North & South [DVD]

Like some of the reviewers on Amazon, I didn't see the film on TV because French TV seldom broadcast British films like Pride and Prejudice and North&South. But luckily for me, I have a strong liking for everything that is English (cinema, literature, theatre and music) and I am always deeply interested in what British TV can produce. I've seen the BBC Pride and Prejudice many times (I've also read the book) I like it -even though my preference goes to the new 2005 movie (sorry, can't help it)- and I am even familiar with Elizabeth Gaskell's work (I've read Mary Barton and I've started reading North&South). So, on reading the positive reviews on Amazon and on the BBC website, I decided to buy it, although I knew little about the whole story. My God, I never imagined that this BBC film could be so good! I can't even describe how I felt when I first watched the first episode except that I became completely hooked and I couldn't stop watching until I knew how it ended. And what an end!!! Wow! Now I can only say that it has even eclipsed the BBC P&P film in my heart. It is more romantic anyway! Everything is perfect, the cast, the setting, the photography (the image of cotton flakes in the mill), the dialogues, the music, the social background. The background definitely adds another interesting layer to the film because you can see both sides, the mill owners' and the workers' and you can see them working. All the characters are marvellous and so likeable. They really make a difference for me because they are down-to-earth, they have depth and there is always a certain dignity about them. We can thank Elizabeth Gaskell for creating such wonderful characters, yet they wouldn't make such an impression in the film if the actors weren't so great. They really got into their parts. Sinead Cusack is a magnificent Mrs Thornton, you may have the impression that this iron lady always controls her emotions but you just look through her and realize that she is not as cold or hard as she seems, especially when you take full measure of the depth of her love for her son. What a great mother she is! And what about Brandon Coyle/ Higgins, I mean, I've just talked about the dignity of the characters, here is a fine example, you just have to look at the face of this union leader to know that he is at heart a good man, even though he is a bit ruthless sometimes. Even jobless or heartbroken, he remains dignified and calls for respect. Jo Joyner as Thornton's sister is a delight, probably the only source of comic relief in the story. And of course, the film wouldn't be so brilliant if there wasn't Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage in the parts of Margaret and Mr Thornton. Daniela portrays both the vulnerability and the strength of the heroine very well. As for Thornton, oh, God, What a man! I fell in love with this fascinating character. Of course, Richard Armitage is already so charismatic that you can't take your eyes off him. But the actor is especially fantastic because he makes the character so alive on screen. He is Thornton! I can't believe I am saying that but `forget Darcy, Thornton is so much better'. I mean the man is so dedicated to his work, -and contrary to Darcy, he has known poverty and he has had to fight back-that I can't help being impressed. Out of nothing but using his wits, he has been able to run a fine business and when we first meet him, he is a well-off and powerful mill owner. His position in society makes him arrogant and brutal, yet, he remains fair with his workers and, thanks to Margaret, becomes more aware of the living conditions of the working class. So here you have strength, intelligence and integrity in one man; and, at the same time, his love for Margaret makes him completely vulnerable. Oh, the way he looks at her! (sigh) It is incredible what the two actors can produce on screen. In the proposal scene, the interaction between them is really intense. There is so much passion on their faces and in the way they respond to each other that it is breathtaking. I was really shaking inside. (I always feel a bit frustrated by the BBC P&P, although the actors are excellent, because the film sticks too much to the book. And I wish that we could see more touching of hands or more signs of passion between Firth and Ehle. Thankfully, here, the film, North &South, is not completely faithful to the book especially concerning the dialogues and so they have more impact in the film. The ending scene, in particular is so beautiful that it always brings tears to my eyes. Is it due to R. Armitage's magnetism on screen or to the tenderness that is palpable between them when they talk or when they look at each other or to the way they touch each other's hands with the sweet music behind? I can't tell. All I can tell is that Mr Thornton and Margaret Hale have become as dear to me as Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet! Enjoy! This is a jewel!

