torches in the storm
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | torches in the storm |
| Original title | North and South (Season 1 & 2) Heaven and Hell (Season 3) |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 1985 , 1986 , 1994 |
| Production company |
Warner Bros. Television David L. Wolper Productions (Seasons 1 + 2) ABC (Season 3) |
| length | 90 minutes |
| Episodes | 15 in 3 seasons |
| genre | drama |
| production |
Paul Freeman (season 1) Robert Papazian (season 2) Hal Galli (season 3) |
| music |
Bill Conti (Season 1 & 2) David Bell (Season 3) |
| camera |
Stevan Larner (Season 1) Jacques R. Marquette (Season 2) |
| First broadcast |
November 3, 1985 (Season 1) August 29, 1987 (Season 2) February 27, 1994 (Season 3) on ABC |
| German-language first broadcast |
January 4th 1987 on ZDF |
| occupation | |
Torches in the Storm (originally North and South ) is a miniseries based on the novel trilogy The Heirs of Cain , Love and War and Heaven and Hell by the American writer John Jakes . The series comprises three seasons with a total of fifteen episodes, each approximately ninety minutes long, and thus has a total running time of over twenty-two hours. Patrick Swayze and James Read can be seen in the leading roles, and many important actors also appear in guest and supporting roles.
The subject is the United States of the 19th century before, during and immediately after the American Civil War (1861–1865), with the fictional families Main and Hazard at the center. While the Mains in South Carolina own a cotton plantation, the Hazards in Pennsylvania operate an ironworks. The two families are in close friendship, which was founded when the sons of both families, Orry Main and George Hazard, studied together at the West Point Military Academy in 1842 . In the Civil War, the two face each other as enemy generals and still try to maintain their friendship.
The first season from 1985, based on the first novel in the trilogy (1842 to 1861) and consisting of six episodes, went down in television history as the seventh most-viewed miniseries and marked the international breakthrough for Patrick Swayze. Parts seven to twelve followed with similar success a year later, which are based on the second volume and tell of the war years 1861 to 1865. Because of the great popularity of the series, the originally unintended film adaptation of the third novel about the first period after the civil war, which was published in 1987, followed eight years later.This only comprises three episodes and triggered many negative reactions from both critics and television audiences. Directed by Richard T. Heffron in season 1, Kevin Connor in season 2 and Larry Peerce in season 3 .
action
season 1
In 1842, Orry Main, the son learns of a plantation owner from South Carolina in the southern states of the USA, who in a carriage accident Madeline Fabray and falls in love with her. He is currently on his way to West Point to be trained as an officer at the military academy . On the way there he meets George Hazard, the son of the owner of an iron foundry in Pennsylvania in the northern states, in a fight in New York . They become friends and complete the academy together, where they are harassed by their instructor Elkanah Bent. In the meantime, Madeline Fabray marries the plantation owner Justin LaMotte, who abuses her mentally and physically.
In the Mexican-American War , which broke out shortly afterwards , Orry meets Bent again, is seriously wounded through his fault and has to end his military career for the time being. When his father dies, he takes over the management of his parents' Mont Royal plantation. His love for the unhappily married Madeline is limited to a few secret dates. George inherits his father's iron foundry with his brother Stanley and marries the officer's daughter Constance Flynn. George and Orry stayed in contact for years, even if the increasing political tensions between the American northern and southern states and the different views of families on the question of slavery in the southern states are increasingly burdening the relationship. However, George and Orry become business partners and George's brother Billy intends to marry Orry's sister Brett. The season ends with the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. Orry, who is staying with George when the war breaks out, has to leave Pennsylvania in a hurry.
season 2
After the war begins, the friends Orry and George have to fight on different sides. Orry kills Madeline's abusive husband on home leave. Orry is wounded in the war and is only able to escape captivity and survive thanks to the unexpected help of Virgilia, George's sister. He marries Madeline and the two have a child. After the war ends, Mont Royal is attacked by marauding former slaves and the mansion is burned down at the end of the second season.
season 3
After the war, Orry, like George's wife Constance, is murdered by Bent, who was believed dead. George and Orry's cousin Charles Main, whose son was kidnapped by Bent, track down Bent and hang him. Orry's brother Cooper Main, who was not mentioned in the first two seasons, is the owner of the plantation, but left it to his sister-in-law Madeline to manage it. When he is planning to set up a phosphate mine there, he tries to drive Madeline from Mont Royal and does not shy away from an attack with the Ku Klux clan in which he is killed by his own people. George and Madeline, who have fallen in love, decide to rebuild the plantation.
