I've been looking forward to seeing this for a while now, as I am a fan of the novel. Censorship ripped a lot from "Peyton Place", but the guts are still there-- and it's a good result. An entertaining, epic melodrama that never outstays its welcome, despite the long running length. Mark Robson directs and he handles the intertwining story lines with flair. The colour photography is gorgeous, and the cast is equally good. Many people seem to have ragged on Diane Varsi's performance as Alison, but she's fine and Lane Turner also turns in one of her best performances as her mother. Hope Lange steals the show as the heartbreaking Selena. Although her performance and her 'look' as Selena Cross were nothing like I had expected, I still thought she was excellent. The same can't be said for Lee Phillips, who is nasal and kind of annoying. I find it interesting how much they cleaned up the character of Rodney Harrington (Barry Coe) for the film. In the novel he dies at the wheel of his fast car, drinking and womanising, having pretty much dodged the WW2 draft. In the movie, he actually marries Betty and is killed in WW2. And Ted Carter ultimately rejects Selena.