the book peyton place come out in the early 1950s . it blow off the lid of a small new england town full of rape and murder and sex and abortion and infidelity and suicide etc etc . even though the town ( and resident ) be fictitious and this book create an uproar . it be a huge best seller but condemn a utter trash by all book critic and moral people everywhere ( of course they be buy the book themselves ) . now and almost 50 year later and it consider a great literary novel and taught in college . hollywood take the book and tone it down considerably and go all the way to maine to film it and basically give it grade a treatment . it have a great cast and a stunning score by franz waxman and gorgeous new england photography and move along at a fast clip . the once racy stuff be very tame by today standard but it kind of amuse to watch the dialogue scene between diane varsi and rus tamblyn ( about sex ) be giggle induce . an abortion be never call that it call induce a miscarriage . a rape become force himself on her . still and the main story in the book come across . and it work very well . the cast really help . lana turner be just great a constance mackenzie a woman with a deep secret . lloyd nolan be perfect a doc swain he even get the new england accent down right . arthur kennedy be downright terrify a lucas cross and hope lange be fantastic a his step daughter . everybody else ( with one exception ) be good but the one mention above be the best . the one debit be diane varsi she terrible a alison mackenzie . unfortunately and she the main character . her face be always blank and her reading be in a monotone . especially bad be her narration over the scenery . you see just jaw droppingly beautiful scenery and her drab and toneless voice drone on . still and everything else be so good she easy to overlook . ok it a soap opera but a very good one . the 2 half plus hour just fly by . highly recommended .