I just finished watching the North and South miniseries last Thursday. The first two “books” (almost like seasons) were made in 1985 and 1986. It starred then unknowns Patrick Swayze and Kirstie Alley along with many famous/well-known actors during the time. Since this was made for tv, I was very impressed about its amazing quality in story-telling, acting, cinematography, music, etc, etc, etc. It was a little over dramatic at times, but many other shows made during the time were over dramatic — a curse of the times, I guess? What can you expect when several actors in the show went on to become daytime soap stars?

Do not let soap opera stop you from watching this series. I found the whole series captivating! Each episode left me thirsting for more (however, I limited myself to one to two episodes a day). Two much of a good thing can be bad? I would recommend this series for all to watch. It was fun to watch Patrick Swayze in the role that introduced him to a mass audience. He truly comes across as the Southern Gentleman. Kirstie Alley was magnetic. She stole every scene as the feisty, clever, and very menacing abolitionist Virgilia Hazard. Strong performances from the Charmed James Read and Lesley-Anne Down solidified the soul of the show. The audience cheers on the star crossed lovers of Billy and Brett — one from the North and one from the South during the Civil War. The acting of Terri Garber and Phillip Casnoff as menacing and evil Ashton Huntoon and Elkanah Bent has the audience tuning and watching every episode. What will they do next to wreck havoc on all the other characters? Another powerful performance came from the stern, abusive Kill Bill David Carradine. Surprise appearances from Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart, Johnny Cash, Hal Holbrook, Morgan Fairchild, Forest Whitaker, Lloyd Bridges, Wayne Newton, and Gene Kelly occur with great pleasure. To fortify a wonderful show, Rocky/Karate Kid Bill Conti’s musical score tugs at the heart string of every viewer. Every scene comes alive with the whimsical score.

STOP AFTER “BOOK” TWO — cause “book” three is a disgrace to the series. Somebody just slapped something together. It is awful. Do not disgrace your poor eyes.

I leave you with the opening titles (with the main theme of the score). I hope it inspires you to discover this miniseries as I have the past two weeks.

Rating:

Book One and Two = Full BLT Sandwich :)

Book Three = Empty Plate

(Rating scale: Full= Great, Half= Good, Just Bread= MEH, Empty Plate= You can skip)

P.S. Brief summary (from IMDB):

This sweeping, star-studded epic about two powerful families before and during the Civil War is based on John Jakes’ popular novels. The show tells the saga of the Hazards of Pennsylvania and the Mains of South Carolina and their loves, hatreds, jealousies, and robust rivalry. Book II opens in 1861 and continues the families story against the dramatic backdrop of the war. The carefully filmed battle scenes are sure to please Civil War buffs.