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 story concerns Orry Main (Patrick Swayze), the son of a prosperous southern plantation owner from South Carolina and George Hazard (James Read) the son of a foundry owner from Pennsylvania. These two first meet as cadets at West Point military academy and become fast friends. They are initially united through their hatred of a bullying Upper-Classman, Elkanah Bent (Philip Casnoff), but their bond grows stronger when they serve together in the Mexican War.
When their time in the army is over (Orry is invalided out due to an injury and George resigns his commission) they go their separate ways, but their families remain in touch and they are regular visitors to each others homes. This brings the Main and Hazard families into focus in the drama.
Orry's family is made up of his mother, Clarissa, (Jean Simmons), two sisters Ashton (Terri Garber) and Brett (Genie Francis) and, later in the series, a cousin, Charles (Lewis Smith). Orry's story is also interlaced
with that of Madeleine Fabray LaMotte, (Lesley-Anne Down) who Orry meets very early in the series and falls deeply in love with. Madeleine is trapped in a loveless marriage and her and Orry's difficulties and their love for each other is heavily reference throughout the series.
The Hazard family are made up of matriarch Maude Hazard (Inga Swenson), brothers Stanley (Jonathan Frakes) and Billy (John Stockwell) and sister Virgilia (Kirstie Alley). George also falls in love with Constance Flynn (Wendy Kilbourne) who eventually becomes his wife.
The two families continue along their separate and joined paths and while there is a focus on their personal lives, there is also a strand of actual events woven through the drama and certain fictional characters are written into the factual events. The main theme, as this is about the build up to the American Civil War, is slavery, the anti-slavery movement and the attempted secession of the southern states from the Union and as such several of the characters are involved in the anti-slavery movement, while the Main family are slave owners.
This concentration on factual events is part of the reason why I like this drama and this does not detract from the personal stories that we are being told. This is a little different to the second mini-series where, necessarily, there is greater concentration on the war years and the many battles fought in the war.
This series takes us up to the very eve of the civil war and the secession of the southern states and the ending is left open with no attempt to hide that this is part of a trilogy.
The Notable Characters
Patrick Swayze as Orry Main Patrick Swayze is not looking so 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 name, which he briefly was after this show. He is more well known these days for being in 'Charmed' recently. Similarly to Patrick Swayze, James shows great depth here as a man conflicted over his wish to stay friends with Orry even while their opinions differ so greatly and while they may at any moment be facing each other on opposite sides. He portrays this difficulty well, although at times the character does seem whiny!
Kirstie Alley as Virgilia Hazard Kirstie Alley is excellent in this show. A little early on she is supposed to be in her late teens, and despite flouncy clothing and makeup, she clearly is not! As the show goes on though and she is playing the right age she is more convincing. Virgilia is a fervent anti-slavery campaigner, going so far as attending rallies and practically becoming a terrorist and Alley conveys this passionate nature very well. This is backed up by her performance in the second series and she should be highly recommended for this.
Lesley-Anne Down as Madeleine Fabray LaMotte Madeleine Fabray is a typical southern belle, and is somewhat one-dimensional in the beginning of the series, but as the series goes on and she becomes the victim of domestic abuse, her character becomes much more poignant. Of course we are rooting for her as she is the love of Orry's life!! Down's performance is commendable towards the end of the series and into series 2.
These characters are the most visible, and there are far, far too many to detail. This show was notable for its hundreds of guest stars, such as Johnny Cash, Gene Kelly and Robert Mitchum and the cast is truly huge!
Overall
As I said, I really enjoyed this show and the second series as I have an interest in the civil war, but it is equally of interest to people who like these kinds of mini-series. Think of the sweeping epics like the Thorn Birds, or A Woman of Substance and you have the atmosphere just about right!
The insistence on the factual events doesn't detract from the show or make it boring, but it IS long (around 9 hours for the whole series) so don't watch it all in one go!!
The show is lavishly costumed (and it's rumoured that no female character wears the same costume twice) and perfectly pitched at an audience's idea of what fashion was like in the 1800's. That and the meticulously recreated and dressed sets truly make this an epic production.
Music is provided by Bill Conti, and the memorable theme tune is echoed in the various atmospheric music throughout.
Unfortunately, there are no extras on this DVD. There are a few publicity photos on the menus, and some subtitles, but nothing else, which is a real shame considering that the show was such a big hit in its day. Despite this, it is a joy to own the DVDs as I can watch them without the lines and crackles from my old tapes and I would recommend it to people.
The DVD is available from online and offline retailers. I paid £14.99 for mine from www.play.com, but Amazon also sell it and HMV definitely have it in their stores.
Pictures of North And South - Series 1 (DVD)
Mini Poster
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Production Year: 2007 - Drama - Director: Mike Binder - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland, Mike Binder
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West Point graduates whose tried-and-true loyalty helps them survive the Mexican-American War. But their bond faces sterner tests. The issues dividing North and So...
One is from a Northern industrial family one from a Southern plantation family. They're ... more
West Point graduates whose tried-and-true loyalty helps them survive the Mexican-American War. But their bond faces sterner tests. The issues dividing North and So...
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![North and South: Book 1 [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78511851.jpg "North and South: Book 1 [DVD]")
Nov 6th, 2006
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