As a little girl growing up in Charleston, I can remember all of the fuss during the filming of North and South. It not only lived up to the hype but exceeded it. It is still just as enjoyable to watch 30 plus years later and I can now enjoy it all over again with my children. This is a love story between George and Orry, two best friends who meet at West Point and eventually have to fight for their beliefs opposite each other in the Civil War. It follows their lives and the lives of their families as the world changing war takes place. The acting was excellent, the wardrobe was stunning, and you feel like you are living through this plot. For all of my fellow Patrick Swayze fans, in my opinion this showcases him at his finest. This movie does an excellent job of showing the struggles of both the north and the south without showing favoritism to either. It was a beautiful story showing the horror of slavery but also showing that not all southerners agreed with that of life. You felt deeply for all those involved (well, other than Bent, Justin, and Ashton). Do yourself a favor and watch this right now if you haven't already seen it! You'll be so glad that you did! With that said, I like to pretend that the last book/movie does not exist. I much prefer the ending of the original 1985 series.

For those who saw it in the 80s it is worth watching again now it's on DVD and Encore. Yes there are some faults but it's still very very entertaining.The good points: Orry Main - Patrick Swayze delivers a convincing impassioned performance that shows he was really a great actor. He really carried the show. His friendship with George Hazzard is touching and quite inspiring. The sometimes too obvious storyline does bring one through all the major events leading up to and through the Civil War. The on location filming in South Carolina is quite beautiful. The dramatic confrontations and exciting moments even if contrived in origin are pretty exciting.The faults: Yes there are some really cringe inducing bad guys and gals who are so one dimensionally evil for no apparent reason that they are laughable. There is the totally insane Elkanah Bent played with an over accented Philip Casnoff. Then we have the fanatical and annoying abolitionist Virgilia Hazzard played by a pretty demented looking Kirstie Alley. Don't forget the inexplicably evil Ashton Main played by Teri Garber doing a comical Scarlett O'Hara imitation. She must have prepared for the role by watching Gone With the Wind over and over again. Lesley Anne Down plays Madeline Fabray La Motte but her ample figure and East End London hair do make her demure protestations seem fake. The saintliness of Constance Hazzard is nauseating.Despite all the faults and sometimes painfully obvious dialog, it's still a fantastically fun watch and I think the best way to deal with the bad parts is to laugh at them like comic relief. So it's actually a grand sweeping historical drama with an inadvertent comic theme built in. They don't make them like this anymore.

I hope God will save us from crap like this in the future. This one is made in the worst possible American tradition where you can only see good people and bad people. Not to say extremely good people and extremely bad people. And in a well known and just incredibly ignorant and foolish typical American way - people are born this way - good and evil. It has not got much to do with the surrounding society. Jesus! You do not know whether to laugh or cry at this monstrous soap opera. Definitely one of the worse ever made. And talking about bad acting. Lesley-Anne Down must have set an invincible record here. And unbelievable parts like the one Terri Garber makes, makes the whole casting even more ridiculous.

I recently returned from a vacation in the beautiful city of Charleston, S.C. and having had the opportunity to visit the Boone Platation (Mount Royale in the movie), I decided to rent the DVD of this film that was made more than 25 years ago. I was not disappointed. As a Civil War reenactor, I can attest that the costumes, weapons, customs,and other aspects, including the attitudes about he war and slavery are as near to perfect as you will ever find in any film. The buildings and plantations used in the film are still there and date back hundreds of years. I was amazed at the number of places in the film that my wife and I recognized from our recent visit, Boone Hall especially, even the old slave quarters are still there. For the history buff or someone just wanting to see an excellent film with outstanding acting by an all star cast, this film is a MUST SEE.