North and South (DVD) Review
Based on the best-selling novels by John Jakes, North And South premiered as a highly celebrated and critically acclaimed television series in 1985.
In the spirit of Gone With The Wind, the novels cover 19th Century America before, during, and after the Civil War. As with the Margaret Mitchell classic, Jakes creates a larger-than-life cast of characters to tell his story of struggle between a Union of States divided on the issues of human bondage and state’s rights, loyalty to one’s nation and loyalty to the state in which one was born, along with innumerable interpersonal conflicts lost in the sands of time… To tell his story, Jakes uses two families, the Hazard family of Pennsylvania and the Main family of South Carolina.
Boasting a star-studded cast, North And South is over 1000 minutes of riveting drama. Multiple discs cover the Civil War era with breathtaking cinematography, realistic settings, and the ever-increasing cauldron of conflict between North and South. You won’t want to miss this truly amazing series.
The North And South DVD covers all three books from the popular series, each a multi-disc set…
Below is a less than comprehensive summary of each book.
(Be Warned that the summaries below contain some plot spoilers)
BOOK ONE – North & South (561 minutes)
Book One of the North And South DVD covers the period prior the Civil War (1844-1860). Eighteen-year-old Orry Main (Patrick Swayze) prepares to leave his South Carolina plantation en route to West Point when he encounters an overturned carriage while leaving town. Aiding the passengers, Orry is introduced to the lovely Madeline Fabray (Lesley-Anne Down) to whom he provides a ride, giving her safe passage to the LaMotte plantation where her father and his friend Justin LaMotte (David Carradine) are waiting. Madeline and Orry agree to write each other while he’s away at West Point.
When Orry travels to New York, he meets up with a group of unsavory characters who try to rob him, but George Hazard (James Read) comes to his aid, and the two manage to fend off the criminals. George is on his way to West Point as well, and the two men strike up a friendship that continues through the duration of their schooling. While at West Point, they collude with others to rid the campus of menacing upperclassman Elkanah Bent (Philip Casnoff). The vindictive cadet vows revenge, and he gets it when George and Orry are placed under his command at a battle during the Mexican War. Bent sends the two men and their comrades into certain death, only to have his plan foiled by a Mexican retreat.
While fighting in Mexico, George meets his future wife Constance Flynn (Wendy Kilbourne). Meanwhile, Orry and Madeline experience a personal hell when Madeline’s father hides Orry’s letters from West Point. Thinking that Orry has forgotten about her, Madeline agrees to marry Justin LaMotte, who treats her horribly. With Orry and Madeline continuing their love affair in secret, George and Orry continue their friendship. The entire Main family, including Orry’s sisters Ashton (Terri Garber) and Brett (Genie Francis) as well as Main cousin Charles (Lewis Smith), travel to Pennsylvania as guests of the Hazard family. While in the North, the Mains are confronted by George’s abolitionist sister Virgilia (Kirstie Alley) and the differences between the North and South dominate the discussion, but George and Orry’s friendship continues unabated as they decide not to discuss such matters.
When the Mains return the favor and invite the Hazards to South Carolina, Virgilia creates a ruckus by aiding in the escape of Grady, a neighbor’s slave. Later, she marries Grady, and the two join John Brown and his freedom fighters. When Grady is killed, Virgilia enlists the help of Congressmen Sam Greene.
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