Episode list
| No. ( total ) |
No. ( St. ) |
German title | Original title | First broadcast in the USA | German language first broadcast (D) | Director | script |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Wild youth | Book I, Part 1 | Nov 03, 1985 | Jan. 04, 1987 | Richard T. Heffron | Douglas Heyes , John Jakes |
| 2 | 2 | Forbidden love | Book I, Part 2 | Nov 05, 1985 | Jan 05, 1987 | Richard T. Heffron | Douglas Heyes, John Jakes, Paul F. Edwards |
| 3 | 3 | Masters and slaves | Book I, Part 3 | Nov 06, 1985 | Jan 06, 1987 | Richard T. Heffron | Douglas Heyes, John Jakes, Paul F. Edwards |
| 4th | 4th | love and hate | Book I, Part 4 | Nov 07, 1985 | Jan. 10, 1987 | Richard T. Heffron | Douglas Heyes, John Jakes, Paul F. Edwards |
| 5 | 5 | A world falls apart | Book I, Part 5 | Nov 09, 1985 | Jan. 12, 1987 | Richard T. Heffron | Douglas Heyes, John Jakes, Patricia Green, Kathleen A. Shelley |
| 6th | 6th | When stars fall | Book I, Part 6 | Nov 10, 1985 | Jan. 13, 1987 | Richard T. Heffron | Patricia Green |
| 7th | 1 | On the edge of the abyss | Book II, Part 1 | May 4th. 1986 | Aug 29, 1987 | Kevin Connor | Richard Fielder |
| 8th | 2 | Civil war | Book II, Part 2 | May 5th. 1986 | Aug 31, 1987 | Kevin Connor | Richard Fielder |
| 9 | 3 | The chains fall | Book II, Part 3 | May 6th. 1986 | 03 Sep 1987 | Kevin Connor | Richard Fielder |
| 10 | 4th | Implacable vengeance | Book II, Part 4 | May 07. 1986 | 06 Sep 1987 | Kevin Connor | Richard Fielder, Douglas Heyes |
| 11 | 5 | Chaos reigns | Book II, Part 5 | May 08. 1986 | 07 Sep 1987 | Kevin Connor | Richard Fielder |
| 12 | 6th | my best friend | Book II, Part 6 | May 11th. 1986 | 08 Sep 1987 | Kevin Connor | Richard Fielder |
| 13 | 1 | The fight goes on | Book III, Part 1 | Feb. 27, 1994 | Nov 12, 1995 | Larry Peerce | Suzanne Clauser |
| 14th | 2 | For better or for worse | Book III, Part 2 | Feb. 28, 1994 | Nov 26, 1995 | Larry Peerce | Suzanne Clauser |
| 15th | 3 | Decision in Mont Royal | Book III, Part 3 | 02 Mar 1994 | Dec 03, 1995 | Larry Peerce | Suzanne Clauser |
characters
Orry Main
Orry, played by Patrick Swayze , is a southerner and the son of a plantation owner. He grew up on his father's plantation Mont Royal, trained in West Point and fought in the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), in which he was badly wounded (he kept a stiff leg), and in the American Civil War as a general in of the Army of the Confederate States of America . He takes over his father's plantation, represents the principles of the southern states and advocates slavery , but treats his slaves comparatively humane. He later marries Madeline Fabray, with whom he has a son.
George Hazard
He is played by James Read , a Northerner from Lehigh Station, Pennsylvania, and the son of an iron foundry owner. He also completed training at West Point and fought on Orry's side in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War, but there in the Union Army . He represents the principles of the northern states and is against slavery. He marries Constance Flynn from Ireland and they have a daughter named Hope.
Madeline Eugenie Fabray
Madeline, played by Lesley-Anne Down , is from New Orleans and is an Octoroon; H. 1/8 African American. Her father, Nicholas Fabray (played by Lee Bergere), raised her to be a politically literate young lady. She first marries the sadistic plantation owner Justin LaMotte, who suppresses her political statements, tortures her and makes her addicted to opium, until Orry Main, with whom she is in love before her first marriage and with whom she has had an affair for years, can free her. She marries him and the two have a son, Orry Nicolas. After the death of her husband, she married George Hazard in season 3 and built a new house with him on Mont Royal.
