Purely Joyful Movie!

Good start, but then it gets ruined

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

I am Russian but yet I am a huge Civil War of 1861-1865 buff and thus I guess I have watched almost all films and serials on the topic. This 1985 serial based on John Jake's epic book is a must see as it is one of the deepest, best and heartfelt efforts in the genre - it shows excellent depth and admirable attitude to all the main characters who live their lives and face the terrible war. All of the main cast members are a very good choice, with Patrick Swayze and James Read being two greatest stars, but then how can we bypass Kirsty Allie or David Carradine, as well as Hol Holbrook or Johnny Cash/ Each episode is a treat to eyes, and the severity of antebellum as well as war-time America is shown with great candid eye and sober mind. Highly recommended as well as the second Part of the saga, but think twice before ever approaching the third instalment as it is by far the worst.

As a little girl growing up in Charleston, I can remember all of the fuss during the filming of North and South. It not only lived up to the hype but exceeded it. It is still just as enjoyable to watch 30 plus years later and I can now enjoy it all over again with my children. This is a love story between George and Orry, two best friends who meet at West Point and eventually have to fight for their beliefs opposite each other in the Civil War. It follows their lives and the lives of their families as the world changing war takes place. The acting was excellent, the wardrobe was stunning, and you feel like you are living through this plot. For all of my fellow Patrick Swayze fans, in my opinion this showcases him at his finest. This movie does an excellent job of showing the struggles of both the north and the south without showing favoritism to either. It was a beautiful story showing the horror of slavery but also showing that not all southerners agreed with that of life. You felt deeply for all those involved (well, other than Bent, Justin, and Ashton). Do yourself a favor and watch this right now if you haven't already seen it! You'll be so glad that you did! With that said, I like to pretend that the last book/movie does not exist. I much prefer the ending of the original 1985 series.

When I first watched this first part of the miniseries Book 1 in 1986 as a teenager from Australia I didn't have any interest at all about American history.I started watching these series and got glued to it.I got a good understanding about the basics of American history from this.I found every character was played exceptionally well.All beautifully dressed and I loved them all.The settings,costumes and music would have been a massive challenge but it was done so realistically,you thought you were in the mid 1800's.The well written plot has twists and turns.You have heroes and villains,love affairs,political power games but I think the best part of the movie is the conflicting moral principles of both sides.It makes you think what people went through.Watching the last scene between George and Orry in Book 1,it will make you want to watch Book 2.Book 2 is just as good as Book 1 and answers questions to the storyline of Book 1 through the civil war period.There is a Book 3 part done later but with a lot of the main characters missing it didn't compare.

I LOVED North & South! I ordered it in for my husband, thinking he'd like the war and all, but ended up spell-bound myself, and could NOT put the remote down and get off the couch! I laughed and cried as Orry and Madeline were separated and then brought together again, held my breath and hoped the guys on the battlefield would look before they shot, in case it was their brother or friend, rejoiced when they saved each others' live during battles, cried when they were parted... Oh. My. Word. It was amazing! I am soooo sad that there were only 3 in this set. I wish there was more. I wish Orry & Madeline had time to "live happily ever after." I want to watch it all over again...even tho I just finished yesterday! My two problems with North & South were the numerous jumping-into-bed scenes, and the excessive cleavage, which meant my husband & I were not able to enjoy this movie together. But overall...my heart was stolen by this series!