North And South

Because of all the knitting I do, I watch an awful lot of movies and TV series. I thought I should start writing about some of them, because I know how hard it is to find a good movie or series.

I'm currently stuck on BBC period pieces. Recently, I watched the BBC's North And South, which is based on a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. This four episode series was so good I watched them all in a row. (At the time of this writing, North And South is available to watch for free on netflix)

It centers on Margaret Hale, who left the south of England for the north with her family. They move to Milton, an industrial textile town. There Margaret tries to find her way between the rather frigid upper class and the needy lower class. She makes friends with mill worker Nicholas and his family.

Her father's friend, Mr. Thornton, runs his mill to a higher standard than the rest of the mills in town. After Nicholas' daughter Bessy becomes ill working at Hamper's Mill, she changes mills to work at Marlborough Mill, which is Thornton's Mill. Despite the better working conditions, Nicholas works to organize a strike to improve conditions and wages at all the mills.

We come to find that Mr. Thornton is an honorable man, but it appears to Margaret that he has no kindness in his soul. Can Thornton convince her otherwise?

This series has everything. Great acting, lighting, costumes, and something I wasn't expecting, beautiful music. The series made me wish I could visit England, more than I already do. (I wouldn't be all that disappointed if I happened to bump into Mr. Thornton, either)