"North & South" (2004) TV mini-series

User Rating:

9.1/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

North and South is a four part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's love story of Margaret Hale, a middle class southerner who is forced to move to the northern town of Milton.

Plot Keywords:

Prejudice | Strike | Cotton Mill | Marriage Proposal | Flashback Sequence

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Daniela Denby-Ashe	...	Margaret Hale (4 episodes, 2004)
Richard Armitage	...	John Thornton (4 episodes, 2004)
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Richard Hale (4 episodes, 2004)
Sinéad Cusack	...	Hannah Thornton (4 episodes, 2004)
Brendan Coyle	...	Nicholas Higgins (4 episodes, 2004)
Anna Maxwell Martin	...	Bessy Higgins (4 episodes, 2004)
Jo Joyner	...	Fanny Thornton (4 episodes, 2004)
Pauline Quirke	...	Dixon (4 episodes, 2004)
Kay Lyon	...	Mary Higgins (4 episodes, 2004)
Lesley Manville	...	Maria Hale (3 episodes, 2004)
Brian Protheroe	...	Mr. Bell (3 episodes, 2004)
Rupert Evans	...	Frederick Hale (3 episodes, 2004)
John Light	...	Henry Lennox (3 episodes, 2004)
Emma Ferguson	...	Edith Shaw Lennox (3 episodes, 2004)
William Houston	...	John Boucher (3 episodes, 2004)
Jane Booker	...	Mrs. Shaw (3 episodes, 2004)
Lucy Brown	...	Ann Latimer (3 episodes, 2004)
Tom Charnock	...	Williams (3 episodes, 2004)
Tim Faraday	...	Mr. Watson (3 episodes, 2004)
Travis Oliver	...	Capt. Maxwell Lennox (3 episodes, 2004)
Caroline Pegg	...	Mrs. Boucher (3 episodes, 2004)
Will Tacey	...	Mr. Latimer (3 episodes, 2004)
David Crellin	...	Mr. Slickson (2 episodes, 2004)
Shaun Hennessey	...	Mr. Henderson (2 episodes, 2004)
Frank Lauder	...	Stephens (2 episodes, 2004)
Carl McCrystal	...	Henderson Worker (2 episodes, 2004)
Ian McHale	...	Stone (2 episodes, 2004)
Martin Walsh	...	Mr. Hamper (2 episodes, 2004)
Spencer Wild	...	Tom Boucher (2 episodes, 2004)

Runtime:

235 min (4 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | UK:PG (parts 1-3) | UK:12 (part 4)

Filming Locations:

33 Portland Place, Marylebone, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Some of the exterior scenes were shot in various locations around Edinburgh. Scenes with shops, houses and street furniture required some ingenious work to conceal modern features from view.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the final scene at the train station a man is seen looking at his wristwatch. The story is set in 1851 (The Great Exhibition) and wristwatches were not invented until 1880.

Quotes:

John Thornton: Where are you going?
Margaret Hale: To London. I've been to Milton.
John Thornton: You'll not guess where I've been.
[Thornton pulls a rose from Helstone out of his pocket]
Margaret Hale: You've been to Helsone! I thought those had all gone!
John Thornton: I found it in the hedge row. You have to look hard. Why were you in Milton?
Margaret Hale: On business. Well, that is, I have a business proposition. Oh dear, I need Henry to help me explain.
John Thornton: You don't need Henry to explain.
Margaret Hale: I have to get this right, It's a buisness proposition. I have some £15,000. It is lying in the bank at present, earning very little interest. Now, my financial advisors tell me that if you were to take this money and use it to run Marlborough Mills, you could give me a much better rate of interest. So you see, it is only a buisness matter, you'd not be obliged to me in any way. It is you who would be doing
[Thornton reaches down and grabs Margaret's hand]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of "North and South" (1975)

Soundtrack:

Opening

simply excellent

Excellent rendition of Elizabeth Gaskells book.

The production is authentic - set in an impressive, historic working mill - with Edinburgh filling in for Manchester (Milton). The camera work is fluid and modern, and the story is told easily, not stilted, like some period dramas.

The acting is superb - the lead characters John and Hannah Thornton, Margaret Hale, and union man Nicholas Higgins are so natural that you forget that you are watching a movie, and get simply enthralled in their story. The supporting characters are also strong making this an unexpected gem of a movie.

Some of the dialog is taken directly from the book; some scenes are new but feel authentic. Overall I think that the story is very well told - the story of owner vs. worker in the industrial revolution - as well as an unexpected romance between social classes.