The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
Encyclopedia
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975
) is an American motion picture released by Bing Crosby Productions, and Cinerama Productions Corporation. In the supernatural
suspense
genre
, the film was directed by J. Lee Thompson
, notable for directing Cape Fear
(1962
), and based upon a 1973 novel
by Max Ehrlich.
The film starred Michael Sarrazin
in the title role, and also featured rising stars Margot Kidder
of Superman
, Jennifer O'Neill
, star of Summer of '42
, and Cornelia Sharpe, best known her part with Al Pacino
in Serpico
.
at a college in California
, Dr. Peter Proud (Michael Sarrazin
) begins to have recurring dreams. In one nightmare
Proud appears to see a man murdered by a woman in a rowboat while he is swimming naked. The murdered man repeatedly cries, "Marcia don't!"
Proud is haunted by his dreams and seeks medical treatment. He attends a "sleep lab" to try to decipher his dreams. However, the dreams do not register as being dreams; in fact, they do not register at all. One evening while watching television, several of his "visions" play out before him on a local documentary
entitled "America Past & Present". He sees the arch and the church that have been dominating his dreams, and calls the television station to discover the location. Upon learning that the location of his "visions" is in Massachusetts
, Proud and his girlfriend Nora (Cornelia Sharpe) travel there. In Massachusetts, the couple drive from town to town, but are unsuccessful until they arrive in Springfield
. It is here that Proud begins to see familiar sights from his dreams, such as the bridge, the church, the Puritan
statue, and others. Eventually, the couple locate Marcia (Margot Kidder
), the mystery woman from his nightmares, and befriend her daughter Ann (Jennifer O'Neill
) at a local country club.
Marcia is suspicious of Peter, and curious about his motives, and how he knows so much about her life. Ann and Peter eventually fall in love, to Marcia's disapproval, as she realizes that Peter Proud is a reincarnation of her deceased husband. The film ends as Peter Proud is drawn to the lake where the original crime was committed years ago, and suffers the same fate he did in his previous life.
- Madhumati
. Madhumati has been copied by Indian actor/director Kamal Hassan as his film Enakkul Oruvan
(Someone Within Me) without acquiring the rights. He has skillfully abridged the film to avoid legal conflicts .
labelled the film as a "clunky yarn", (Scheuer, 1990: 869), while Mick Martin
and Marsha Porter awarded the film their "turkey" rating, and criticised it for its "turgid direction [and] contrived plot", (Martin and Porter, 1996: 887). Leslie Halliwell
also panned the film as an "hysterical psychic melodrama which pretty well ruins its own chances by failing to explain its plot", (Halliwell, 2000: 675).
Some critics were more generous. Leonard Maltin
said that the film was "moderately gripping", (Maltin, 1991: 1000). A. H. Weiler, like Halliwell, was unconvinced by the film's plot, but, unlike him, lauded it for its "polished [filmic] treatment", and J. Lee Thompson's "properly moody [directorial style]" (Weiler, 1975).
and David Fincher
(the writer and director, respectively, of 1995
's Seven
) will work on the remake. Paramount Pictures
and Columbia Pictures
will finance the project.
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
) is an American motion picture released by Bing Crosby Productions, and Cinerama Productions Corporation. In the supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
suspense
Suspense
Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work. Suspense is not exclusive to fiction, though. Suspense may operate in any situation where there is a lead-up to a big event or dramatic...
genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
, the film was directed by J. Lee Thompson
J. Lee Thompson
John Lee Thompson , better known as J. Lee Thompson, was an English film director, active in England and Hollywood.- Early years :...
, notable for directing Cape Fear
Cape Fear (1962 film)
Cape Fear is a 1962 film starring Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Polly Bergen. It was adapted by James R. Webb from the novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald. It was directed by J. Lee Thompson, and released on April 12, 1962...
(1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
), and based upon a 1973 novel
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1973 novel)
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud was written by popular fiction author Max Ehrlich. It was published in 1973 by Double Day and a year later, in 1974, by Bantam....
by Max Ehrlich.
The film starred Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin was a Canadian film and television actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in the drama film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? .- Early life :...
in the title role, and also featured rising stars Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
of Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Jennifer O'Neill
Jennifer O'Neill
-Early life:O'Neill was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the daughter of a famous Spanish-Irish dental supply import/export businessman, Oscar D' O'Neill and his English wife. As a teenager, O'Neill worked as a fashion model and appeared in television commercials and on magazine covers before moving...
, star of Summer of '42
Summer of '42
Summer of '42 is a 1971 American coming-of-age drama film based on the memoirs of screenwriter Herman Raucher. It tells the story of how Raucher, in his early teens on his 1942 summer vacation on Nantucket Island, off the coast of New England, embarked on a one-sided romance with a woman, Dorothy,...
, and Cornelia Sharpe, best known her part with Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
in Serpico
Serpico
Serpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
.
Movie synopsis
A professorProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at a college in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Dr. Peter Proud (Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin
Michael Sarrazin was a Canadian film and television actor who found fame opposite Jane Fonda in the drama film They Shoot Horses, Don't They? .- Early life :...
