North & South

This handsome, well-acted 2004 miniseries adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's 19th-century novel revolves around the prickly relationship between two headstrong people from different worlds. Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) is the forthright daughter of a former vicar (Tim Pigot-Smith) who relocates his family from a pastoral village outside London to the hardscrabble, northern factory town of Milton. There, the Hales meet John Thornton (Richard Armitage) and his mother (Sinead Cusack), who run a cotton mill with an iron hand. Thornton's severity with his workers upsets Margaret, causing friction at the same time the two are finding themselves attracted to one another—a fledgling romance that blossoms over many painful months, a period in which workers at Thornton's mill (as well as from others) mount a disastrous attempt to organize. The cast is very fine all around, especially Armitage's brooding performance, and the series offers illuminating historical insights into the social and historical differences between England's north and south. DVD extras include commentary on two of the four episodes, as well as an entertaining interview with Armitage. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)