I wrote this artikel about one of the major characters in the "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy, written door John Jakes and adapted for televisie door David Wolper:


"REMEMBERING VIRGILIA HAZARD"

My recent viewing of my "NORTH AND SOUTH Trilogy" DVD set, led me to the "Special Feaures" section that featured a behind-the-scene look at the televisie miniseries trilogy. In it, Patrick Swayze (Orry Main), James Read (George Hazard), Lesley Anne-Down (Madeline Fabray) producer David Wolper and the trilogy's author, John Jakes discussed both the literary and televisie versions of the saga. I found their recollections...

The Major Problems of “HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III” (1994)

Any fan of the John Jakes’ NORTH AND SOUTH trilogy would be meer than happy to tell u that the worst entry in the author’s saga about two American families in the mid 19th century was the last one, ”HEAVEN AND HELL: North and South Book III”. Those fans would be speaking of the 1994 televisie adaptation, not the novel itself. Unlike many of these fans, I do not share their low opinion of the three-part miniseries. But I will not deny that ”HEAVEN AND HELL” had its share of problems. Below is a lijst of...

THE MAJOR PROBLEMS OF "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" (1985)

For many fans of the televisie adaptations of John Jakes' NORTH AND SOUTH trilogy, the first miniseries, a 1985 televisie adaptation of the 1982 novel, is considered the best. If I must be honest, I share that opinion. However . . . "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" is not perfect. Below are some of the reasons why:

*Journey to West Point - After their initial meeting during a brawl with workers at a New York City stage station, future West Point cadets George Hazard and Orry Main traveled to the U.S. Military Academy via the railroad. This mode...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II" (1986) - EPISODE FOUR "April-November 1864" Commentary

Episode Four of the 1986 miniseries, "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK 2" picked up at least seven to eight months after Episode Three left off. The miniseries arrived at a point in which the Civil War began to embark upon its last year. And yet, the miniseries itself had reached its mid point. I found it odd that producer David Wolper, director Kevin Reynolds and the production’s screenwriters would portray the war’s last jaar (in reality, eleven months) within three episodes. Oh well.

The episode began with a strong...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" (1985) - EPISODE ONE "1842-1844" Commentary

The jaar nineteen eighty-two saw the publication of "North and South", the first novel of John Jakes' trilogy about the United States before, during and after the U.S. Civil War. This first novel, set during the United States' Antebellum Era, was adapted into a six-part miniseries in 1985.

This first miniseries, "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I", told the story of two families during the years before the Civil War. The Hazards are a wealthy family that owns a successful iron foundry in Lehigh Station, Pennsylvania - not far from Philadelphia....

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II" (1986) - EPISODE ONE "June-July 1861" Commentary

Judging from past artikels I have written about the "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy, one would surmise that of the three miniseries that have aired in the past decades (two in the 1980s and one in the 1990s) that I seemed to have the most problem with the seconde miniseries in the trilogy, namely "BOOK II". And if I have to be honest, one would be right.

It is odd that I would choose the seconde miniseries as the most problematic of the three. "BOOK II" is set during the four years of the Civil War – a historical conflict...

"HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III" (1994) - EPISODE TWO Commentary

Despite the tragic ending of the last episode, Episode Two of "HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III" proved to be even darker. Bent continued his crime spree door assaulting an Illinois farm girl and kidnapping Charles' son, Gus in St. Louis. Charles' decision to become an Army scout in order to hunt down Scar led to his breakup with Willa Parker. Worse, he witnessed the massacre of a peaceful Cheyenne village door U.S. troopers led door Captain Venable. Madeline's conflict with Cooper, Gettys LaMotte and the local Ku...

"HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III" (1994) - EPISODE ONE Commentary

If there is one chapter in John Jakes' NORTH AND SOUTH saga that is reviled door the fans, it the televisie adaptation of the third one, set after the American Civil War. First of all, the theme of post-war Reconstruction has never been that populair with tales about the four-year war. meer importantly, fans of Jakes' saga seemed to have a low opinion of "HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III", the 1994 adaptation of Jakes' third North and South novel, published back in 1987.

My opinion of the 1994 miniseries slightly...

"HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III" (1994) - EPISODE THREE Commentary

"HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III" ended on a solid note, thanks to John Jakes and Suzanne Clauser's screenplay for Episode Three. A good number of "NORTH AND SOUTH" fans have complained that the 1994 miniseries could have stretched into one of two meer episodes. I have to disagree with that assessment. The 1987 novel was not as long as 1982's "North and South" of 1984's "Love and War".

Episode Three began Charles Main's confrontation with Scar and his discovery that the Cheyenne warrior was in no condition...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" (1985) - EPISODE FIVE "1856-1860" Commentary

Following the emotional and ugly incidents from Episode Four, events for both the Hazard and Main families become even uglier, as the United States inches closer to a full blown civil war. The ugliness culminates in a major event in the form of John Brown's famous October 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry in (then) western Virginia.

Episode Five, set between 1856 and 1860, opened with Madeline recovering from Justin's angry reaction to her mysterious disappearance (helping a pregnant Ashton Main acquire an abortion from a low country...

