About 2004 BBC North And South

A Screen Adaptation That Stole My Heart

Hello my lovely readers!!!

Welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet where I talk all things books. So, earlier this month, I read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, and as is mandatory after reading a good book, I went and watched the 2004 BBC adaptation.

Now I'm usually not one for screen adaptations, but this time was different. 

First of all, I thought both Margaret and Mr. Thornton were cast perfectly (except that Mr. Thornton was a lot more handsome than I imagined him to be). Also, in the book Margaret is nineteen when they meet and Mr Thornton about thirty. In the adaptation, they look closer in age which I liked. Both the actors captured the energy of the characters and their chemistry  so well, it was an absolute treat to watch. 

Apart from Margaret and Mr. Thornton, the third important character of the story, Nicholas Higgins, I think was also cast perfectly. In the book I initially got the idea that he is an old man, only to find out later that he isn't even forty five. The adaptation got that right. 

Also, the movie raised the tension between Margaret and Mr. Thornton which I enjoyed except for their first meeting, where Mr. Thornton is just beating the living hell out of one of his workers. I do not care how good a reason he had for doing so, that scene almost made me turn the thing off. Thankfully, the rest of the adaptation more than made up for it. Still I wish that scene wasn't there. 

Now, the proposal scene in episode two was probably my favourite from the whole series. Because of how beautifully it captures the friction and tension between our leads. Mr. Thornton, in love and very passionate about it, and Margaret, prejudiced against him and his frustration— it was brilliant! From the dialogues, to the acting, to the background music, everything was perfect. 

The adaptation also added a scene where they meet at an exhibition in London right after Margaret turns him down. So we get an extra tension-filled scene that I very much enjoyed. 

The ending is also done differently in the movie which I technically should dislike since I love the original ending. But I don't. Mr. Thornton, just reaching out and taking Margaret's hand as she rambles on, her little pause and subsequently faltering voice, and then eventually taking his hand in hers and kissing it– words cannot describe just how much I loved it. I’ve lost count of how many times I replayed that scene. It’s a bit more subtle than the one in the book and while I absolutely love the book ending, I think I like this one a tad better. 

Also I think the movie captured the dynamic between Mr. Thornton and Nicholas very well. The story is almost as much about bringing them two together as it is about bringing Margaret and Mr. Thornton together. So that was also a job well done. 

I also liked all the other actors in all the other roles, especially Mrs. Thornton who I am hardly fond of. But the movie made me ‘respect’ her a bit more? In the book, her love for her son to me feels a little obsessive, at one point the story even calls him her ‘property’. The adaptation toned it down a bit, so I enjoyed their dynamic more

So overall, it was an absolute treat to watch. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a good romance. I think this is so far my favourite screen adaptation of an English classic.

What about you? Do you like watching screen adaptations of books? Don’t forget to let me know.

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That’s it for today, I'll be back in your inbox next week.

Until then,

Joyie 🌻