North and South: The Complete Collection - Books One, Two & Three [5 Discs]

Patrick Swayze

Overview

"This epic-length box set brings into a single collection three of the most acclaimed miniseries of the 1980s and 1990s, adapted from John Jakes's trilogy of bestsellers: North and South (1985), North And South, Book Two (1986) and Heaven and Hell: North and South, Book III (1994). The programs, set in the Civil War Era, relay tumultuous events from the lives of two families, The Mains and The Hazards - clans once closely intertwined but now irreparably separated (on geographic and ideological grounds) by the scourge of war. The all-star cast includes such notables as Kirstie Alley, Hal Holbrook, Lesley-Anne Down, Lloyd Bridges, James Stewart, David Carradine, Anthony Zerbe, Rip Torn and Billy Dee Williams."

Product Details

Release Date:	01/25/2011
UPC:	0883929161812
Original Release:	1985
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Language:	English
Time:	20:12:00
Sales rank:	6,638

Editorial Reviews

The tumultuous period leading up to and including the Civil War -- as well as its aftermath -- provided the backdrop for the phenomenally popular miniseries North and South, a sprawling three-part saga reminiscent of Gone with the Wind. The dramatic events of these years -- including the Mexican-American War, the abolitionist movement, the formation of the Confederacy, the War Between the States, and the subsequent Reconstruction years -- are played out as they affect two best friends who meet as young West Point cadets: Orry Main (Patrick Swayze), whose South Carolina family owns a plantation and keeps slaves, and George Hazard (James Read), scion of a wealthy Pennsylvania family in the steel business. Swayze and Read are primarily supported by Lesley-Anne Down, Wendy Kilbourne, Kirstie Alley, David Carradine, Jean Simmons, Jonathan Frakes, Forest Whitaker, and Morgan Fairchild, but Old Hollywood superstars Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Mitchum, and Gene Kelly also dress up the proceedings in colorful character parts. The first miniseries, North and South, was produced in 1985, and introduces viewers to the families circa 1842, two decades prior to the Civil War. Orry and George meet, quickly become best friends, and maintain their friendship through the years despite the increasing hostility between North and South. The first film ends as a tense nation explodes into war, embroiling the two best friends on opposite sides of the conflict. The Civil War forces them to take up arms against each other in the sequel, North and South Book II, which aired in 1986. The excellent production values give viewers an eye-opening look at what both George and Orry and their families must go through to survive the ravages of war. And in 1994's final installment of the trilogy, Heaven and Hell: North and South Book III, the Main and Hazard families begin to repair their lives during the war's aftermath. All of the films certainly did justice to the epic novels of John Jakes from which they were adapted; in fact, to this day some viewers believe that the first two miniseries actually improved on the source material. Like most miniseries of this length and complexity, the North and South films have some dull stretches here and there, but for the most part they are extraordinarily gripping entertainment, and the passage of time has not diminished their allure.