After reading a lijst of historical inaccuracies in the movie, "TITANIC", I could not help but think about the historical inaccuracies I've found in the "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy - no matter how much I loved it. So, here it is:






"NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy - Inaccuracies



1. George and Orry's journey to West Point - I could be mistaken, but I thought most cadets who traveled to West Point from New York City, did so door a steamer up the Hudson River in the mid-1800s.

2. Orry's sword duel w/Bent - I realize many of u found it exciting, but
after asking around, I discovered that it is impossible for...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" (1985) - EPISODE THREE "1848-1854" Commentary

Episode Three of the 1985 miniseries, "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I", immediately picked up where the vorige episode left off. And unlike Episode Two, this particular episode stretches over a slightly longer period of time of six-and-a-half years - between the late winter of 1848 and the early summer of 1854.

This episode began less than 24 four hours after Episode Two left off. Following his resignation from the U.S. Army, George Hazard paid a visit to his friend Orry Main to inform the latter of his upcoming wedding to Constance...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" (1985) - EPISODE TWO "1844-1848" Commentary

Unlike Episode One, the seconde episode of the 1985 miniseries, "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" covered a slightly longer time span. This episode focused on George Hazard and Orry Main's personal and professional lives for a period of three years and five (or six) months - between the fall of 1844 and the early winter of 1848. This episode not only covered their last two years at the West Point Academy, but also their military experiences during the Mexican-American War.

Episode Two opens during the fall of 1844, in which George...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II" (1986) - EPISODE SIX "March-April 1865" Commentary

I hate to say this, but whenever I watch "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II", I usually heave a sigh of relief after the last episode fades away. I have never done this with the other two miniseries - "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" and "HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III". But with the 1986 production, I usually do. There is something about watching this particular production usually ends up as hard work for me.

Episode Six of "BOOK II" began at least a maand after Episode Five ended. This episode began with Orry Main hiring...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II" (1986) - EPISODE THREE "September 1862 - August 1863"

I have mixed feelings about Episode Three of "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II". Fortunately, most of my feelings are positive. This episode featured the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Gettysburg, and a major schism in the Main family, regarding Madeline Main and her two sisters-in-law - Brett Hazard and Ashton Huntoon. But there was still certain aspects of this episode that I did not find particularly appealing.

I found the first half of this episode to be rather dull. Those reading this artikel would find this statement...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II" (1986) - EPISODE FIVE "December 1864 - February 1865" Commentary

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II" finally reached its home pagina stretch in Episode Five, the penultimate episode. Well . . . almost. Beginning several weeks after the end of Episode Four, Episode Five continued the miniseries' portrayal of the Civil War's last jaar for the Hazards and the Mains. It also put three of four subplots to rest.

Episode Five opened with George Hazard still imprisoned inside Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. The episode also continued with Madeline Main's efforts to feed Charleston's poor...

"NORTH AND SOUTH Trilogy" - Certain Topics

In the past, there have been vragen regarding plot points for the three miniseries of the "NORTH AND SOUTH" Trilogy. I thought I would clear up a few matters.


Elkhannah Bent's Survival Following Fight with Orry Main

Some "NORTH AND SOUTH" fans have wondered how Elkhannah Bent (Philip Casnoff) had survived his fight with Orry Main (Patrick Swayze) in the seconde book, "Book II - Love and War". In the seconde novel, Orry and Bent had some sort of fight near the James River that ended when Orry shoved the latter over the falls and (at least I thought)...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II" (1986) - EPISODE TWO "July 1861 - August 1862" Commentary

Episode Two began with the aftermath of stier Run. It also featured Brett Main Hazard and Semiramis' journey to South Carolina, Orry Main's wedding to his widowed neighbor Madeline LaMotte, and Elkhannah Bent and Ashton Main Huntoon's smuggling operations. I wish I could be objective about this particular episode, but I cannot. I dislike it too much. It is one of the main reasons why I have so much difficulty with "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II" in the first place.

My main beef with this episode centered around the...

"NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK I" (1985) - EPISODE FOUR "1854-1856" Commentary

If I had to pick one of two episodes from 1985's "NORTH AND SOUTH" that I would view as personal favorites, one of my choices would be Episode Four. This episode provided a series of sucker punches to the audience that provided the miniseries' narrative with a strong vooruit, voorwaarts drive.

The end of Episode Three saw the Hazard family leave their home pagina in Lehigh Station, Pennsylvania in the summer of 1854 for a visit to the Main's plantation in South Carolina's low country. Episode Four picked up a week of two later with the Hazards...

Below is an artikel I had written about the questionable plot points I had discovered, while watching the miniseries, "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II":


The Major Problems of “NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II”

In the eyes of many fans of the trilogy of miniseries based upon John Jakes’ saga, ”The NORTH AND SOUTH Trilogy”, the only miniseries not worthy of the entire saga is the third one - ”HEAVEN AND HELL: North and South Book III”. I wish I could agree with them.After all, the production values for ”Book III” had not been as impressive as the other two. And of the three miniseries, ”NORTH...