) begins to have recurring dreams. In one nightmare
Nightmare
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
Proud appears to see a man murdered by a woman in a rowboat while he is swimming naked. The murdered man repeatedly cries, "Marcia don't!"
Proud is haunted by his dreams and seeks medical treatment. He attends a "sleep lab" to try to decipher his dreams. However, the dreams do not register as being dreams; in fact, they do not register at all. One evening while watching television, several of his "visions" play out before him on a local documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
entitled "America Past & Present". He sees the arch and the church that have been dominating his dreams, and calls the television station to discover the location. Upon learning that the location of his "visions" is in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Proud and his girlfriend Nora (Cornelia Sharpe) travel there. In Massachusetts, the couple drive from town to town, but are unsuccessful until they arrive in Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
. It is here that Proud begins to see familiar sights from his dreams, such as the bridge, the church, the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
statue, and others. Eventually, the couple locate Marcia (Margot Kidder
Margot Kidder
Margaret Ruth "Margot" Kidder is a Canadian-born American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Lois Lane in the four Superman movies opposite Christopher Reeve, a role that brought her to widespread recognition....
), the mystery woman from his nightmares, and befriend her daughter Ann (Jennifer O'Neill
Jennifer O'Neill
-Early life:O'Neill was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the daughter of a famous Spanish-Irish dental supply import/export businessman, Oscar D' O'Neill and his English wife. As a teenager, O'Neill worked as a fashion model and appeared in television commercials and on magazine covers before moving...
) at a local country club.
Marcia is suspicious of Peter, and curious about his motives, and how he knows so much about her life. Ann and Peter eventually fall in love, to Marcia's disapproval, as she realizes that Peter Proud is a reincarnation of her deceased husband. The film ends as Peter Proud is drawn to the lake where the original crime was committed years ago, and suffers the same fate he did in his previous life.
International Copies
"The Reincarnation of Peter Proud" was inspired by a 1958 Bollywood production by Bimal RoyBimal Roy
Bimal Roy was one of the most acclaimed Indian film directors of all time. He is particularly noted for his realistic and socialistic films like Do Bigha Zamin, Parineeta, Biraj Bahu, Madhumati, Sujata, and Bandini, making him an important director of Hindi cinema...
- Madhumati
Madhumati
Madhumati is a 1958 Hindi film produced and directed by Bimal Roy, and written by Ritwik Ghatak and Rajinder Singh Bedi. The music was composed by Salil Choudhury with the lyrics by Shailendra. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Vyjayantimala, Pran, and Johnny Walker. It was one of the earliest films to...
. Madhumati has been copied by Indian actor/director Kamal Hassan as his film Enakkul Oruvan
Enakkul Oruvan
Enakkul Oruvan is a 1984 Tamil film directed by SP. Muthuraman, starring Kamal Haasan in the lead role. A remake of Subhash Ghai's Hindi film, Karz , starring Rishi Kapoor, and Tina Munim.-Cast:...
(Someone Within Me) without acquiring the rights. He has skillfully abridged the film to avoid legal conflicts .
Critical reception
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud received a mixed response from critics upon its release. Steven H. ScheuerSteven H. Scheuer
Steven H. Scheuer is a film and television historian and critic. He edited all seventeen editions of Movies on TV published between 1958 and 1993 and wrote The Movie Book, subtitled A Comprehensive, Authoritative, Omnibus Volume on Motion Pictures and the Cinema World...
labelled the film as a "clunky yarn", (Scheuer, 1990: 869), while Mick Martin
Mick Martin
Michael Paul "Mick" Martin was an Irish soccer player during the 1970s and 1980s.Born in Dublin, he played for Bohemians, Manchester United, Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion, Vancouver Whitecaps, Cardiff City, Preston North End, Peterborough United, Rotherham United and the Republic of...
and Marsha Porter awarded the film their "turkey" rating, and criticised it for its "turgid direction [and] contrived plot", (Martin and Porter, 1996: 887). Leslie Halliwell
Leslie Halliwell
Robert James Leslie Halliwell was a British film encyclopaedist and television impresario who in 1965 compiled The Filmgoer's Companion, the first one-volume encyclopaedia devoted to all aspects of the cinema. He followed it a dozen years later with Halliwell's Film Guide, another monumental work...
also panned the film as an "hysterical psychic melodrama which pretty well ruins its own chances by failing to explain its plot", (Halliwell, 2000: 675).
Some critics were more generous. Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
said that the film was "moderately gripping", (Maltin, 1991: 1000). A. H. Weiler, like Halliwell, was unconvinced by the film's plot, but, unlike him, lauded it for its "polished [filmic] treatment", and J. Lee Thompson's "properly moody [directorial style]" (Weiler, 1975).
Remake
On November 9, 2009, it was announced that Andrew Kevin WalkerAndrew Kevin Walker
Andrew Kevin Walker is an American BAFTA-nominated screenwriter. He is known for having written the Academy Award-nominated film Seven , for which he earned a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as several other films, including 8mm , Sleepy Hollow and many...
and David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
(the writer and director, respectively, of 1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
's Seven
Seven (film)
Seven is a 1995 American thriller film, which also contains horror and neo-noir elements, directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It was distributed by New Line Cinema and stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R...
) will work on the remake. Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
will finance the project.