I have never read the book of Peyton Place so i cant really comment on whats better and i very vaguely remember the TV series as my mum and aunts used to watch and discuss it all the time,all i knew was that it was a very big soap in its day and probably still is. Having said this i am really glad i bought a copy of the 1957 version on DVD as i think its great for its day whether its accurate to the book or not i still think its a great drama to study.Peyton Place has everything from incest,rape,murder,suicide all the strong ingredients that make you watch and want to know whats going to happen next,this is what soaps are all about and this version does contain all these story lines and portrays them in a sensitive way,so that it doesn't lose any class,and it is a classy film.The location is beautifully shot you see lots of beautiful scenic views from the tops of mountains,you see the sea,countryside forests etc,even though I'm not American i can fully understand the nostalgia a lot of people get out of watching this film as its a look back into the past and how places and people change sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse,not many places in my country look or resemble anything how they looked fifty years ago,which is a shame,but thats how it is. The only flaws i can find in this movie is Mr Rossi's grating voice which does go straight through me although his acting was okay,also the character Alison{Diane Varsi}does come across as a bit sugary and not very believable in the first half of the film,she tends to have the exact same blanc expression in most of her scenes,her acting improves further into the film and i think its only because her character is quite likable that you tend to overlook this.Her acting was much better in 'Johnny Got His Gun' where she plays a sympathetic nurse. Most of the other actors give a fine performance especially Hope Lange{Selina}and Russ Tamblyn {Norman}i particularly love the scene on the train where he has changed from a boy to a man and in my opinion is behaving in a rather suggestive way which you don't usually see in films made in this era,just watch the change in body language and facial expressions,its so realistic,and what also helps is that they are genuinely young actors and not the usual 30 year olds playing teenagers I'm glad they didn't edit this scene out as it is very good,and as i work for paras anyway i found his portrayal of a Sgt very good. Anyway i don't want to give away any more of the story as there is such a lot going on in this movie and the court case towards the end is well worth watching.
Review of Peyton Place
