I've always admired the way Victorian England is used so effectively in British TV series and nowhere is this more evident than in NORTH AND SOUTH, the story of relationships between different classes in British society during the 1850s.
The story itself bears a strong resemblance to Charlotte Bronte's work, SHIRLEY, a novel that dealt largely with strikes and mill owners. Since Elizabeth Gaskell was a good friend of Charlotte Bronte, it's no wonder that her story deals with some of the same customs and values as Bronte's work.
RICHARD ARMITAGE, whose very image conjurs up remembrance of Laurence Olivier's Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights," has a glowering presence and uses it to portray the hard-working mill owner who has to bear down on his workers when it looks as though his cotton mill is about to face a strike. He makes an unfavorable impression on the heroine of the story, played assuredly by Daniela Denby-Ashe, who has come north with her family to relocate in a climate and atmosphere not particularly to her liking.
The story delves into the conflicts in many relationships, but keeps the central focus on the intense attraction between the two main characters despite their differences. SINEAD CUSACK as the man's shrewdly possessive mother gives a sharp characterization and TIM PIGOTT-SMITH as the girl's father and BRENDAN COYLE as a rough mill worker are excellent in colorful supporting roles. The entire cast gets into the spirit of the drama and contribute to the uniformly fine quality of the acting.
For romantics who pine over Victorian romance, surely this is one of the best of its kind with production values in costumes and settings that cannot be bettered. A viewer is certain to want to see more of Gaskell's work brought to the screen after the successful transition of this full-blooded character study.
The story itself bears a strong resemblance to Charlotte Bronte's work, SHIRLEY, a novel that dealt largely with strikes and mill owners. Since Elizabeth Gaskell was a good friend of Charlotte Bronte, it's no wonder that her story deals with some of the same customs and values as Bronte's work.
RICHARD ARMITAGE, whose very image conjurs up remembrance of Laurence Olivier's Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights," has a glowering presence and uses it to portray the hard-working mill owner who has to bear down on his workers when it looks as though his cotton mill is about to face a strike. He makes an unfavorable impression on the heroine of the story, played assuredly by Daniela Denby-Ashe, who has come north with her family to relocate in a climate and atmosphere not particularly to her liking.
The story delves into the conflicts in many relationships, but keeps the central focus on the intense attraction between the two main characters despite their differences. SINEAD CUSACK as the man's shrewdly possessive mother gives a sharp characterization and TIM PIGOTT-SMITH as the girl's father and BRENDAN COYLE as a rough mill worker are excellent in colorful supporting roles. The entire cast gets into the spirit of the drama and contribute to the uniformly fine quality of the acting.
For romantics who pine over Victorian romance, surely this is one of the best of its kind with production values in costumes and settings that cannot be bettered. A viewer is certain to want to see more of Gaskell's work brought to the screen after the successful transition of this full-blooded character study.