Reviews & Ratings for
"North & South" More at IMDbPro »

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130 out of 144 people found the following review useful:
Hollywood NEEDS Richard Armitage, 26 July 2005
Author: bufferuskers from United States

I hope there are high profile producers and directors who will seek out a DVD of North and South to see the outstanding performance of Richard Armitage. His charisma and talent are FAR, FAR BEYOND anything hyped up in Hollywood in recent years (he makes Jude Law, just to take one example, look like a grade school amateur).

This amazing performance should not be missed. I wish I had the means and knowledge to send copies of the DVD to all of the big independent producers, the studios, and directors.

This guy has "it" - talent, stature, intelligence, charisma. Anyone serious about acting should not miss Richard Armitage's performance.

98 out of 103 people found the following review useful:
Brilliant - great Sunday evening entertainment!!, 8 December 2004

Author: Sarah

Just what you need for a cold winter Sunday night! It's nice to have something to really get into, but the 4 weeks it was on went way too fast! The sets, costumes and acting were excellent, especially Richard Armitage's performance as mill owner John Thornton. He's got a brilliant deep, brooding sort of look about him, but with a softer, kind side too that is gradually revealed as the story goes on. The way Richard Armitage portrayed these two sides of Thornton's character was amazing. And as well as being a great actor, he's also very, very good looking! Nice smile (though we don't see it very often - so it's lucky he looks good when being moody/troubled!!)and a lovely voice. (sounds a bit like Sean Bean as a matter of fact!) Oh I'm going to miss this series! But honestly, not just because of Mr Thornton; it really was a gripping story and a great drama. The music was brilliant too, really capturing the mood and feel of the dark, industrial setting.

90 out of 92 people found the following review useful:
Unexpected Treat, 20 July 2005

Author: parthenos69 from Middle of the United States

North and South took me completely by surprise when it was aired on BBC America. I was flipping through channels and thought I was going to be tuning into the American version based on the John Jakes novels. But Elizabeth Gaskell's work on which the film is based is far more than a mere period romance. This is social commentary and a love story, the struggle of workers and masters/managers as well as the misunderstanding of the intellectuals that forms a triangle in the film that is still alive today. The lead characters all take on a social conscience that grows with their love for each other to an understanding of the different worlds that lived together in this time of radical change. But the true success of the film lies in the actors abilities to show the true emotion and change that takes place around them and in them during the course of the tale. It is unfortunate that the BBCA chose to cut out so much of the film and hopefully the DVD will be available soon for US viewers to force others into watching. A true diamond being lost in the rough. Do yourselves a favor and sit back and enjoy the excellent acting and story, then sit back and watch it again and take note of all the layers of social history being shown. Or just to watch Richard Armitage ;), sooooo good!

90 out of 94 people found the following review useful:
Gorgeous adaptation, 20 August 2005

Author: quilttn from United States

I'm a history teacher so I'm very critical of adaptations, especially those that sentimentalize the past in any way. This is a superb rendering of the spirit of the industrial age and the many facets of class struggle within it. It's also a richly romantic love story. The acting by all the cast is uniformly excellent but Richard Armitage as Thornton is a stand-out. The BBC is well-known for their meticulous attention to detail with locations and costumes. The working 19C mills used in the film are like watching a Jacob Riis photograph springing to life. The cinematography is gorgeous and the music is outstanding. This is the best historic fiction on screen I've ever seen.

57 out of 61 people found the following review useful:
Social relevance for today, 14 December 2004

Author: jhsteel from London, England

Elizabeth Gaskell may have invented the concept of the North/South divide in British society - some commentators think so. The adaptation of her novel makes it clear that although the North is viewed as a scary place for young Margaret Hale as she is forced to move there, she eventually falls in love with the working people she meets and with a mill owner, John Thornton, played movingly by Richard Armitage. I hope that people will find the social message of Gaskell's story relevant for today even though many viewers will be caught up in the central love story. The story deals with the infancy of the trade union movement and for those of us who had ancestors in the cotton industry, is very important in its portrayal of the dangerous working conditions. Reading the book is well worth the effort because it provides more insight in to the motivations of the characters and explains why they eventually grow to love each other. This is a very enjoyable TV drama and is worth repeating - hopefully the BBC will do so!

52 out of 58 people found the following review useful:
Great Stuff!, 1 January 2005
Author: camillahopkin from United Kingdom

I thought this production was great - I highly recommend it to anyone especially if they enjoyed Pride and Prejudice - It took you back to another era and was thoroughly entertaining. The actors were great and any red blooded woman would have had their pulses sent raising with Richard Armitage's performance!

I also thought the sets and locations were fabulous - such details especially the 'snow' scene in the factory at the very beginning- spell binding!. So all in all even though certain details of Victorian conduct etc were thrown out of the window this production was brilliant!! I can't wait for the DVD to come out... It was so great I immediately read the book

51 out of 61 people found the following review useful:
Fantastic, 24 May 2005

Author: Astrophel from Australia

Absolutely gorgeous period drama! As a huge fan of BBC's Pride and Prejudice this has quickly become my favourite! Accurate casting, fantastic costumes, authentic settings and the soundtrack really adds to the quality of the series.

It has all the passion that Pride and Prejudice (Bless it!) lacks.

The story centers around Margaret Hale who moves from Helstone (the South) to Milton (the North). To begin with Margaret hates the bleak and industrial north and especially dislikes Mr Thornton who appears to Margaret to be cold and controlling, or are things not as they appear to be?

42 out of 46 people found the following review useful:
a great adaptation, 24 March 2005

Author: minerva-11 from London, England

With "North and South" the BBC has continued its fine tradition of producing great adaptations. Indeed "North and South" is one of the very best the BBC has done, capturing the nuances of the novel perfectly and bringing out the latent eroticism of the book. The only quibble is the way the screenwriter has changed the ending from that of the novel. Although this will irk some, I thought the new ending was in keeping with the story as a whole. The acting throughout is superb, especially from Richard Armitage as the brooding Mr Thornton - he captures exactly the character's pride, brutality, warmth and passion. I think Richard Armitage would be a very good James Bond.

44 out of 50 people found the following review useful:
Brilliant adaptation, 6 December 2004

Author: yorkiegirl16 from Worcestershire

I had never read this book, but enjoy watching period dramas. I'm going to read the book now. I got into this in the first episode and I was gripped all the way through. I was rooting for Margaret and John to get together as it just had got to happen. Great portrayals by Sinead Cusack as John Thornton's mother and Jo Joyner as sister Fanny, she was funny. Brendan Coyle was great as Nicholas Higgins, showing us the worker's side of the story and what the unions were trying to do. Very believable acting from Richard Armitage as John Thornton and Daniela Denby-Ashe was lovely as Margaret. Thornton reminds me of similar sort of characters - Mr Rochester, Darcy. We need men like that.

36 out of 41 people found the following review useful:
rocks, 22 December 2004

Author: thortonpoppyluke

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

it was really good. Richard Armatige was a great John Thornton and the whole thing was wonderful. It was a beautiful story of love and family. This is the best thing the BBC have put on TV for years and I cant wait until it comes out on DVD in April. It has made me read the book which is as good as the dramatisation. Your heart went out to the poor families and in some placers it made me cry. Magret Hale and John Thornton do not immediately get on but go through a mixture of her disliking him, to his refused proposal, to their eventual love at the end. This was well acted with wonderful musical additions. The show was widely applauded.

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