Peege

Whenever I see William Shallert this is what I think of. We were shown this probably in middle school and it has stayed with me all these years. It somehow helped me realize that everyone is a person and deserves to be treated as such.

It's a story about how an old person still has an innner life and we shouldn't disregard that. The grandmother in this is forgotten and detached until her grandson touches her and reminds her of all the good times they had. I think everyone else in the story has forgotten she is a person and just visits her out of some sense of obligation or duty. This is a pretty old film but the story is timeless and definitely appropriate for today.

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.

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.

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 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.