To me, this movie is perfection.

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Fresh and Exciting

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I know adaptations can be different from the original stories but this... I think it some of the "improvements" (or alterations) North and South suffered in this case were not only unnecessary, but they made it more difficult to understand the story and the characters. For example: when Margaret first sees Mr. Thornton, he is brutally beating a man, one of his "hands", who is already lying defenseless on the floor. How can she get to like him at all, when she knows he is capable of doing something like this? I think the way they originally meet in the book makes much more sense and it would have been better to keep it like that. Then, Margaret and Mr. Thornton barely speak to each other in the series!! It makes it very confusing (and almost ridiculous) when he suddenly decides to propose to her. As another reviewer already said, it makes you wonder "when did they fall in love??!!". It also looks like somehow Margaret started having feelings for him almost from that day on. Why? The ending felt quite weird for me (the scene in the train station), and not credible at all. I would have preferred it if they kept it a little bit more similar to the one in the book. I think the underdeveloped relationship between Margaret and Mr. Thornton is the worst part of this adaptation. Both characters change a lot throughout the story (in the book), not only because of each other, but because the people around them and they end up completely changing their minds about many things. Thus, in the book, the feelings they have for each other are perfectly understood. As for the rest, the actors were quite good and I really liked how they recreated this small industrial town and the rest of the characters. The relationships between Margaret and Bessy and Mr. and Mrs. Thornton were particularly good.

So, this is my first favorite adaptation from English novel, besides those wrote by Jane Austen. Haven't read the book though, maybe later.At first, I only expect another romance in British old time, you know, man with gold, stubborn woman (P&P alert), like what we usually find in Austen's version.But North & South are so much different. Well, to be fair it did remind me of Pride and Prejudice, A LOT. But there's also other story beside the romance. Master and union, it's deep, eternal problem, like Democratic and Republican in cotton industry.Another plus for Gaskell, I think, when we can truly see mother of the hero. I mean, I keep comparing to Austen, we never see Mr Darcy's mother or even when we see Edward's mom, she immediately becomes enemy, while Mrs Thornton, although she loathe Margaret, she keep her promise to Mrs Hale.I never see other film or series from both of the main character, so I can't really tell how good they're acting in this series. But clearly, me and many other LOVE Richard Armitage, hope there'll be more of him in this kind of series or in Austen's world. I know Brendan Coyle from Downton Abbey, good job Mr Bates, as always. Anna Martin from Death Comes to Pemberley, love her there, but in N&S I caught her eye moved in deathbed scene, so...AND my favorite scene: OF COURSE IT'S GONNA BE THE ONE IN RAILWAY STATION.FYI, my most favorite scene in Pride and Prejudice, and the one which make me fall in love with Austen's story is in 2005 film, when "Macfadyen" apologize to Elizabeth for wasting her time after the rejection (Colin Firth never be my favorite Mr Darcy, sorry).After watched N&S and found that RAILWAY STATION's scene, when JOHN LOOKING AT MARGARET SO LOVINGLY, AND LATER HELD HER HAND, OH MY GOD!! <3<3So, if you're like me, who still enjoy romance-heart melting-story. N&S totally recommended.

A fantastic period drama! Armitage, Coyle, Denby-Ashe, and Cusack light the flames that keep this going 10 years later. Everything is good about this show. The costumes and setting are so good. If you don't want to fall in love with Armitage, don't watch this. He'll suck you in and you will be stuck... for awhile, anyway. I love Coyle's worker's accent and speech. British shows tend to make us listen to the dialogue with words that are not part of everyday American language. I think they could have made it into 6 shows with more development of John and Maragret's relationship and more of an intro of the two main characters. Also, the editing at times was off which made things weird.

It is with no doubt different than an ordinary American love story as there are so many already- obviously you would say since it's from BBC. It is deeper, more subtle -subtlety: that's what's missing in today's American TV shows, and more real.In many ways I think this movie can be qualified as a good one: the characters do not completely change their opinions towards the factory although they do evolve. The love they have for each other doesn't make them change what they think or how they act, but more their ways of seeing thing: they both become more and more understanding towards the other point of view without totally refuting their own and that is new and refreshing in cinema I think. Also it shows a part of the Great Britain I hadn't seen anywhere else; and the way they contrast the ways of living in the south and the north is instructive, it shows how work can really shape a region.Moreover, I think that the cameraman's work is brilliant! The compositions of the scenes are so well done! And the way there's always cotton (this death kisser) around or snow (this pure lovely thing) is very interesting.Anyways I won't expand myself any further on the subject because I don't know if I can stop but good job to the BBC its movies are always so well done (from what I've seen so far) and so fascinating (here I go again, I really am stopping now).