grace metalious explosive best sell novel be give the hollywood treatment in 1957 peyton place . devoid of so much of the nonsense that have be know to permeate other melodrama and peyton place be a beautifully film and effective film that uncover the hidden scandal of a quaint and new england town . with fine acting and score and cinematography and this screen classic translates well from it literary heritage . and the film unraveling of the town secret be handle well build up like a ball of snow a each successive scandal be unearthed . we meet the townspeople from the point of view of allison mackenzie ( diane varsi ) and the sweet and shelter daughter of constance ( lana turner ) . constance struggle to be a good mother and community member and while rebuff the advance of handsome school principal and michael rossi ( lee philip ) . on the other side of the track live constance housekeeper whose daughter and selena ( hope lange ) and struggle a a victim of abuse by her own step father . in the midst of these primary plot be several other tale revolve around sex and love and the war . no one be immune to the reveal of secret and which have a domino effect all across town . peyton place shake the foundation of hollywood censorship board by expose such taboo topic a sexual abuse and abortion and but not once do it come off a exploitative . on the contrary and the film be firmly ground in emotion and genuine feeling . and while the movie straddle the line of good taste and a plot involve the war effort and it effect on the young men of peyton place prove to be profound . lana turner do her job well a the repressed mother . in fact and heated passion can be sense underneath her aloof and icy cold exterior a chill factor even more effective 2 year later in imitation of life . and the incredibly good look lee philip be a perfect match the screen beauty . but it be really with the sensitive performance of diane varsi and hope lange that this film gain it leg . and lloyd nolan can not be overlook a the town warm hearted doctor . peyton place could have be a heaving and overblown showcase and but instead make it way into become an important melodrama that have stand the test of time .