Elkanah Bent
He is played by Philip Casnoff and is the recurring enemy of George Hazard and Orry Main. He was their trainer at West Point and their superior in the Mexican War. He is responsible for Orry's injury. During the civil war, he breaks the blockade and has an affair with Ashton. He apparently dies a little later in the explosion of an arsenal. After the end of the Civil War (season 3) he suddenly reappears and murdered Orry Main and Constance Hazard out of hatred, but is then hunted and hanged by George Hazard and Charles Main.
Justin LaMotte
Portrayed by David Carradine , LaMotte is an unscrupulous plantation owner who first marries Madeline Fabray and later dies fighting Orry Main.
Members of the Main family
Clarissa Main ( Jean Simmons ) is Orry's mother and a typical southern woman. Her husband Tillet ( Mitchell Ryan ) ran the Mont Royal plantation until his death. Ashton ( Terri Garber ) and Brett Main ( Genie Francis ) are Orry's sisters. The younger Brett is shy, later she marries George's brother Billy. Ashton has numerous relationships and marries the southerner James Huntoon ( Jim Metzler ). In the third season, she finally lives with Will Fenway ( Tom Noonan ). Orry's cousin Charles Main, played by Lewis Smith in seasons 1 and 2 and Kyle Chandler in season 3, fought like Orry on the Confederation side in the Civil War. Robert Wagner took on the role of Cooper Main, Orry's older brother, who only appeared in the third season produced later .
Members of the Hazard family
George's father is William Hazard ( John Anderson ), his mother's name is Maude ( Inga Swenson ). George marries Constance Flynn ( Wendy Kilbourne ) and has a daughter named Hope with her. His older brother Stanley ( Jonathan Frakes ) runs the foundry together with George and is married to the ambitious Isabel ( Mary Crosby ). During the Civil War he ran the foundry alone and, under the influence of Isabel, delivered inferior weapons to the army, for which he was ultimately responsible. Younger brother William (Billy) Hazard ( Cary Guffey in season 1 as a child, John Stockwell in season 1, Parker Stevenson in season 2) goes to West Point and later marries Brett Main. He fought as a sniper on the Union side in the civil war.
Virgilia Hazard
George's older sister ( Kirstie Alley ) is an abolitionist and therefore very antagonistic towards the Maines from the start. She later marries the slave Grady, whom she helped escape. When he is shot in a riot, Virgilia is taken to the madhouse, where Congressman Samuel Green ( David Ogden Stiers ) takes her out again. During the course of the civil war, she works as a nurse, her attitude towards the Main changes, and she even helps Orry escape in the hospital. She becomes Samuel Green's lover. When she later learns from him that he had led her to this affair under false pretenses, she kills him, is sentenced to death and hanged .
slaves
Priam ( David Harris ) escapes and joins the organization of Northerner John Brown . Virgilia Hazard falls in love with the slave Grady ( Georg Stanford Brown ), helps him to escape and marries him. Priam and Grady are killed at Harpers Ferry . Priam's sister Semiramis ( Erica Gimpel ) has been raped for years by the slave overseer Salem Jones ( Tony Frank ). She falls in love with Charles Main, but has no relationship with him. At the end of the second book she enters into a relationship with the ex-slave Esra. Maum Sally ( Olivia Cole ) is Madeline LaMotte's maid; Justin LaMotte throws her down the stairs, breaking her neck in the process.
Historical personalities
Because of the historical context, there are many historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln ( Hal Holbrook ), Ulysses S. Grant ( Anthony Zerbe ), Jefferson Davis ( Lloyd Bridges ), Robert E. Lee ( William Schallert ) and John Brown ( Johnny Cash ). In the first two seasons, the producers attached great importance to historical events and gave political developments the appropriate space. In the third season, which came about ten years later, the focus was almost exclusively on the fate of the two families.
occupation
The television series was also known for its large and sometimes high-profile cast. Numerous well-known, partly Oscar-winning actors such as B. Elizabeth Taylor , James Stewart , Olivia de Havilland and singer Johnny Cash made guest appearances. James Read and Wendy Kilbourne , who cast George and Constance Hazard, fell in love on the set. They married in 1988 and now have two children. Also Jonathan Frakes and Genie Francis married in 1988. For the third season, which eight years later produced some important actors did not return to the series.
