I first saw this as a kid, and continue to watch it every year at Christmas on my home-made videotape. It's a nostalgic, sad Christmas piece about a family who visits their Grandmother (Peege) in a nursing home. No one wants to be there except the oldest son, who remembers old times with Peege and helps bring a smile to her face. It is very touching and reeks of the '70s. I hope it comes out on video or DVD someday.
9 Reviews
loved this as a kid!
roakie7213 February 2006
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!
Memorable short
GroovyDoom31 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this a long time ago while I was in high school, one of our teachers showed this movie in class and we had a discussion about it after it was over. It stuck with me all these years because it has such impact, despite the fact that it seems just a little forced in its situation.
A family makes a journey to visit an elderly woman in a nursing home. She is despondent and seems to not acknowledge that they are there, and the only family member interested in visiting with her is the oldest son. The others are visibly uncomfortable and talk only of current family news that has nothing to do with Peege, while the son takes some time alone with her after the others leave to reminisce about the happy times he can recall spending with Peege. He leaves not knowing whether she has really heard him or not, but the camera lingers on her face, which slowly breaks into a smile.
It's a very subtle piece that brings up some uncomfortable truths about old age and, specifically, the breaking down of the body and mind before death. It made a lasting impression on me.
A family makes a journey to visit an elderly woman in a nursing home. She is despondent and seems to not acknowledge that they are there, and the only family member interested in visiting with her is the oldest son. The others are visibly uncomfortable and talk only of current family news that has nothing to do with Peege, while the son takes some time alone with her after the others leave to reminisce about the happy times he can recall spending with Peege. He leaves not knowing whether she has really heard him or not, but the camera lingers on her face, which slowly breaks into a smile.
It's a very subtle piece that brings up some uncomfortable truths about old age and, specifically, the breaking down of the body and mind before death. It made a lasting impression on me.
Wonderful Short with high impact/emotion!
glenn-dettwiler26 May 2003
I first saw this short in high school. It has a VERY powerful message. I was able to make a copy of it for my libary. The story follows a family trip to visit Peege(Jeanette Nolan), an elderly aunt that is now in a nursing home. We see the nursing home during the Christmas season. We enter the home and see the rooms and residents and we can almost experience the smells and drabness of the "old folk home". Greg (Bruce Davison) is the oldest son that has flashbacks to his times with Peege when he was young. While the rest of the family makes small talk to Peege who can not communicate well, Greg remembers the fun and special time he and Peege shared. The trip ends with the family eager to leave, while Greg stays behind for a moment to see the light in Peeges eyes that SHE does understand the special bond they shared. While this short is somewhat time dated, the images and emotion it invokes are timeless.
Contact your local Community College, as often they have a copy for their humanities class.
See it and expect to be moved.
I wish it was on DVD.
Contact your local Community College, as often they have a copy for their humanities class.
See it and expect to be moved.
I wish it was on DVD.
Very sad movie.
deidre1236327 February 2006
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.
Not sad, if you look at the point...
jobcoachtee8 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Not quite a spoiler, but if you haven't seen this short and want a reason to, read this...
I saw this movie in a class at CSULB years ago. The film showed how a family dealt with the process of a loved one aging. While most of the family talked to Peege like a child, the one nephew reminisced with Peege about things like getting drunk and having fun. he reminded her that she lived her life, and he tried to bring back those memories.
Peege has a message on several levels. To those of us who are young and able bodied, make sure to have some fun with your life! for those who have aging family members, remind them of the fun they have had in their life. and, to the aging, remember that your family loves you, and keep the door open as long as possible for love and memories.
So, I'd say watch it until the very end, and you'll see it's not sad, but a movie to remind us how we can approach our aging loved ones, and make their twilight years the best they can.
I saw this movie in a class at CSULB years ago. The film showed how a family dealt with the process of a loved one aging. While most of the family talked to Peege like a child, the one nephew reminisced with Peege about things like getting drunk and having fun. he reminded her that she lived her life, and he tried to bring back those memories.
Peege has a message on several levels. To those of us who are young and able bodied, make sure to have some fun with your life! for those who have aging family members, remind them of the fun they have had in their life. and, to the aging, remember that your family loves you, and keep the door open as long as possible for love and memories.
So, I'd say watch it until the very end, and you'll see it's not sad, but a movie to remind us how we can approach our aging loved ones, and make their twilight years the best they can.
Peege, Wonderful Peege!
BaileySEA31 March 2013
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!
A short but well-done and sympathetic movie
EZPickins2 March 2010
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.
One of the best!
patrickstibbs23 June 2003
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!
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!
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