Return to Peyton Place
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DVD details
Actor: Bill Bradley, Harry Carter (II), Helen Bennett, Joan Banks, Mary AstorBrand: LYNLEY,CAROL
Primary Contributor: Jeff Chandler
Primary Contributor: Carol Lynley
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 123 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-22
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of Return to Peyton Place
DVD Review: frothy sequel to the 1957 favourite
Summary: 4 Stars
So successful was Fox's 1957 production of "Peyton Place", that producer Jerry Wald requested author Grace Metalious to write a sequel (which he bought sight unseen) for another movie. RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE was released in 1961, though sadly comes up slightly shorter than it's predecessor.
The story picks up a few years after the events of the first film. Allison MacKenzie (Carol Lynley) earns the scorn of her Peyton Place neighbours when it's revealed her recently-published book, "Samuel's Castle", is nothing less than a thinly-veiled depiction of Selena's (Tuesday Weld) ordeal at the hands of her stepfather, and other local scandals. Scary self-appointed "morality leader" Mrs Carter (Mary Astor) leads the charge for the book to be excluded from the school library, which could also result in the dismissal of Allison's stepfather Mike (Robert Sterling) from his post as principal.
Money was the main reason why Lana Turner never returned to play Constance in the second movie. Fox was beginning to feel the pinch of the expensive "Cleopatra" shoot and simply couldn't afford her increased salary demands. Three-time Academy Award-nominee Eleanor Parker ("Caged!", "Detective Story", "Interrupted Melody") was actually a trade above Lana Turner in terms of career prestige, yet the character of Connie sadly never really goes anywhere in this film.
Wald also wanted to bring back Diane Varsi and Hope Lange to reprise their roles of Allison and Selena, and again was met by resistance. Varsi had quickly tired of Hollywood and left town, breaking her lucrative contract in the process; and Ms Lange told Wald in no uncertain terms that she never wanted to play Selena again. Happily, their replacements (fresh Fox contractees of the time) acquit themselves well; Carol Lynley is an especially-poised and lovely Allison.
Grace Metalious saved all her venom for the character of Mrs Roberta Carter, arguably the nastiest piece of work in all of New England! Mary Astor earned rave reviews for her performance, which turned out to be one of her last big movie roles. Luciana Paluzzi, Brett Halsey, Jeff Chandler and Gunnar Hellstr?m co-star.
Fox brings RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE to DVD with a clutch of worthwhile extras, beginning with an audio commentary hosted by movie historian Sylvia Stoddard. MovieTone news, restoration comparisons, the theatrical trailer, plus sneak peeks at other titles in the Fox Studio Classics range. Recommended.
DVD Review: Half Misfire And Half Triumph
Summary: 3 Stars
The much anticipated sequel to the 1957 box office sensation, somewhat rests in the middle of being a success and a failure. Most lamentably, none of the cast members of the original film reprises their roles, for whatever varying reasons, nor does the original director, Mark Robson. Miscasting and changes from the novel may account for some of the movie's awkwardness, but the quality of the performances and the last scene involving the town meeting which again, exposes the truth and the bigoted views of the townspeople, elevates it above other film sequels that suffered similar blows of comparison. Conversely, the fact that entirely different locations and sets are used, also gives the movie a sense of unfamiliarity - Mamouth, California for the ski lodge scenes, Fox's Malibu Ranch and backlots for the remainder of interiors and exteriors - the rest of the footage comes from the 1959 film "The Best Of Everything" (New York) and the first movie.
Allison MacKenzie (Carol Lynley) publishes an autobiographical novel, Samuel's Castle, based on her hometown of Peyton Place and the people she knows. She becomes romantically involved with Lewis Jackman (Jeff Chandler), her married publisher. He encourages her to be as truthful as possible and never to be frightened of it. But that's not the only repercussion that her book incites - the locals are offended by the truths that Allison's tome reveals. Her mother Constance (Eleanor Parker) is both angry and fearful of both her daughter's expose and of history repeating itself, while her husband Mike Rossi (Robert Sterling) refuses to remove the book from the school library and as a result, his job as principal is put in jeopardy. It also touches Allison's friend Selena Cross (Tuesday Weld), as she begins a relationship with a ski instructor, Nils Larson (Gunnar Hellstrom), when reading aloud passages of the novel cause Selena to flashback to the night she killed her stepfather in self-defense. And Ted Carter's (Brett Halsey) marriage to the fiery Raffaela (Luciana Paluzzi) is on the rocks thanks to his meddlesome, evil mother Roberta (Mary Astor), whose bigoted view of her daughter-in-law and determination to keep her son in her clutches has tragic consequences. Conflict ensues as Allison achieves literary fame and Connie's need to control her daughter surfaces yet again, climaxing in a showdown during a town forum in which the truth is again told, much to the dismay of Roberta, who is also on a mission to keep up the facade of moralistic hypocrisy.
