Did you know many of our favorite authors are also fans of North and South? Avon historical romance author, Anna Campbell is a die hard fan of North and South and the handsome and swoon worthy Richard Armitage. The woman apparently has good taste! ;)
I asked her if she had any opinions about this movie and the man we have all come to love. Anna so kindly responded to my inquiry and she had this to say:
“Ah, what can I say about the magic that is 'North and South' and the gorgeous Richard Armitage? Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said by his legion of rabid female fans? Not that I'm rabid!! No, no. Not me. I'm a purely sensible female fan! Yeah, right.
I was a latecomer to N&S. I was away overseas when it was first on in Australia
and silly me didn't bother to video it. We get a lot of BBC adaptations and I
didn't know the book so nothing warned me this was going to be something extra
special. Then people started talking about how wonderful the serial was and
particularly how wonderful the hero was. Being a technophobe, I didn't at that
stage own a DVD so I didn't actually find out for myself what I'd missed until
the ABC, bless them, replayed N&S very late on Saturday nights last year.
Oh, Mamma!
Is that show a feast for romantics or what? And isn't John Thornton the
quintessential hero? He knows what he feels for Margaret almost from the moment
he meets her and nothing sways him. His love even leads him to betray his
principles and he's a man of incredibly strong principle (I love a man of honor
as a hero, sigh!). Yes, he's a bit of a rough diamond but the emphasis is on
'diamond' here. It's even refreshing to have a working man as hero rather than a
languid aristocrat like Mr. Darcy, much as I'm fond of Darcy too!
The romance builds and builds through hurt and misunderstanding and denial and
attraction. Until the best bit of all - that last kiss on the railway platform
when symbolically, she's going south and he's going north. I think it's the
tenderness of that scene that gets me every time. He holds her head as he kisses
her as if he has the whole world caught in his hands and he wants to treat it
right. What can I say? It's magic!”
I was a latecomer to N&S. I was away overseas when it was first on in Australia
and silly me didn't bother to video it. We get a lot of BBC adaptations and I
didn't know the book so nothing warned me this was going to be something extra
special. Then people started talking about how wonderful the serial was and
particularly how wonderful the hero was. Being a technophobe, I didn't at that
stage own a DVD so I didn't actually find out for myself what I'd missed until
the ABC, bless them, replayed N&S very late on Saturday nights last year.
Oh, Mamma!
Is that show a feast for romantics or what? And isn't John Thornton the
quintessential hero? He knows what he feels for Margaret almost from the moment
he meets her and nothing sways him. His love even leads him to betray his
principles and he's a man of incredibly strong principle (I love a man of honor
as a hero, sigh!). Yes, he's a bit of a rough diamond but the emphasis is on
'diamond' here. It's even refreshing to have a working man as hero rather than a
languid aristocrat like Mr. Darcy, much as I'm fond of Darcy too!
The romance builds and builds through hurt and misunderstanding and denial and
attraction. Until the best bit of all - that last kiss on the railway platform
when symbolically, she's going south and he's going north. I think it's the
tenderness of that scene that gets me every time. He holds her head as he kisses
her as if he has the whole world caught in his hands and he wants to treat it
right. What can I say? It's magic!”
And so the crusade marches on!
In other sad news, I had to return my copy of North and South to the library with only 50 more pages to read!! About 5 other people were waiting and I couldn't renew the book. And I am up to the point when Mrs. Thorton goes to Margaret because she thinks Margaret has been having late night nookie with strange men. Hopefully I will be able to get the book back and find out how it ends and if John and Margaret find love together!
For now I leave you with this:
12 comments:
That Anna Campbell is a woman of impeccable taste!!
I have the movie on Netflix and I'm hoping to watch it this weekend!
soon the whole world will be taken!
Yippee! Another crusader. :) Anna, you have shown yourself to be a woman of excellent taste.
What I find amusing is how many people leap to make the Darcy v. Thornton comparison. I know I did. It's like we had Darcy for years and years...and then along came John. Poor gentleman Darcy, he's just not as suited to appeal to us. Thornton is a working man, a pulled-himself-up man, and a man with intense responsibilities--and oh, that he holds all these worries inside him! To us, today, that makes him even more appealing.
Even though Darcy would've had equally burdensome responsibilities with regard to the management of his estate and the people who worked and farmed for him, it was never Austen's intent to show him working. His appeal as a hero had to do with his gentlemanly qualities, not his duties. He's been the standard for so long--and frankly, Firth's Darcy can still kick the ass of every other romance hero EVER--but his style of hero has, by comparison with Thornton, gone out of fashion.
He would've done well dueling Wickham with swords. That'd been fun.
Did you know that N&S is available free online to read? I know it's not as easy on the eyes as the book, but you may be able to finish out the last 50 pages that way.
I have the dvd. I've watched N&S 3 times through in the 6 weeks I've owned it. So did I skip your video? No! That scene is just so good. I really loved the expanded scene they included on the dvd release.
Expanded scene...which scene, how??
Need to know Rosie...need to know!
I just finished the first hour and all I can say is WOW!!!! This is a great movie.
Georgie Lee: And as the expression goes 'you ain't seen nothin' yet!! Just wait until the final credits roll at the end of the fourth episode. I'm hoping you will post your thoughts on your blog when you're done *g*
I tell you, Kristie, your influence reaches far and wide. :P This is great.
This post makes me NOT want to read it now :(
It is sittng on my dresser though..
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