I really have to be thankful to Amazon in particular and to all of you, reviewers in general, because I would have missed this unforgettable BBC series but for you. I hadn't known of this series at all because it wasn't showed in Spanish television. (Shame on us). So, the first time I heard of it was in these pages... Thank you! I am not going to repeat any of the very well merited praises all of you have written about this series, I couldn't agree more with all of you. The series is perfect in my opinion. Even after reading the book you cannot find fault with it. The atmosphere, the characters (all of them), the rhythm. All beautifully done. Maybe trying hard to find something to complain about, I could think that it was unnecessary to change the way in which Margaret and John meet for the first time. In the book it was not necessary to make John so disagreeable to make Margaret dislike him. This book speaks among other things, about prejudices, hers and his. In this period for a woman like Margaret risen up as the daughter of a gentleman, Thornton was very much behind her, it was not a question of money, but of social status and education. A manufacturer was a little better than a tradesman, somebody who buys and sells things to get some profit couldn't be a gentleman at all. Maybe in the series they thought that we would dislike Margaret if they didn't give us a more "modern" reason for her dislike to Thornton. I don't think it has to be like that at all. The stronger are your prejudices, the higher you have to rise to overcome them, the more you have to change and the better you have to love. In the book you find this perfectly logic. But anyway, the above mild critic is only my personal opinion and always comparing the film with the book, which is almost always unfair to any film. The language of films and books are so different that I only resent the changes when they don't respect the spirit of the book and this is not the case at all. For example, the climax in the film, the famous scene of the railway station which is completely different in the book, I find it perfect, as perfect as I found it in the book. Each of them perfect in their own way. The performances of all actors I find remarkable, of course with special mention to the two main characters beautifully portrayed. It is impossible not to fall in love with Armitage's Mr Thornton with his outstanding performance. He really creates a real alive character impossible to forget. The only thing I regret is that de DVD I bought here it has not subtitles in Spanish and so, I couldn't share my enthusiasm with any of my friends who can't speak English, which has been for me a real shame, so eager I was to comment this series. So, I had to share it with you. Thank you!

A true classic when the BBC still had it in them to produce great drama. Shame it's not HD.

I was loaned this by my sister, as she knew I adored period dramas. I couldn't work out quite how I'd missed it on the television, until I realised I was having my twins in November 2004. It was brilliant! Inspired casting of Richard Armitage - can now see why the Armitage Army has evolved. The story was both powerful and moving and immediately made me buy both the dvd and the book from Amazon. It has also stirred an interest in that period of history and the conditions of the factory workers. Perhaps Margaret's dislike of tradesman was underplayed, especially as the whole love story hinges on this. And whilst I realise the BBC took liberties with the ending, I must have replayed the final scenes a dozen times, with tears in my eyes on every occasion, secretly wishing John Thornton was kissing me. (And that it what makes you want to watch a romance again and again - film directors take note.) Stunning cast, beautiful and realistic locations and attention to detail. Anyone who enjoys a good Austen or Dickens will love this.

As a big Jane Austen fan I enjoyed the similarities in this story with the romantic tension, misunderstandings and intrigue of her works. However, though Austen remains my favourite, this drama reflected more of the social happenings of the age. This paced and driven plot shows the place of upper class women in society but also the lives and social aspects of different classes. It also rises well to portray the political, industrial and social changes in a period of English history that changed the landscape of our country. I thought the acting performances were exceptional with a well matched talented cast. Daniela Denby-Ashe playing Margaret Hale is endearing as a naive country girl exposed to industrial Milton and the working classes for the first time in her, so far sheltered, life. Richard Armitage playing John Thornton is a strong character actor. He really engaged as a hard working, morally disaplined mill owner. The interaction between these two lead characters was loaded with chemistry and the subtle art of the actors made their performances compelling and electric. (I ended up watching all four episodes back to back because I just needed to know what was going to happen next!) So if period drama, romantic triumph, historical action and compentent thought provoking story telling is your idea of first rate entertainment then you will totally love this adaptation of North and South.

