North And South - Season 1 DVD

Advantages: Patrick Swayze in an early role
Disadvantages: Not completely historically correct

...war breaks out between the North and South (hence the title!) Will they remain friends, or will the war tear them apart? Will Orry and Madeline marry or will her father Nicholas Fabray (Lee Bergere) get his way and marry Madeline off to Justin? What will happen to the friendship of the families, and how will the younger members fare as war breaks out? Ha ha - not telling! Book 1 really follows the lives of the two families up till the start of ...
...lives of the two families and how they intertwine following the friendship of the two main characters. ***My Opinion*** As period dramas go, this has to rank up with the best of them. The costumes are really authentic and the attitudes are portrayed brilliantly, even down to the fervour with which the anti-slavery abolitionists consider the people from the South, who own slaves and fully believe in slavery. Well, if you haven't guessed it by now ... Read review

Advantages: A Young Patrick Swayze
Disadvantages: Could Be Too Long For Some...

North and South has been a favourite show of mine since it was on ITV in the late 1980's. I recently picked up a copy on DVD at a bargain price, so was happily reminded of how much I'd enjoyed it. Also, having a young and gorgeous Patrick Swayze in it wasn't to its discredit! The Plot North and South is based on a novel by John Jakes (king of the southern USA family saga), the first in a trilogy of which all have been made into mini-series. The ...
...hot these days, but in North and South he was in his sexy prime! He portrays Orry as a flawed hero, whose one regret in life is that he is in love with a married woman. Previously to this, Swayze's career had mostly been in movies like Road House and tough guy stuff, but he does show himself here to be an actor of much more depth and he plays that character well. James Read as George Hazard Unfortunately for James, he has not become a household ... Read review

Advantages: Nice American period piece
Disadvantages: Cheesy

...slavery in the US but North and South does not cover it up nor does it condemn it outright. It just portrays how slavery was without modern retrospect. Like a primary source would and I would hope this is what the writer was aiming for. However, this issue is but a subplot overall. The series focuses on two main characters and their families living in a turbulant time in american history- Orry Main, a southern farm owners son and George Hazard - ...
...the characters at the brink of the American Civil War to be continued in series 2 of North and South. (Altogether there are 3 series - all based on the books by John Jakes). I found it enjoyable, something good to watch whilst doing something else on a lazy day. ... Read review