The Reincarnation of Peter Proud
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| The Reincarnation of Peter Proud | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
| Produced by | Charles A. Pratt Frank P. Rosenberg |
| Written by | Max Ehrlich |
| Starring | Michael Sarrazin Jennifer O'Neill Margot Kidder |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Release date(s) | 1973 |
| Language | English |
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud was a 1973 novel by Max Ehrlich, and a 1975 movie starring Michael Sarrazin, Jennifer O'Neill and Margot Kidder.
[edit] Movie Synopsis
Dr. Peter Proud is a college professor in a California college. He begins to have recurring dreams about a past life he once lived. These dreams play over and over in his mind while sleeping. The same people, places, & details like cars, bridges, homes and such. One horrifying dream is of a man killed by a woman in a rowboat. The man keeps repeating "Marcia don't!" Who is this mystery woman?
Peter Proud then seeks medical treatment for "phantom" ailments, and goes to a "sleep lab" to try to decipher his dreams. But they aren't registering as dreams, actually they aren't registering at all! What to do?
One evening while relaxing with a martini & television, some of his "visions" play out before him on a local documentary "America Past & Present". He sees the arch & the church that have been haunting him in his dreams! He calls the TV station, and tries to find out where this place is. All he can find out is it's in Massachusetts. From this point he & his girl friend Nora Hayes are on a plane to the East Coast to find out who he was.
Once in Massachusetts the couple drive from town to town. They are unsuccessful until they get to Springfield Mass. Then Peter Proud starts to see familiar sites that have haunted him. The bridge, the church, the Puritan statue, and more. He continues his search alone in Springfield, finally locating the mystery woman's home(Margot Kidder as Marcia), and befriending the woman's daughter at a local country club.
It is from here that the story really heats up. The woman is suspicious of this young man. Why is he here, and how does he know so much? The daughter (Jennifer O'Neill) and Peter Proud, fall in love. But this is a love that has its drawbacks. How can Peter Proud fall ethically in love with this woman, given his dream? The ending is almost the same as the beginning as Peter Proud comes full circle.
