BBC North and South

[SleepyWitch]

I've just finished reading North and South and watched the first two episodes of the BBC film/mini series.
I'm kinda disappointed about the way they've made some changes to the plot and left out some things, e.g.

- Margaret's visits with Bessy Higgins

- Mr Thornton beating up his worker (which is not in the book, I think). On the one hand this seems very realistic and probably typical of the cruel treatment of workers at that time, but on the other hand self-control is one of the main themes of the book and Mr Thornton (just like Margaret) obsesses about self-control a lot. So how does that go together with his racing around the mill and beating the pulp out of the poor man?
Do you think that's consistent? or maybe workmen don't really count as human beings, so it's o.k. for Thornton to give up his self-control opposite a worker?
- Mr Thornton already (falsely) suspects that Margaret has other lovers in the the first proposal scene.


what I did like was the portrayal of Milton, because in the film the harsh conditions that the workers live in are so much more vivid than in the book. Plus, I like the fact that ppl of all classes have a Manchester accent. In the book it's only the workers who have an accent and this makes them sound quaint and cute so that you don't really take them seriously as human beings, whereas the "masters" speak like Margaret.

so is it worth watching the rest of the film? or does it dramatize the romance and neglect the other aspects of the book?

what did you like/ dislike about the film?

[Guinivere]

I absolutely adored the film. Especially the chosen actors. I must say that Richard Armiatge portrayed Mr Thornton admirably. And Daniela Denby-Ashe was well chosen as well.

Actually I couldn't critisize this particular BBC production if I tried.

And as I recall Margaret did visit Bessy Higgins, didn't she ?

And I loved the first proposal scene for its vigor and passion. You can see Thornton's every thoguht in his face. He seems so desparate. And then Margarte so strong and steadfast. I just loved it.

My favourite scenes are the tea scene, the proposal, Thornton and his mother and of course the ending scenes.

[Neely]

Yes I thought this was an outstanding production too, must have seen it 3 or 4 times.

[Niamh]

I've watched it about 4 or five times in the last 12 months. Loved it! I wasnt happy with the beating up of the worker bit, but i loved the rest. there are a lot of scenes with her visiting Bessie. I loved how they added all the union meetings in and gave boucher more strength as a character.

[Neely]

Originally Posted by Niamh

I've watched it about 4 or five times in the last 12 months. Loved it! I wasnt happy with the beating up of the worker bit, but i loved the rest. there are a lot of scenes with her visiting Bessie. I loved how they added all the union meetings in and gave boucher more strength as a character.

They included that in order to give Margaret more reason for disliking Thornton. All in all I think it's an excellent production and is up there with the BBC version of P&P. I'm glad it's not just me that has watched it over again.

[Niamh]

I like it better than pride and prejudice to be honest.

[Henry IX]

I've seen a good number of comments on the beating scene, but not one of them mentions Thornton's explanation. Stevens had been warned about smoking on the job and there were strict rules against it. One of the great dangers in a cotton mill was fire, and Thornton had seen a mill go up in flames - completely destroyed in 20 minutes - and had seen 300 corpses laid out on a hillside from an accidental flame. Does anyone wonder that he was angry? Just one spark, and he would be another corpse - along with all the workers in his mill. At his explanation, Margaret had nothing to reply. Though the beating cannot be condoned, it can at least be understood.

[Nightshade]

mostly I like it except the final scene the way theyve changed it has made henry out to be a sore loser and a not very nice person and comeone a train station, seriously? That did annoy me.

[Neely]

Originally Posted by Henry IX

I've seen a good number of comments on the beating scene, but not one of them mentions Thornton's explanation. Stevens had been warned about smoking on the job and there were strict rules against it. One of the great dangers in a cotton mill was fire, and Thornton had seen a mill go up in flames - completely destroyed in 20 minutes - and had seen 300 corpses laid out on a hillside from an accidental flame. Does anyone wonder that he was angry? Just one spark, and he would be another corpse - along with all the workers in his mill. At his explanation, Margaret had nothing to reply. Though the beating cannot be condoned, it can at least be understood.

