WARNING TO ALL WOMEN WHO READ THIS POST (I probably don't need to be so specific because I have a feeling that my only readers are women): THIS POST CONTAINS A SPOILER VIDEO. There, now that I've given all of you proper notice, I must inform you that the video posted on this blog is a clip of the last five minutes of the movie North and South, directed by Brian Percival and based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell.
First of all, I love love LOVE the novel and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading the works of Jane Austen. Elizabeth Gaskell wrote about similar issues, although some of her work has been described as more edgy. Now getting back to North and South. The movie, while a bit different than the novel due to the need to squeeze everything into four one-hour installments, is wonderful. In fact, the last five minutes of the movie are quite as moving and expressive as the last page-and-a-half of the novel, although the two scenes have some marked differences. The main difference, as those of you who read the book AND see the movie will note, is the abundance of kissing in the last scene of the movie. It is no surprise that Gaskell didn't describe any kissing in the novel. She lived right in the middle of the Victorian Era in England. Could we imagine it happening to the protagonists, Margaret Hale and John Thornton? In my opinion, although she didn't write it, it is a most delicious idea. Sometimes situations an author doesn't describe in great detail are more powerful than those that they record in minute detail.
Secondly, and you must understand that I never thought I would say this, I find Mr John Thornton, the leading man in North and South, to be more appealing than Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. It's true. I can't help myself. Well, I can help myself, but I simply don't want to. Thornton is too appealing in the end, and in the middle, although not in the beginning.
Anyways, if you are not planning on seeing the movie, watch this clip and enjoy. The whole clip is about 8 minutes long. I would suggest that you let the clip load, then fast forward 2:40 minutes to get to the juicy part. If you ARE going to see the movie, then I suggest that you wait because this part won't be as beautiful without the events leading up to it. Either way, enjoy!
">
2 comments:
hmm, never heard of the book. i only read the first part of your post and didn't watch the video cuz now i'm thinking maybe i'll read it!
Good call, Cher. I admit, it is kind of mean of me to put a clip of the ending scene of a movie on my blog, all the while saying you shouldn't watch it if you want to see the whole thing first. :) This is not really a veiled exercise in self-discipline, I promise. I hope you like the book too!
Post a Comment