Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Every American needs to watch North and South. In case you couldn't tell from the title, North and South is a Civil War story. Two young men bond during their time at Westpoint and vow to be lifelong friends, but when the War Between the States breaks out, there's a problem: George Hazard is from Pennsylvania, and Orry Main is from South Carolina. Hence the title.North and South is a true epic, and one of the only Civil War creations that isn't compared to Gone with the Wind. There's love, death, violence, and friendship. And it's educational, too! I first watched this 9-hour miniseries during my eighth grade history class during the Civil War module. And I had a very thorough teacher (my mother) who didn't want to scrimp on the details. This is a truly fantastic miniseries, one that joins the ranks of Roots and Centennial as essential American miniseries. The production values are wonderful, and the multiple story lines within the epic are suspenseful and heart wrenching. While James Reed, Patrick Swayze, Leslie-Anne Down, Kirstie Alley, Wendy Kilbourne, and Philip Casnoff make up the main cast, the rest of Hollywood came out in droves to be a part of the program. James Stewart, Gene Kelly, Robert Mitchum, Elizabeth Taylor, David Carradine, Hal Holbrook, Jean Simmons, and Jonathan Frakes are just a few of the familiar faces you'll see during the six episodes.Thirty years later, North and South stands the test of time incredibly well. You need to watch this incredible piece of American history.

Her views on the slavery were right and undebatable. Although, until to the one period of her life, which made a less radical woman out of her - she was very loud and vulgar worker against slavery. She was a very proud woman who never talked or listened her protester - just for the cause. She has never discussed with them with any respect. Even, if it was a friend of the family or even a person who she loved. And I do not claim that she could talk with her family however, but I think she could treat her protesters with a little more respect, because it could be much better for the cause, for which she fought. Besides, she claimed that the war is a fine way and there is no other and blood must run. That was the sign that the life of another people wasn't so much valuable for her. And that is not a scale of sensibility I prefer , especially in such matters as making decisions about human life or death. She didn't realize how war can be frightening and horrible. But the worst is that she didn't even want to know that. She had her own rules and rights, that was great for her, but that's not so clear when she started to sell her body to help her in her own cause. The viewer can only guess that this kind of behavior was the consequence of hard war's experiences. It was her way to survive until she has murdered her false friend and lover as well.She fought for other people against injustice towards them, she fought for others to kill another. As far as she was unpredictable, she seemed to be sick.In all that cases, I can reasonably claim, she has lost her purpose from her eyes and became a loser for the cause and for herself as well. She was the main reason which led her not towards the good end, whatever it can mean.She only stayed true with her love feelings to her dead husband to the end of her life. That was only the thing which has never changed. That is the one thing that in Christianity can never change – it is the real love which is true itself forever, the most important thing forever.

Based on votes and reviews here at IMDb, I purchased a DVD compilation of Books 1-3 at Costco. I wish I hadn't. The votes and reviews gave it a high vote percentage and the reviews were all superlative. I thought it would be reliably good and time-tested. I feel deceived. This is not a historical drama. It is a historical soap opera. Many of the actors are soap stars and it shows. Most of the acting lacks any real depth. The story is simplistic and there are only passing references to historical events. You won't find yourself learning anything about The Civil War you don't already know. The story in Book 2 is more complex than Book 1 but not by much. So much of what happens in Book 1-2 is simply implausible, illogical or both. Events would not, and could not, happen as portrayed. Events are plausible and logical for 1980s+ values and that is what they reflect. By the last DVD in Book 2 I was simply fast forwarding and I still had time to read all the captions. Luckily, one of the DVD's is defective so I can return it and get my money back. I decided not to bother with Book 3. The whole thing was a complete waste. I'll stick to quality BBC mini-series in the future, especially ones based on classic literature. This is a monumental waste of time and money. You'd be better served by reading Gone With The Wind and/or watching Ken Burns' documentary, The Civil War.

It felt like this series was longer than the Civil War. We got the DVD mainly to observe the progress of Georgina of Upstairs/Downstairs (Lesley-Anne Down). She didn't disappoint and proved to be the best thing about the series. The major problem lies in the fact that the plot strains credulity to such an extreme as to become laughable. The two leads Patrick Swayze and James Read are competent given the impossible tasks they are required to perform and the sappy dialogue they are too often burdened with. Who can accept the following plot lines: A South Carolinian and Pennsylvanian become buddies at West Point while confronting a demonic and sadistic upper-classman named Bent, played with irritating histrionics by Philip Casnoff. After they manage to get the monster dismissed from the academy, our two Lieutenants go to the Mexican War where their nemeses is now their Captain? This series features the greatest number of chance meetings of major characters, often in the midst of battle, than any series in television history. Orry Main (Swayze) is severely wounded in Mexico while George Hazard (Read) survives unscathed, a feat they would repeat in the Civil War where both are called to serve as generals on opposite sides? How these two lieutenants rate such promotions is never explained? Then we see the two generals riding alone at night confronting each other and withholding fire when recognizing each other in the dark and sitting down to chat about the war? Orry later frees George from a Richmond prison, puts him in a canoe alone in his Yankee uniform to paddle back to union lines where he miraculously arrives in time for Christmas Eve at home? Two Main and two Hazard family members meet in the turmoil of the bloody battle of Petersburg and all manage to survive while hundreds die all around them. At the end of the war they all arrive safely at Mount RoyalPlantation to apparently live happily ever after. Too bad it didn't end there. Unfortunately, Book 3 titled "Heaven and Hell" provided little heaven in a murderously hellish script. When I saw a DVD photo of George and Orry's wife Madaline (Down)in a affectionate embrace, I thought does George cheat on Constance, does Madaline cheat on Orry? The author preserves their honor by bringing the arch villain Bent back from the dead so he can sadistically murder Orry and George's wife in the first episode of book 3. For Orry to survive all his horrific battles and die at the hands of a lesser man will not endear many viewers. One should be suspicious of the final book when so many of the original players, including Swayze (you don't see his face in his final scene), failed to reprise their original roles. To have Bend kidnap Charles Main's (Kyle Chandler)son and then walk into a barn where the boy's father is sleeping is another in a long list of unlikely encounters. It goes downhill from there and George and Madeline should not feel comfortable in their final embrace since evil sister-in-law Ashton (Terry Garber), who made Scarlett O'Hara look like a Sunday school teacher, is still lurking in the wings. Too bad the author didn't hang her alongside Bent as she surely deserved the same fate as poor over-zealous abolishonist Virgilia (Kristie Alley). I suggest you enjoy the first two books and skip the third. It's a passable Civil War history if you ignore the totally implausible adventures of the leads. It was nice seeing old pros James Stewart and Robert Mitchum in cameos. Sadly, they both died on the same day after the series was made. Worth watching if only for the performances of Simmons, Down, Alley and Garber who act rings around the men. I felt that this Wolper production was not up to the standard of his previous "The Thorn Birds."