Love some Melodrama?

Found at Enchanted Serenity of Period Films

On Saturday Night I went to my friend's house and we watched North and South  a BBC miniseries based of Elizabeth Gaskell's love story. It is not about the Civil War as I orginally thought when my friend suggested we watch it. My friend told me it was mix of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. I was intrigued to watch this because this friend does not like anything romantic so I was not going to pass up a chance to watch an historical romantic film with her but I knew nothing about it, and I don't really know Elizabeth Gaskell's writing but after watching this movie I am intrigued. Now if only it was winter break the next time I have free for fun reading. 

So the plot is a lot like like Pride and Prejudice...

Bessie Higgins
Found at Austenitis

Margaret Hale moves from her simple country village in the south part of England. A town she has romantic ideals about and cherishes in her heart to Milton a mill town (in the North, and completely different than the South) where she meets John Thorton. They immediately disagree and she's him really harsh, which I agree with. I mean the first time we meet him he punches a man for smoking in a factory. But John Thorton has a hard past. He has been working hard to get his family to the position it is in most of his life. Also smoking could cause the whole factory to burn down and its 100s of employees to die in the fire. So I guess reflecting on it, he harsh for a reason but it was little unsettling. Margaret has a hard time adjusting to this new life, she says even months after living there she makes wrong turns every where she goes. The people of Milton are proud and don't take charity even when starving. But she does make friends with Bessie Higgins, who you might know as Cassandra Austen from Becoming Jane. She is the daughter of Mr. Higgins who is trying to organize all the mill workers to unionize and strike. Of course the bosses (Thorton included don't want this and will use their power to stop it). Through out this time you see Thorton's budding feelings for Margaret, because she speaks her mind and stands up for what she thinks is right, ah women with independent thought are always attractive. The strike does happen but Thorton can't risk losing business just because he has no employees so he hires Irish men to come over and work. That only arises violence and in the sweep of things Margaret tries to calm the crowd and gets hit in the head with a rock.

Margaret defending Mr. Thorton
Found at Felice's Log

People, including Mrs. Thorton (Thorton's mother) sees Margaret defending Thorton as a public deceleration of her love for him. So the next day he goes over and proposes... and like in Pride and Prejudice he is turned down. But it is so melodramatic it is just great to get swept up in. 

Then like in the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice you see Mr. Thorton walk away replaying the past incident, upset at what has just happened. The next hour is very much the Charles Dickens side of the story seeing the aftermath of the strike and the violence and sadly a few good characters die and Margaret is thrown into controversy. Her long lost brother returns home to be with her ailing mother and when he tries to sneak out of Milton people see her embrace him and not knowing she has a brother think she is scandalous. They also think she was involved in a murder, yeah its kind of complicated but I don't want to give away any spoilers. But when Margaret's name is brought up in controversy Thorton does what he can to protect her name from being spoiled. Also through some twist of the, Margaret ends up with a great deal of fortune and owning the mill Thorton has leased through her godfather Mr. Bell (yeah another complication) but like any good love story the couple ends up together happily.

Beside the melodramatic movie and the blend of a Jane Austen love story and the plight of the working man. I liked how accurate the movie was. In my history classes I have read stories about the mill factories being dangerous places to work. But this kind of brought it more to life. When ever there is footage of the mill factory we see cotton flying around. You see the danger of the working conditions that these mill workers have. And even Bessie through out the movie as a constant cough and complains it is a cold but really it is cotton particles clogging her lungs. These scenes are greatly shot. 

I also have to give a shout out for the great costume design. Rather they are the poor workers, to the high class Thortons and the in the middle the Hales every outfit captures the attitude of the character. 

Found at Felice's Log

To see more on this mini series check out these sites...
North and South
Felicie's Log
Period Drama.com
Enchanted Serenity of Period Films