Randal Kleiser's 'Peege' Honored as One of Most Significant Films Ever Made

Randal Kleiser's 'Peege' Honored as One of Most Significant Films Ever Made

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- In 1978, Randal Kleiser made "Grease," the world's top-grossing movie musical. He could someday be better-known for a film he directed in 1972 while in graduate school. Distributor Phoenix Learning Group announced that "Peege," a movie about Kleiser's nursing-home- bound grandmother, drew its greatest honor ever: It was named to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in late December -- a status it shares with some of the greatest movies of all time, such as "Citizen Kane" and "The Godfather."

(Photo:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080207/NETH050 )

"Peege" is only the second student production chosen for the Registry, a compendium of classics from every era recognized as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Twenty-five films were added on Dec. 27 including "Peege," "Back to the Future," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and "12 Angry Men." "It's even a bigger honor than if they selected a film like 'Grease,'" Kleiser said. "It's such a personal film."

The librarian of Congress praised "Peege" for its "extremely moving" portrayal of its title character, played by Jeanette Nolan, and its challenging subject: aging. The 28-minute film dramatizes an event from Kleiser's life: a Christmas visit to see Peege at a time when her health and memory were failing. Played by a young Bruce Davison, Kleiser's character connects with Peege, drawing her out by evoking shared memories, and turning a difficult visit to a joyous one.

Press Inquiries, contact Roberta Perry: 610-761-5585 or Roberta@10-16.com or Jeff Gelles: 215-280-1170 or Jeff.Gelles@PhoenixLearningGroup.com. To view a clip: http://youtube.com/watch?v=bwbhph3oYLE.

About: Founded in 1973, Phoenix Learning Group is an educational multimedia producer and distributor providing schools, libraries, parents, and educators teaching resources supporting and supplementing curriculum. They also offers an unusual variety of independently produced titles, such as "Peege," that are of value both in educational environments and to general audiences. In addition, Phoenix titles support training and counseling professionals in clinical, civic, municipal and business settings. The high quality of the Phoenix library has brought the company hundreds of awards from both U.S. and international film and video festivals, including Red and Blue Ribbon awards at the American Film Festival, Cine Golden Eagles, and an Academy Award(R) for the best live-action short film production of the popular children's book, "Molly's Pilgrim." Visit our website, http://www.phoenixlearninggroup.com/, or call 1-800-221-1274 to learn about titles, streaming and other digital-rights options.

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Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080207/NETH050
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Phoenix Learning Group

CONTACT: Roberta Perry, +1-610-761-5585, Roberta@10-16.com, for Phoenix
Learning Group; or Jeff Gelles of Phoenix Learning Group, +1-215-280-1170,
Jeff.Gelles@PhoenixLearningGroup.com

Web site:

http://www.phoenixlearninggroup.com/

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