I had been given this box set for Christmas but hadn't had the chance to watch it until a few days ago. I'm not a massive fan of love stories so I put this on with a degree of trepidation, expecting it to be four hours of "I love you" and soppy glances. While there is a romantic undertone to this, it's actually done in a very subtle way which makes this all the more watchable. Enough people have given an indication of the plot so I don't want to go over old ground in that regard. North & South is a very interesting social commentary as well as a love story. It very subtly illustrates the hypocracy of the workers who feel demeaned and shunned by the 'masters', whereas they treat one of their own in a very similar fashion. They complain about the social heirarchy that exists when they are oblivious that they themselves have their own social heirarchy and have ways of dealing with those who don't adhere to the expected behaviour. Margaret Hale is deemed to be haughty, rude, snobbish and patronising towards the northeners, when the northerners demonstrate those same features to her. Margaret may not fit in with the social convention of an industrial town, but she can shift between a natural friendship with the workers and a marginally tolerant, if nothing else initially, relationship with Thornton and his mother. There are no clear good or bad characters in this production, contrary to how they first appear and it's refreshing to see that almost every character has their good and bad side, Margaret also shows she's not entirely clean cut mid way thourgh the series, albeit with good intentions. It's also interesting to see how the concept of the strike was dealt with. Much of this plot centres on the character of John Thornton. While Thornton appears initially to be a brutal, uncaring man we are gradually shown that this is not the case. His character makes no apologies for the tough way he runs his mill however the character is given the opportunity to say "yes, I beat a man in front of you for what you think is a small matter, but here is the reality...". Thornton's character in many ways is the least selfish in this show. He's certainly the most compassionate (if that's a word you could apply to him, he's a complex character) of the masters and his actions, while harsh, serve to protect his workers from unemployment and to look after his family (his mother in particular). The acting is brilliant and I can't say there was a weak link in any of them. While this has given Richard Armitage more than a big stepping stone in his career (easy to see why the females of UK give a collective swoon when he appears on screen in anything now!) much less has been seen from the other characters. I think it's perhaps because Armitage does steal every scene he's in but that's not to say his co-actors don't step up to the mark. Daniela Denby-Ashe is nicely cast as Margaret Hale. I'm not sure how Ms. Denby-Ashe managed to keep a stern "I really don't like you" look at Armitage's character when he's staring at her or trying to befriend her; it's certainly not a look I could maintain for long! She's a likable lead however and pulls Margaret Hale off with seeming ease. I feel a special mention should be given to Jo Joyner as the (very unexpected) comedy foil in this production. Yes, a BBC period drama doing comedy. Joyner plays John's sister Fanny. She's not the most tactful woman on the planet, but it still extremely likeable. Her facial expressions, comments, litte subtle gestures made me smile every time she was on screen. Without some of the physical acting, I'm not sure Fanny would have been such a funny character but I'm glad they decided to give her some depth. All too often period dramas can be overly stiff and formal. Joyner's character gave a nice refreshing edge to this brilliant drama. Finally, a must mention is the setting. While it's fairly obvious that this was filmed primarily in Edinburgh (and how I love my city, so to see it used for this production was wonderful) the recreation of the mills were also beautifully done. To see Thornton walking through the mill, with the fluff everywhere and his workers all silently operating the machinery while the children collect the fluff of the floors, was striking. I had visited New Lanark Mill town several years ago and to see on TV what the mill must have looked like is something else (well worth a visit if you're now interested in this industry/era!). Please give this a go. Gentlemen, even if you're not into 'lovey-dovey' stuff this is still a must watch. My husband has no interest in romances and is only very slightly tolerant of my Richard Armitage crush, but he's watched this and found it fantastic. I think he liked the notion of the struggle to provide for a family both in the worker environment and the masters' environment. He's also interested in trade union and how collctive labour power can draw industry to a halt so please don't disregard this as just a love story. That's a part of it, but it's very subtly done.

