teacher brought this movie to class and showed it to us. I tried so hard not to cry but all the other little girls were crying so I couldn't help myself. I haven't seen it since but for some reason I remember it perfectly. A family goes to a nursing home to visit their grandmother. She is blind and doesn't respond to their presence. They are all uncomfortable and try to leave as soon as possible. The character played by Bruce Davison talks to her about happy memories, birthday parties, Christmas, all shown in flashbacks. This is a movie to which anyone can relate, especially if you have had to put someone you love into a nursing home.

This short, written & directed by Randall Kleiser ("GREASE") while still a USC film student, is one of the most beautiful and moving shorts ever made. This is Kleiser's autobiographical tribute to his grandmother. Bruce Davison - one of the most talented and under rated actors of all time - stars as Kleiser's character (here referred to as 'Greg') as he and his family make a trip to see 'Peege' one last time before her passing. Touching, brilliant, and perfectly executed, this is the film all students and fans of filmmaking should see. A masterpiece.

Note: I met Kleiser last week in Lincoln, Ne during a lecture, and he did inform me the DVD with audio commentary is almost ready for release! Keep an eye out for it!

I first saw "Peege" as a junior in high school in 1979 in my English class. It was one of those message film shorts made in the 1970's. But for me it was much more. Filled with the usual TV movie moments, but it also had a spirited performance by the superior Jeanette Nolan. I remember looking around the classroom seeing my classmates tear up quite a bit, guys too! This is a great film short that everybody should see at least once in their lifetime. TV regulars William Schallert (The Patty Duke Show)and Barbara Rush (Magnificent Obsession, Bigger Than Life) aptly play the upper middle class parents. Rounding out the cast is David Alan Bailey (Room 222, The Andy Griffith Show as younger brother Jerry, and (the perennialy overlooked) Bruce Davison as Greg. Davison shines here as the oldest son who fondly remembers the better times with his ebullient grandmother Peege. It is now on DVD!

I've seen this several times, and, although it's not particularly lengthy, it's quite poignant. It reminds me of my own grandmother who developed Altzheimer's disease in her 70's, and the memories I had of her when she used to invite me often for a weekend. I would travel on two buses from the South end of Seattle to Queen Anne Hill. It was a time of great bonding, and my greatest memories of her. But when I last saw her on her 89th birthday, she didn't even know who I was, nor that it was her birthday. Seeing the grandson remember how vibrant his grandmother was in the past always causes me to cry when I watch this movie.