Peyton Place | Lana Turner, Lee Philips

Peyton Place | Lana Turner, Lee Philips | Great Film, Actor Commentary So-So

DVDs:

Peyton Place

	Peyton Place Lana Turner, Lee Philips 20th Century Fox, 2004 average customer review:based on 62 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Peyton Place is the sensitive and poignant story of coming of age in a small New England village whose peaceful facade hides love and passion, scandal and hypocrisy.

classic romance

My husband & I were married at the White Hall Inn in Camden, Maine. The movie was shot at that location. I purchased this for an anniversary present for us and as a momentum for our wedding memories. There are many clips and photos while making this film there."Scandal in a New England Town."That's were it all took place.It is truley, a classic romance!

Great Film, Actor Commentary So-So

While I've read the book and think it is much better than the film, I still love this film a lot for the great acting, music, and filmography. The DVD reproduction is much clearer than the VHS version.

I was a little disappointed in the commentary with Russ Tamblyn and Terry Moore. Both rambled on about personal items not relevant to the movie and a lot of silent gaps. While part of the commentary was enjoyable, I think maybe since so many years have passed they might have forgotten more than they remembered.

I always like the extras with the DVD versions, but this one was lacking in extras. Overall it is worth having this movie on DVD because it is a classic. The picture and audio quality is superb and worth the price. It's too bad Lana Turner died before the production of this DVD. Her commentary would have been priceless.

Unfortunately they don't make great movies like this anymore!

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Secrets Of A Small Town

The scandalous best-selling novel by Grace Metalious is brought to life in this somewhat watered-down 20th Century Fox production, although it was still considered shocking and controversial for the time. Filmed on location in Camden, Maine with some interiors at the studio, the movie has an authentic feel, particularly in comparison to previous pictures shot entirely on backlots. Lana Turner, whose career needed a shot in the arm, took on the role of Constance MacKenzie, a woman who hides her teenage daughter Allison's (Diane Varsi) illegitimacy, and strives to control the girl from making the same mistakes that she did. Although this is the main storyline, several others intertwine, exposing the underside and hypocrisy of small town life. Next in line is definitely the plight of Allison's best friend, Selena Cross (Hope Lange), whose poverty-stricken existence isn't even the half of what goes on in her luckless life. Her despicable stepfather Lucas Cross (Arthur Kennedy, who at this stage in his career masterfully portrayed drunken lowlifes), rapes her (which results in a pregnancy which Selena later miscarries), and her mother Nelly (Betty Field), who also happens to be the MacKenzie's maid, discovers this and commits suicide. Betty Anderson (Terry Moore) is the town "fast girl" whose romantic liaisons set the community's tongues wagging, while Constance tries to fight her attraction to high school principal Mike Rossi (Lee Phillips), again afraid of history repeating itself. Betty loves Rodney Harrington, son of the most prominent family in town, and the two manage to marry before he goes off to battle in WWII.

Allison finds innocent love with Norman Page (Russ Tamblyn), which sets off her mother's suspicions. Distraught over Constance's revelation over the truth regarding her father, Allison angrily leaves Peyton Place for New York. Rodney dies in the war, Norman finally comes into his own with the war service (the incestuous relationship with his domineering mother is hinted at, but never expanded upon). The tug of war waged between mother and daughter comes full circle as does everything else when Selena murders her stepfather in self-defense, goes on trial, and so in a sense, does Peyton Place. During the climatic courtroom sequence, the town's secrets and faults are exposed. The wonderfully wistful narration by Varsi adds an air of poignancy. Mildred Dunnock, Lloyd Nolan, Leon Ames and Lorne Green also have notable roles. Director Mark Robson would go on to direct the 1967 film version of "Valley Of The Dolls", while Peyton Place would inspire a sequel book and film, as well as a primetime soap opera from 1964 to 1967.

A box-office smash upon its release in 1957, more than partly due, no doubt to the scandal which immediately followed the 1958 Oscars for which Turner, Varsi, Lange, Kennedy and Tamblyn received nominations for their performances in the film. Lana Turner's mobster boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato, was stabbed by her teenage daughter, Cheryl Crane, during a violent argument in which he threatened to kill Turner, as well as her mother and daughter. (Turner is wearing jewellery given to her by the mob figure in some scenes). Lana's testimony at Cheryl's trial was seen as a direct parallel to her performance as Constance in the courtroom scene in the movie, and in later years, Crane revealed that her mother's husband prior to her involvement with Stompanato, Lex Barker, was molesting her, another coincidence that did not go unnoticed by Crane when she first saw the movie. Author Metalious reportedly based both books on her own hometown, and the characters of Allison and Selena were apparently based on herself.

Not as explicit as the novel or as films of today, Peyton Place nevertheless is an intriguing, dramatic and watchable movie that definitely captures an earlier time, and it remains an interesting example of how art can imitate life.

The DVD: Commentary by Russ Tamblyn and Terry Moore (recorded separately, alas, so no interaction), on the flip side, AMC Backstory documentary on the filming, theatrical and teaser trailers, as well as the Photoplay Awards.

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