I was lucky enough to get this box-set in my local supermarket for the princely sum of £7 (reduced from £25!). Boy was I chuffed at getting a blooming good bargain! It is on sale on Amazon for prices in the region of £14.99 but my advice is to shop around as there are always bargains to be had.
Based on the book Love and War by John Jakes, this mini-series was first seen on television in 1985 and was split into "Book 1" and "Book 2". This review is about Book 1, as a separate review on Book 2 will follow! (just giving you all fair warning!).
***The DVD***
Here we have 3 discs in this box-set of Book 1. The basic storyline is that Orry Main (Swayze) is off to the famous West Point Military Academy and is leaving his home in the plantation for the first time. Orry is from the Deep South area of the US, and his father has slaves that work the plantation for him. His family are sorry to see him go but his father and mother (Lewis Smith & Jean Simmons) understand his desire to see life before he comes back to take charge of the plantation. His young sisters Ashton (Terri Garber) and Brett (Genie Francis) will miss him the most, as both of them vie for his attention. Brett being a sweet girl and Ashton being the manipulator of the two.
On his journey he meets up with Madeline Fabray (Lesley-Ann Down), whom he helps after she encounters difficulties on her journey. Orry and Madeline fall deeply in love and promise to stay in touch by letter after Orry arrives in West Point. Madeline arrives at her destination which is to meet her father at the plantation next to Orry's, his neighbour Justin LaMotte (David Carradine, Kill Bill & Kung Fu). Justin is a ruthless man and will do anything to get what he wants.
Along the way, Orry also meets up with George Hazard (played by James Read, otherwise known as the Halliwell's father in Charmed!). George is a "Yankee" and from the North. His family are industrialists and employ many people fairly and do not believe in slavery and the ways of the South. His brother Stanley (Jonathan Frakes, AKA Will Riker in Star Trek The Next Generation) is a money-grabbing selfish member of the family, while sister Virgilia (Kirstie Alley, Cheers) is a fervent member of the anti-slavery league of the northern states. George's youngest brother Billy (John Stockwell) seems to be as level-headed as George, and his mother Maud (Inga Swenson) is just a lovely mother figure that I think we all would like if we had lived in that time.
Orry and George become firm friends but all of this is set to change when civil 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 the war. We really get an insight into the 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 - I loved this and have watched it several times since buying it in September of last year. I wouldn't say the acting is great - it can seem wooden at times, especially from Kirstie Alley and at times from Lesley-Ann Down, but then again I am not a great fan of these two actresses in particular. Swayze and Read really make the screen come alive when they act together and separately they are just as good. I really believed in their friendship and believe that after filming, they remained good friends.
We also have outstanding performances from the likes of Forrest Whittaker (the Last King of Scotland, Good Morning Vietnam) who puts in a classic performance as the hard done by slave Cuffey (you will be surprised to see what his character gets up to!), and also from Carradine. I remember Carradine vividly from my youth in the series King Fu and really believed that he could not deliver lines as he didn't speak much then, but here he is fantastic as the evil and manipulating Justin. Just watching him on screen made me hate his character and I believe that this is what he really wanted to portray.
Run Time - approximately 538 minutes (over 3 discs)
Classification - PG (I would certainly let my 10 year old step-daughter watch this, although my 5 year old and 2 year old wouldn't get near the television when this is on!).
Cast - Patrick Swayze, James Read, Lesley-Ann Down, David Carradine, Jonathan Frakes, Forrest Whittaker, Robert Mitchum, Johnny Cash, Michael Dudikoff, Olivia De Havilland, Lloyd Bridges, Parker Stevenson, Kirstie Alley, Linda Evans, Morgan Fairchild, etc.
This set has no extras and, although these would have been nice, the set is by no means less for this.
Further info from www.warnerbros.com
***Final Word***
Notwithstanding the rather wooden performance of Kirstie Alley, I have to give this boxset a full 5 star rating! There is nothing less that I could give it. I love this series and could happily watch it again and again. In fact I have watched it several times since buying it last year and can well imagine watching it several more!
It certainly takes you away from the dull reality of the here and now and transports you into a romantic time gone by, but does not pussy-foot around the more sinster aspects of life in those times.
If you can get your paws on this, please do so, it really is a pleasure to watch, although I certainly needed to have loads of free time, as it took me a few days to watch (no way could I have watched it in one go with the kids running around!).
Thank you for reading! Di xx
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Soundtrack
Average
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Not applicable
Value for Money
Excellent
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Production Year: 1955 - Drama - Director: George Stevens Jr., Nicholas Ray, Elia Kazan - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance
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