North & South - Staring: Daniela Denby-Ashe & Richard Armitage

Thursday, July 16, 2009

North & South - Staring: Daniela Denby-Ashe & Richard Armitage

Description~

North & South is a splendid, four-hour adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's 19th century novel about an unlikely, and somewhat star-crossed, love between a middle-class young woman from England's cultivated south and an intemperate if misunderstood industrialist in a hardscrabble, northern city. Daniela Denby-Ashe plays Margaret Hale, forthright and strong-willed daughter of a former vicar (Tim Pigott-Smith) who relocates his family from a pastoral village outside London to unforgiving, largely illiterate Milton, a factory town where John Thornton (Richard Armitage) and his mother (Sinead Cusack), survivors of poverty, rule their cotton mill with an iron hand. Thornton befriends Margaret's father but incurs her wrath for his severity with his workers. What she doesn't notice is Thornton's core sense of responsibility for his employees' welfare. On the other hand, he misinterprets some of Margaret's own actions and intentions. Equally stubborn, the two drag out their obvious attraction over many painful months and events.


So I never really knew about this movie until I gushed about Dreaming of You by by fav Lisa Kleypas! What would I do without you guys?!? Yall enlighten me to SO MANY THINGS! Kristie (J) with Ramblings on Romance Etcetera, Etcetera was the first chick to tell me about North and South then Cindy with Cindy Reads Romance was TOTALLY kind enough to send it my way so I could experience this wonderful piece of work! (BTW both of these ladies blogs are AWESOME so go check them out sistas!) lol

John Thornton and Margaret Hale are total opposites! John is totally transfixed with Margaret from the first time he sees her but she is turned off by his harsh actions. John is afraid to show his heart while Margaret is confused by her love/hate feelings for him. This situation sends both into a whirl wind chase...cat and mouse...LOVE IT!

One thing I loved about this movie is that Margaret is SO loving with everyone in her path. She opens her heart to the lower class even though everyone looks down upon them, she trys to be a mediator in the middle of a strike that's affecting their entire town, and above all she still knows John is good at heart even though he doesn't show it. Margaret has a heart of gold.

And John...man is he tough. The first time you meet I'm he beats the crap out of this guy for smoking in the plant! BUT it was b/c not too long ago he saw one burn to the ground...see most of his actions actually have reason behind it! lol Margaret just doesn't always see them. ;o)

Their love together isn't until the end...and I did wish you got to see more but when they did get together OH MAN...:*) It was the sweetest thing. I don't want to give the ending away because I really believe that it's something you need to watch yourself but I will tell you that it's such a wonderful love filled story that you will enjoy from beginning to end!

Thanks girls for letting me know about this movie and I do have to agree that John and Margaret would make a great Derek and Sara...absolutely the best!

I give this movie a total of...