Yes, but the point is that this scene did not occur in the novel.

[LadyWentworth]

No, I wasn't a fan of the beating either. Generally when I see something in an adaptation that is not from the original story at all, I tend to get turned off by it. But I have to say that it really didn't change my feelings on the series at all. I loved it.

Originally Posted by Nightshade

mostly I like it except the final scene the way theyve changed it has made henry out to be a sore loser and a not very nice person and comeone a train station, seriously? That did annoy me.

Well, I personally think Anne running around like a maniac at the end of "Persuasion" was a lot worse. I just thought it was absurd.

[Nightshade]

Never seen the persusaion version but it cant be worse than that awful version of Mansfield park, with the black hared Fanny, not Minnie Driver but I always think thats who the actress was.

[Peripatetics]

Originally Posted by Nightshade

mostly I like it except the final scene the way theyve changed it has made henry out to be a sore loser and a not very nice person and comeone a train station, seriously? That did annoy me.

2004 BBC version, director Brian Percival, screen writer Sandy Welch

Perhaps annoy is too strong, disappoint, would be my take on the train station ending. I'm not critical that the adaptation deviates from the novel. The mediums of word and image are different and as long as the director/screen-writer preserves the idea of the theme and is true to the author's emotional intent, the video adaptation should be judged on it's own merits.
It seems to me that Gaskell in North &South, as the two words suggest, had two themes: social critique of the industrial revolution and the developing love between Margaret and Thornton. They ran in parallel and the mix created a complex emotional environment for the reader, as well as for the video viewer. How successful was Gaskell is not the issue, what is, is the translation into the film. Percival/Welsh succeed admirably on the social critique and not so well on the developing emotional level of the two principals. Some of the scene cuts were too abrupt, jerky, not permitting an examination of the complexity of the emotional interchange of the two very strong personalities. And surprisingly the stronger fault lies with the character of Margaret as interpreted by Daniela Denby-Ashe. While the control of emotions, reflecting the Northern clime, in Richard Armitage's Mr. Thornton is plausible, Margaret's minimal facial range is a disappointment. One would have supposed that Sandy Welch would have done a better job with the script and that does not let Brian Percival off the hook. His framing of the shots and especially the use of lighting is very good, but as a director he has to share the blame for the limited emotional response displayed by Ms. Ashe.
Returning to the critique of the train station scene. Let me illustrate:

N&S,Ch. 52-
“ 'Margaret!'
For an instant she looked up; and then sought to veil her
luminous eyes by dropping her forehead on her hands. Again,
stepping nearer, he besought her with another tremulous eager
call upon her name.
'Margaret!'
Still lower went the head; more closely hidden was the face,
almost resting on the table before her. He came close to her. He
knelt by her side, to bring his face to a level with her ear; and
whispered-panted out the words:--
'Take care.--If you do not speak--I shall claim you as my own in
some strange presumptuous way.--Send me away at once, if I must
go;--Margaret!--'
At that third call she turned her face, still covered with her
small white hands, towards him, and laid it on his shoulder,
hiding it even there; and it was too delicious to feel her soft
cheek against his, for him to wish to see either deep blushes or
loving eyes. He clasped her close. But they both kept silence. At
length she murmured in a broken voice:
'Oh, Mr. Thornton, I am not good enough!'
'Not good enough! Don't mock my own deep feeling of
unworthiness.'
After a minute or two, he gently disengaged her hands from her
face, and laid her arms as they had once before been placed to
protect him from the rioters.”

In my opinion Gaskell's scene is richer in emotional content than Percival's, of Margaret clasping Thornton's hands and kissing them. (An aside – reminiscent of Elizabeth's acceptance of Darcy in Joe Wright's P&P) Here the image is insufficient as compared the book's - Thornton “ he gently disengaged her hands from her face”, where “ she turned her face, still covered with her small white hands, towards him”. Here the image is of Thornton opening Margaret's hands, of symbolically Margaret opening her body and her soul to Thornton.