Astor excels as the villianous matriarch, while Parker does a great job of taking on a role made famous by Lana Turner. Chandler is sufficent support but on occasion seems lost in the shuffle, while Lynley does a commendable turn as Allison, but she cannot eclipse the fine characterization of Diane Varsi. Halsey and Paluzzi were married at the time, which may or may not have factored into the casting, since Ted's wife in the novel was a woman from Boston named Jennifer rather than being an Italian model. Hellstrom, playing a role that was originally that of a summer stock actor, is a bit out of place (although quite humorous), and his jealousy of any man in Selena's life is alarming and distracting, while Sterling is respectable as Mike, who supports Allison and stands his ground. But by far the standout performance is that of Weld, who exceeds in touching the tormented past of Selena, never more so than in the scene where the past plays out in front of her, causing her to attack her boyfriend, and later resurfacing during the meeting, confronting the locals regarding their unfair treatment of her and Allison revelations of the hidden side of Peyton Place. While Selena has a significantly smaller role than in the original (it's interesting that both Weld and Hope Lange, who originated the character of Selena, would costar the same year in the Elvis Presley vehicle "Wild In The Country"), and does not compare to Lange's portrayal, it still makes the film watchable. The lovely score of Peyton Place has had lyrics added and wonderfully sung by Rosemary Clooney, who was then married to the film's director, Jose Ferrer. Some characters were eliminated, and it's a shame since it would have been great to see what became of Norman Page, Betty Anderson, the Harringtons, Doc Swain and Mrs. Thornton. There are also several inconsistencies that do not make sense or match with the film's predecessor. Selena and Ted were just friends? They wanted to get married, and since when is Ted wealthy? What happened to him having to save for law school? Selena was raped by her stepfather at 13? No, she was graduating from high school that same year, and since when was Lucas Cross called Luke? The story is also not entirely true to the period (post WWII). Sylvia Stoddard's commentary is enjoyable and informative, especially considering that she attended the Hollywood Professional School with Weld. Watch for Bob Crane's unbilled appearance. A moderate success at the boxoffice, Return To Peyton Place can never surpass the glory of the original, but it is intriguingly flawed, and an interesting follow-up.
DVD Review: RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE
Summary: 5 Stars
THIS IS WONDERFUL SEQUEL TO PEYTON PLACE, ALTHOUGH THESE TWO MOVIES STAND ON THEIR VERY OWN, CAST IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, IT CONTINUES TO ENTERTAIN AND HOLD YOUR ATTENTION BEAUTIFULLY. IT GIVES AN ACCOUNT WHAT LIFE IS LIKE IN A SMALL COUNTRY TOWN WHICH IS NOT ABLE TO MOVE OR CHANGE THEIR MORALS AND VALUES AND TO KEEP THEIR YOUNG PEOPLE TRIPPED IN THE PAST.DVD Review: Not too bad... considering
Summary: 3 Stars
I enjoyed this movie because of its innocence of the future. The speech at the end (spoken by the one woman who seemed too righteous and prudish for the town) was practically prophetic. I understand that the young people were all upset about the hyprocrosy by the adults that lived in that town, and it was good that the book they were all up in arms about was written, but the truth of the matter is... a little bit of immorality goes a long way. Back then, I'm sure that movie had tongues wagging and we laugh at it now because we have seen so much more scandalous things in movie theatres since then. We think to ourselves "If they only knew what we would see in the theatres within the next few decades they wouldn't have been so quick to try to boost movie ticket sales with enticements of scandalous things that go on behind closed doors".DVD Review: romantic soap of the 50s
Summary: 4 Stars
no lana turner but whit eleonor parker and mary astor.
romantic nice movie of the 50s
Description of Return to Peyton Place
Carol Lynley stars as Allison, whose book about her neighbors at Peyton Place creates problems for her family. Tuesday Weld, Jeff Chandler co-star.General DVDs
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