1975 Supernatural Thriller Proves to be a Time Capsule of its era.

DIRECTED BY J. LEE THOMPSON/1975

BLU-RAY STREET DATE: MAY 29, 2018/KINO LORBER STUDIO CLASSICS

Kino Lorber has released a Blu-Ray edition of the 1975 film The Reincarnation of Peter Proud, utilizing an HD Master copy that has been created by taking a 4K scan of the original 35mm negative provided by Paramount Pictures Archives.  The result is a beautiful version of this thriller, which depicts a man’s search for meaning after having the same nightmare every single night.  The nightmare is the very realistic moment of his death.

Peter Proud (Michael Sarrazin- On the Road, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?) is a man who seems to have it all.  A college professor, he makes love every night to the beautiful Nora Hayes (Cornelia Sharpe- Serpico, The Next Man), and lives in a great town where he is respected professionally, and envied by his peers.  Yet, he cannot enjoy this life that he has; his thoughts can’t shake the reoccurring nightmare.  He tries looking into everything he can think of for a cause to this never-ending terror.  His search focuses on occult bookstores, including the subjects of astral projection, hypnosis, and even possession.  He stumbles onto the subject of past lives and, at the encouragement of Nora, he even does a sleep study at his own university.

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud is full 1970’s-era production that has been beautifully restored, showcasing the architecture, clothing styles, cars, and music of the time.

He comes to believe that his dream is of his past death, and he feels compelled to search out the familiar landmarks he sees in this dream, though he has never traveled to their locales.  After being encouraged by the professor who oversees the sleep study, and his psychologist, he determines to do some research on the various things he sees in his dream.  The specific buildings, the lake where he goes for a swim, to the unsettling climax of his dream which results in his death- all are meticulously researched.

Soon, he has located possible town back east that might be the setting of his possible past death.  Setting out with Nora, he looks to put this mystery to rest.  After a period of time in which they keep coming up empty, Nora decides that she can no longer help him, and wishes him well.  This effectively ends the relationship that was the envy of all of his peers.  She flies home and he continues his search.

As he arrives in the northeastern town to which his search has led, he meets the beautiful Ann Curtis (Jennifer O’Neill- Scanners, Summer of ’42), and her mother Marcia (Margot Kidder- Superman, The Amityville Horror), who very much looks like the woman who has a hand in his death in the dream he sees each night.  While he is frightened about what this might mean, he is driven by his curiosity and continues to spend more and more time with both of them.  The more time he spends with them, the more the details of his dream begin to take shape, revealing what he has truly been seeing every night. The film comes to a startling conclusion that even Peter is not ready for.

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud is full 1970’s-era production that has been beautifully restored, showcasing the architecture, clothing styles, cars, and music of the time.  Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen, Planet of the Apes) composes the score, which fuels the feverish dreamlike horror that Peter Proud is experiencing nightly.  It is truly a product of its time.  Director J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone, King Solomon’s Mines) packs this film with the era’s obsession with the occult, even in moments when it doesn’t fit.  It also has the typical R-rated gratuitous nudity that is never really erotic, nor plot-serving.  All together, this film serves as a true time capsule of 1975 filmmaking.

For this release, Kino Lorber Studio Classics has packed in many extras.  Probably the most interesting is the audio commentary by film historian Lee Gambin.  Included is a Spanish language version of the Super 8 bathtub scene, featuring Margot Kidder.  There is also a breakdown of the same Spanish Super 8 scene with a side-by-side comparison to the U.S. version of the scene, with English audio.

Owners of the disc will also be able to see a television spot for the film, as well as be able to listen to both a 30-second and 60-second radio spot for the film.  There are several animated image galleries that contain international posters and lobby cards, international promotional material, as well as international home video release memorabilia, along with promotional stills.  Finally, there is both the original theatrical trailer, as well as the German trailer for the film.

The Reincarnation of Peter Proud is presented in color, and in English, with a run time of approximately 105 minutes.  It features English subtitles and is presented in 1.85:1, and 1920x1080P format.

 

 

Note: The pictures provided are for reference to the film only.  They are not an example of the high definition transfer for this Kino Lorber release.