North And South - Series 2 (DVD)

...reviewed the first boxset of North and South separately on:
(http://dvd.ciao.co.uk/North_And_South_Season_1_DVD__Review_5604842) (I know it's a plug!).

***The DVD***

Book 1 was really the introduction into the lives of the Main family in the Southern States and the Hazard family in the North and how these two families related to each other and how their relationships intertwined in the run up to the American Civil ...
...Swayze (pre Dirty Dancing) and James Read (pre Charmed!). Swayze plays Orry Main, the plantation owner's son from Mont Royal plantation and Read plays George Hazard, and industrialist's son from Leigh High Station in Pennsylvania. Main and Hazard first meet on the way to the famous West Point Military Academy in the first box-set and the story continues .....

Hazard is now married to Constance Flynn (Wendy Kilbourne) and a high ranking ... more

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 2, as I have reviewed the first boxset of North and South separately on:
(http://dvd.ciao.co.uk/North_And_South_Season_1_DVD__Review_5604842) (I know it's a plug!).

***The DVD***

Book 1 was really the introduction into the lives of the Main family in the Southern States and the Hazard family in the North and how these two families related to each other and how their relationships intertwined in the run up to the American Civil War.

Our two main characters are Patrick Swayze (pre Dirty Dancing) and James Read (pre Charmed!). Swayze plays Orry Main, the plantation owner's son from Mont Royal plantation and Read plays George Hazard, and industrialist's son from Leigh High Station in Pennsylvania. Main and Hazard first meet on the way to the famous West Point Military Academy in the first box-set and the story continues .....

Hazard is now married to Constance Flynn (Wendy Kilbourne) and a high ranking officer in the Yankee army, while Main is still single and an officer in the Confederate Army of the South. Main is still madly in love with Madeline (Lesley Anne Down), who is unhappily married to Justin La Motte (David Carradine), Main's neighbour and sworn enemy. Justin regularly beats his wife, but does not know that at every opportunity, she and Orry are having secret rendezvous!

Orry's two younger sisters Ashton and Brett (Terri Garber and Genie Francis respectively), are also married and carrying on with their own lives. Ashton Main Huntoon is now married but having illicit affairs with many men, to include Elkanah Bent Philip Casnoff), who swore revenge on Orry Main and George Hazard back in Military Academy. Bent is a self-obsessed egomanisc, probably why Ashton loves him so. Brett marries Billy Hazard (a very young Parker Stevenson!) and their marriage has many obstacles to overcome, not just those provided by the fact that there is a war on. Oh no, Brett is a Southern Belle married to a Yankee soldier - they seem to have more troubles than most!

Up in the North, George's brother Stanley (Jonathan Frakes of Star Trek The Next Generation) is in charge of the running of the family business and seems to be making large profits despite the war, but this soon comes crashing down on top of him, and he desperately tries to pin all of the blame onto his older brother. Virgilia (played by Kirstie Alley) manages to shock everyone when she marries! But I will not tell you too much about that - it really would spoil everything!

If you really want to know the finer details of the story, then my only advice is to watch the DVD's, it really is worth it!

This box-set really follows the lives of the two families throughout the course of the war and gives you the viewer a bit of an insight into what life was like for the common people and the wealthy alike. It's a real "take me away from the here and now" kind of watching experience.

***My Opinion***

I have to say that I love this set and I have to also admit that I
have watched it several times since buying it in September of last year. I have to say that I am not that overyly awed by the standard of the acting performances from Alley and Down, but then I am not their greatest fans.

Swayze and Read certainly more than make up for these disappointing performances. Read was fresh from Remington Steele when this drama was made and he really does bring a touch of the steel with him to this, and Swayze plays the southern gentleman as if he really were a plantation owner! Their performances individually have to be admired, but it it together that they really do shine! The obvious friendship is apparent between the two

There are also some outstanding performances from actors such as 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 David Carradine, also of the Kill Bill movies. I remember Carradine vividly from 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. Based on this, it was not a surprise to see him in Kill Bill - he really does the bad guy roles some serious justice! Philip Casnoff certainly also deserves a mention as his performance is fantastic and the egotistical maniac Elkanah Bent, who uses his "family" to get him the position that he wants within the army. His performance is really classic and his was one character that I really did not like, although he really made compelling viewing!

***DVD Info***

Region - 2 (PAL)

Languages - English & German

Subtitles - English & German

Run Time - approximately 538 minutes (over 3 discs)

Classification - 12 (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***

Do I recommend this set to you? Oh most certainly yes!!! The costumes are authentic, the attitudes of the people are portrayed brilliantly, especially those of the anti-slavery petitionists, their attitudes and actions are so believable you could almost believe that you are living in that time. As I may have said earlier, this is definitely a "get me away from the here and now" dvd, but you need plenty of free time to watch it! I personally watched one episode every night after the children were in bed, when I had the peace and quiet to really get to enjoy the series.

Apart from a couple of wooden performances from Kirstie Alley and Lesley Anne Down, this is certainly one to keep a look out for, in my book anyway! I give this the 5 star full recommendation!

Thank you for reading. Di xx

 

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