North and South, the BBC Mini-Series

Five of Five Stars

I cannot sufficiently express how much I adore North and South. Four episodes long, it feels more like a lengthy movie than a tv series. North and South is being offered on Netflix, so get your money's worth and watch it!

Based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell (a friend of Charlotte Bronte, author of Jane Eyre), North and South is a story set in the Victorian Era about a Miss Margaret Hale and Mr. John Thornton. Miss Hale and her mother are uprooted from South England by her clergyman father who decides to leave his parish because of conflicting beliefs in renewing his vows. The family moves away from their country life and up north to Milton, a manufacturing town, where she encounters Mr. Thornton. 

Margaret Hale, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe, is lovely and kind but unconventional in her headstrong personality, independence, and sense of right and wrong. Her family's move sets her into gloomy, ashy, and harsh town, where she knows no one and understands no conventions. At first lonely, she champions the poor cotton mill workers and romanticizes the south.Wonderfully naive to the harshness of Milton, she clashes with Mr. John Thornton, a self-made industry man who owns and operates a cotton mill.

Mr. Thornton's character, played by Richard Armitage, is reminiscent of Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy. He is seen as an intimidating, scowling man not unlike the dear Mr. Darcy. Having cast an unfavorable first opinion, Mr. Thornton is ill received by Miss Hale. 

As chaos ensues in Milton by the form of strikes, riots, and violence, Thornton's business begins to fail, and Miss Hale's opinion of the man continues to be misguided. When Margaret's father takes up Mr. Thornton as a pupil and friend, Margaret and Thornton find themselves continually crossing paths. Over time, John Thornton, taken by Miss Margaret Hale, finds himself in love. From there, the two enter into a dance of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and tragedy before turning around to understand each other fall into the other's arms. Oh and trust me, the pay-off is great. My favorite scene is the carriage scene where Thornton tells her to turn around. 

Complete with a beautiful score and talented cast, North and South captivated with its depiction of social and economic disparities amidst a heart wrenching love story. I loved the characters, the stories, the music, everything. I just bought it on DVD and I plan to watch it over and over again. As much as I love Pride and Prejudice, I find North and South much more relatable and close to my heart. I plan to read the novel and be captured by the romance all over again.