Arthur Kennedy, Barry Coe, Betty Field

Based on the best-selling novel, an introspective look into the relations among the denizens of a small New England Town.

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78% liked it

2,409 ratings

Critics

56% liked it

9 critics

Unrated, 2 hrs. 37 min.

Directed by: Mark Robson

Release Date: December 13, 1957

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DVD Release Date: March 2, 2004

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Stats: 127 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (127)


  • June 25, 2007
    This is a true movie classic and it was very controversal in it's day, well worth a look see, and a wonderful job by Lana Turner.
  • May 25, 2006
    But there was a fifth season, of love . . . And only the wise or the lucky ones knew where to find it.

    First, what a soundtrack. In addition to everything from big band to bee-bop, they manage to accommodate Stephen Foster and Bobby Burns. Beautiful. Now I want to read the

    ...( read more) book too, Joanna.

    Russ Tamblyn preps for his juvenile delinquent role in West Side Story in a most non-Jet fashion. Although the problems at home are undoubtedly requisite motivators in both films.

    Hope Lange! OMG. What a beautiful woman. Losing her might make me, depending on the circumstances, turn vigilante as well, I must say. She absolutely glows in this. So good.

    It's obvious, when you see this, why the soap opera mill would seize upon Peyton Place as furtile fodder for that TV show machine. Everything is here. Everything. The scope is epic, but that sweep is necessarily constrained by the movie's small town focus. Still, emotions run high, intrigues mirror classical tragedy, and even the mundane actions and words of this little community take on greater meaning: They say it'll bloom for a month. Then you can plant it in your yard as a reminder of your operation. Here's a book on humor. Surgery's nothing these days. You'll be up and around before you know it.

    A surprisingly wide-ranging examination of those complexities of life which really do unfold in any place at any time.

    Not to mention it was filmed in Maine! : )

    Allison, a person doesn't always get what she deserves. Remember it. If there's anything in life you want, go and get it. Don't wait for anybody to give it to you.

  • August 15, 2009
    You want Drama? This IS DRAMA!
  • July 12, 2009
    The ultimate melodramatic tearjerker from it's era (along with Imitation of Life) The controversial novel gets a bit of a tame treatment here, but with the outstanding production and a terrific cast, it still packs a dramatic punch. Always interesting, Lana Turner gives one of he...( read more)r best performances and Hope Lange shines in a supporting role.
  • December 15, 2008
    not thanks not my thing
  • October 18, 2008
    I am deeply honored of being the first individual in the whole Flixster to give this hackjob of a film such a low rating. It's overlong, the dialogues are just cliches of cliches and half the acting sucks. I'm normally all aboard for a good old fashioned melodrama, but this one j...( read more)ust hits every wrong note. Bah.
  • October 17, 2008
    No thankyou - Not interested
  • October 7, 2008
    A capitvating drama. I should like to read the novel it was based on.
  • October 7, 2008
    Peyton Place is a lavish melodrama that exposes the rampant sexuality and perverse desires of small-town America; simmering beneath a thin veil of respectability and modest sensibilities.

    The titular New Hampshire haven radiates from the screen with an impressive visual grandeur...( read more), achieved through the sumptuous photography by William Mellor. He wields a saturated palette of vibrant colours that invigorate the unspoiled beauty of the rural landscapes.

    The glowing purity of youth, afforded by the visuals, is reflected in many of the principle characters. It serves as a stark contrast to the festering immorality that pierces the veil and gradually tears through it, as the story develops, tarnishing their innocence beyond recovery.

    Peyton Place is a typically grandiose Hollywood production and one of many luscious Technicolor soap operas of the 1950's. It treads a very fine line between absorbing drama and excessive melodrama, often prompted towards the latter by a vociferous music score from Franz Waxman that inflames the overwrought emotions. However, an array of skilled performances from an ensemble cast ensures that the movie remains credible and, importantly, hugely satisfying.
  • August 7, 2008
    '50s melodrama at its best. Vastly entertaining.

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