I have never felt compelled to write a review on any of the dvds I have bought, but this one I simply had to... I ordered this dvd about 6 months ago from Amazon and shipped it to Malaysia. Forgot all about it in the drawer and just came across it 2 days ago, unwrapped!. And I haven't stopped watching it since!!! I have just finished watching it for the 4th time tonight (not including the many times I went and selected certain scenes to replay!!). Being a Jane Austen fan, my favourite book of all time is Pride & Prejudice. But my personal favourite tv/video version of P&P has to be the version with David Rintoul and Elizabeth Garvie. However, I now put this version of N&S up there - It is absolutely my top 2 (tied for place - as I simply CANNOT decide!). I loved all the unspoken words, the looks, the hands and never anything in excess. At times Daniela had a purity on her face that conveyed her message, although I did expect more emotion in certain scenes. I actually loved ALL the characters, my favourite has to be Mr. Thornton. But I also loved Mrs. Thornton who comes across as such a strong woman and the love for her son really shows. And Fanny, who simply made me laugh out loudly while she was reclining on the sofa fanning herself after the riot scene!!. And Higgins was also wonderful The part when Margaret leaves in the carriage, with Thornton willing her to look back was simply poignant! There were just so many wonderful scenes. But my favourite scene of all really has to be the train platform scene which was so well done! And the music scores were just as wonderful! Am downloading it onto my ipod! My one gripe? - wish the producers had dragged it out over more than the 4 episodes!! Would have been far, far happier with double that!!

Although Mrs Gaskell is not my favourite author I find her novels quite nice and entertaining. It was some years ago when I read the novel N&S. I liked it but it did not make a lasting impression. I roughly remebered the storyline and that was all. So knowing the novel in itself wouldn't have moved me to purchace the film, but having read the reviews I felt intrigued - better than Mr Darcy/Firth ??!! - and thought I'll give it a try. So yesterday afternoon I thought I'd watch an episode, maybe two, and ... I ended up watching the whole series. The 1st episode started like a typical costume drama with a wedding party, gossip and dancing: nice but nothing special really. However, when I got to the scene where Margaret is meeting John Thornton for the first time I was completely absorbed by the story. Richard Armitage as Mr Thornton intrigued me from the first (actually I remebrer preferring this character to Margaret Hale's in the book). He is absolutely wonderful: charismatic, brooding and straightforward. And as his character gained more and more dimensions I simply fell in love with him myself. He is upright, honest and despite strict discipline passionate and sensitive. I think his character is wonderfully elaborated: starting from the "brute" beating one of his employees cruelly (though it turns out he has his reasons); the loving son the mother is devoted to; the man suffering to control his unreturned love and passion; the rejected man in love helping Margaret (although he is risking his credibility and reputation as a magistrate) despite his hurt feelings; the employer getting closer to his workers (dining with them together)and a future family man (treating the little orphan kindly). Richard Armitage (son) and Sinead Cusack (Hannah Thornton, the mother) are simply wonderful together. The strong bond of affection, based on their absolute trust in each other, is almost tangible between them. I think my top favourite scenes are their pas de deux before and after the proposal. They really took my breath away. Daniela is a lovely, sensitive Margaret, though a bit pale and monoton besdide Richard Armitage and Sinead Cusack. However she succeeds in displaying the gradual change of her character: from prejudiced, sophisticated Southerner to a person appreciating people for their true worth not for the (country)sides they represent. Fanny, Thornton's sister is harshly colourful in clothes and vulgar and hilarious in character very suitingly opposed to both her mother & brother and Margaret. Her light touch is very welcome. The minor characters - Margaret's parents, Nicholas & Betsey Higgins, Mr Bell, the other mill owners - play their parts very convincingly. The strong contrasts are everywhere: in scenery, coustumes, colours and music. I think the costumes suited the characters very well - dark, strict colours for John and Hannah Thornton, light and feminine for Margaret, harsh for Fanny. The music is also very moving. The Edinburgh scenery for Milton suits the atmosphere of the series wonderfully. Well done BBC!