Patrick Swayze (1989) plays Orry Main
Lesley Anne Down (1979) plays Madeline
Kirstie Alley (1994) plays Virgilia Hazard
Genie Francis (2013) plays Brett Main
Jonathan Frakes (2005) plays Stanley Hazard
David Carradine (2008) plays Justin LaMotte
| figure |
1st season 1985 |
2nd season 1986 |
3rd season 1994 |
Voice actor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orry Main, General | Patrick Swayze | Patrick Swayze | Patrick Swayze | Manuel Vaessen |
| George Hazard, general | James Read | James Read | James Read | Thomas Petruo |
| Madeline Fabray (later LaMotte, Main or Hazard) | Lesley-Anne Down | Lesley-Anne Down | Lesley-Anne Down | Monica Bielenstein |
| Constance Flynn Hazard | Wendy Kilbourne | Wendy Kilbourne | Wendy Kilbourne | Judith Brandt |
| Virgilia Hazard (later Grady) | Kirstie Alley | Kirstie Alley | - | Uta Hallant |
| Ashton Main (later Huntoon) | Terri Garber (as a child: Temi Epstein and Stephanie Jolluck) | Terri Garber | Terri Garber | Dorette Hugo |
| Brett Main (later Hazard) | Genius Francis (as a child: Nikki Creswell and Melissa Manley) | Genius Francis | Genius Francis | Bettina Spier |
| Elkanah Bent, Colonel | Philip Casnoff | Philip Casnoff | Philip Casnoff | Detlef Bierstedt |
| Charles Main | Lewis Smith | Lewis Smith | Kyle Chandler | Torsten Sense |
| Billy Hazard | John Stockwell (as a child: Cary Guffey ) | Parker Stevenson | - | Nicolas Boell |
| Stanley Hazard | Jonathan Frakes | Jonathan Frakes | Jonathan Frakes | Michael Christian |
| Isabel Truscott Hazard, Stanley's wife | Wendy Fulton | Mary Crosby | Deborah Rush | Evelyn Marron |
| Justin LaMotte | David Carradine | David Carradine | - | Christian Rode |
| Clarissa Gault Main | Jean Simmons | Jean Simmons | - | Bettina Schön |
| Maude Hazard | Inga Swenson | Inga Swenson | - | Sigrid Lagemann |
| Burdetta Halloran, Bent's lover | Morgan Fairchild | Morgan Fairchild | - | Sabine Thiesler |
| Sam Greene, Congressman | David Ogden Stiers | David Ogden Stiers | - | Heinz Theo branding |
| James Huntoon | Jim Metzler | Jim Metzler | - | Axel Lutter |
| Salem Jones, overseer | Tony Frank | Tony Frank | - | Jürgen Heinrich |
| Priam, slave | David Harris | - | - | Stefan Krause |
| Semiramis, slave girl | Erica Gimpel | Erica Gimpel | - | Sabine Sebastian |
| Cuffey, slave | Forest Whitaker | Forest Whitaker | - | Manfred Lehmann |
| Ned Fisk, cadet and later major | Andrew Stahl | Andrew Stahl | - | Mathias Einert |
| Abraham Lincoln , US President | Hal Holbrook | Hal Holbrook | - | Harry Wüstenhagen |
| Ulysses S. Grant , General | Mark Moses | Anthony Zerbe | Rutherford Cravens | Jürgen Kluckert |
| Maum Sally, slave girl | Olivia Cole | - | - | Renate Danz |
| Forbes LaMotte, Justin's nephew | William Ostrander | - | - | Knut Reschke |
| Charles Edwards, Senator and Bent's illegitimate father | Gene Kelly | - | - | Gerd Holtenau |
| Madam Conti, brothel manager | Elizabeth Taylor | - | - | Rosemarie Fendel |
| Garrison Grady, slave and Virgilia's husband | Georg Stanford Brown | - | - | Engelbert von Nordhausen |
| Tillet Main, Orry's father | Mitchell Ryan | - | - | Eric Vaessen |
| William Hazard, George's father | John Anderson | - | - | Jochen Schröder |
| Patrick Flynn, Constance's father | Robert Mitchum | - | - | Klaus Kindler |
| Nicholas Fabray, Madeline's father | Lee Bergere | - | - | Friedrich W. Building School |
| Frederick Douglass , abolitionist | Robert Guillaume | - | - | Edgar Ott |
| John Brown , radical abolitionist leader | Johnny Cash | - | - | Heinz Giese |
| George B. McClellan | Chris Douridas | - | - | |
| George Pickett | