見到人講North and South (2004)，走去睇發覺其實睇過，但重睇完覺得真係拍得好好，依家我嘅Period drama頭三位係Pride and Prejudice (1995)、Downton Abbey (2010-2015)、North and South (2004)。
North and South嘅議題好有意思，關於（北方）工業發展同（南方）傳統英國社會嘅衝突，唔同階級面對嘅問題。作者Elizabeth Gaskell本身係想用女主角個名Margaret Hale做小說名，係連載周刊嘅主編Charles Dickens堅持用North and South。故事同作者嘅經歷有關，故事中嘅北方工業城市Milton基本上係講佢住嘅Manchester。
去睇返原著發現電視版嘅好多場景都唔一樣，電視版非常善用畫面去講社會背景，可以話係改得比原著好睇。演員揀得好好，男主角完全演到嗰種外冷內熱，女主角係識發光（唔係淨係打燈打得靚，係有inner strength）；演工會領袖Higgins嘅Brendan Coyle（Downton Abbey嘅Mr. Bates），演呢種高貴嘅低下階層演得好有說服力，可能係因為呢個角色所以搵佢演Downton Abbey。 唯一問題可能係啲角色太好，現實中好少咁嘅人。
書摘（有劇透）：
Her cheeks burnt as she recollected how proudly she had implied an objection to trade (in the early days of their acquaintance), because it too often led to the deceit of passing off inferior for superior goods, in the one branch; of assuming credit for wealth and resources not possessed, in the other. She remembered Mr. Thornton’s look of calm disdain, as in few words he gave her to understand that, in the great scheme of commerce, all dishonourable ways of acting were sure to prove injurious in the long run, and that, testing such actions simply according to the poor standard of success, there was folly and not wisdom in all such, and every kind of deceit in trade, as well as in other things. She remembered—she, then strong in her own untempted truth—asking him, if he did not think that buying in the cheapest and selling in the dearest market proved some want of the transparent justice which is so intimately connected with the idea of truth: and she had used the word chivalric—and her father had corrected her with the higher word, Christian; and so drawn the argument upon himself, while she sate silent by with a slight feeling of contempt. (CHAPTER XXXVII)
“Is Miss Hale so remarkable for truth?” said Mr. Thornton, bitterly. The moment he had done so, he could have bitten his tongue out. What was he? And why should he stab her with her shame in this way? How evil he was to-night: possessed by ill-humour at being detained so long from her; irritated by the mention of some name, because he thought it belonged to a more successful lover; now ill-tempered because he had been unable to cope, with a light heart, against one who was trying, by gay and careless speeches, to make the evening pass pleasantly away,—the kind old friend to all parties, whose manner by this time might be well known to Mr. Thornton, who had been acquainted with him for many years. And then to speak to Margaret as he had done! She did not get up and leave the room, as she had done in former days, when his abruptness or his temper had annoyed her. She sat quite still, after the first momentary glance of grieved surprise, that made her eyes look like some child’s who has met with an unexpected rebuff; they slowly dilated into mournful, reproachful sadness; and then they fell, and she bent over her work, and did not speak again. (CHAPTER XL)
She was getting surfeited of the eventless ease in which no struggle or endeavour was required. She was afraid lest she should even become sleepily deadened into forgetfulness of anything beyond the life which was lapping her round with luxury. There might be toilers and moilers there in London, but she never saw them; the very servants lived in an underground world of their own, of which she knew neither the hopes nor the fears; they only seemed to start into existence when some want or whim of their master and mistress needed them. There was a strange unsatisfied vacuum in Margaret’s heart and mode of life… (CHAPTER XLIV)
Time and space were not, though all other things seemed real. Every event was measured by the emotions of the mind, not by its actual existence, for existence it had none. (CHAPTER XLV)
“[…] I am only afraid I have thought and wished too much—in that absorbing wilful way which is sure to be disappointed—or else gratified, to the letter, while in the spirit it gives no pleasure.” (CHAPTER XLVIII)
“Take care.—If you do not speak—I shall claim you as my own in some strange presumptuous way.—Send me away at once, if I must go;—Margaret!—” (CHAPTER LII)
