FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

miss_lady_ice-853-608700 (Potential spoiler in fourth paragraph)Based on the lurid bestseller of its time by Grace Metalious, Peyton Place is a fifties melodrama whose attitude to sex was franker than other films of this time (though it looks very tame now), in which characters wouldn't even mutter the word.Constance MacKenzie (Lara Turner) disapproves of her daughter Allison (Diane Varsi) having any sort of romance because as it is later revealed, Constance has skeletons in her closet. This is nothing compared to the home life of Allison's best friend Selena Cross (Hope Lange), who lives in fear of her abusive alcoholic stepfather Lucas (Arthur Kennedy). Lana Turner feels miscast, with the focus on her as a star, rather than Allison, who is more of a main character. The headmaster who tries to court her, played by Lee Phillips, is bland and forgettable. Whilst Hope Lange is physically miscast as Selena, who in the novel is described as dark and gyspy like, she acts the part well. The trouble is that she looks too similar to Allison- there's a reason why in the novel the girls look so physically different.Arthur Kennedy is suitably vile as leering Lucas and Russ Tamblyn (better known for his role in West Side Story) is sweet as Allison's sweetheart, Norman. The rape scene is troubling, although god knows why there's the sound of a train in the background.It took me a while to realise that this was set in the forties- every outfit and hairstyle looks straight out of the year it was set in (which isn't uncommon for films but the forties is very different fashion-wise from the forties).It is an interesting teen/women's film from yesteryear but not on a par with Imitation of Life, which also deals with controversial subjects but actually explores them rather than simply presenting them. Culturally very significant as the archetype of small-town secrets and scandal (American Beauty owes a debt to it, amongst many other films).

dougdoepke Though set in the 1940's, teen mores of the 1950's are on dramatic display for those curious about that conformist decade. Note too, how the script talks all around the word "abortion" without ever using the word, and ditto for the word "rape". Still, it's a slickly mounted production, well-acted, and better than I expected, not having seen it for 50-some years. The 160- minute run time is off-putting, but for me the movie never dragged. Maybe that's because the major acting duties are divided between Turner, Lange, and Varsi, with the men being clearly secondary. And, of course, much time is spent on the evolving relationships, both teenage and adult.Both the book and movie were huge hits at the time, largely because the novel pushed the limits of censorship on the then delicate topic of teenage sex. Kids passed dog-eared copies around faster than answers to a physics test. Of course, the novel itself was intended as an expose of small town life in strait-laced New England, but nevertheless struck a national chord.The movie itself deals fairly effectively with teenage uncertainty and yearning, along with more adult themes of social class and children out of wedlock. One thing helping the movie's credibility is using the attractive but unHollywood looking Varsi and Lange. Even the usually flamboyant Turner is made to look and act subdued. That's okay because the topic is really the town and what it's like to grow up there. So it's no surprise that the doctor (Nolan) sternly sums up what's wrong in Peyton Place at movie's end.All in all, the movie's human interest side endures even if much of the rest stands now as little more than a cultural artifact.

writers_reign I've seen this only once previously and spotting the DVD in a thrift shop I was interested to see if it would hold up or if I may have to loosen my grip on the fond memories I held. Inevitably it had shed a little of its sparkle and sheen over the years but it still moved me to tears occasionally. Betty Field, of course, provided a link to the similar King's Row produced a full decade earlier by Warner's and also an adaptation of a best-selling novel and not so much rounding out a trilogy as offering a comparison is Thornton Wilder's Our Town, also set in New England but light on the sleaze. Llyod Nolon still takes all the acting honours as Dr. Matthew Swain who is not a million miles away from the Stage Manager in Our Town. Russ Tamblyn is also effective in what for him is a muted role that eradicates virtually all of the natural exuberance he brought to Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and West Side Story. Leon Ames and Mildred Dunnock also score heavily and Arthur Kennedy - who played Dunnock's son, Biff, in the original production of Death Of A Salesman - extracts the last ounce of mileage is the heavy, Lucas Cross. Diane Varsi and Hope Lange who beguiled me first time around now seem more commonplace but overall I still found pleasure in revisiting the town.

ClassicMovieGuy.com (Todd Morgan) I have seen thousands of movies and I would rate this movie very high on a short list. The movie does an excellent job of character development and has many twists and turns. The ending is gripping and the reconciliation of a daughter to her mother.This movie is an excellent example of the consequences of being judgmental. The plot is fantastic. Teenagers exploring their youth and parents misunderstanding their intentions. A community ignoring the outrageous behavior of the town drunk who terrorizes his family. A principal who exposes the double standard of supposed moral behavior of adults who made the same mistakes as their children.Nominated for 9 Oscars. This is a must see! Well worth a 2 1/2 hours. I would certainly rate this in the top 50 movies I have ever seen.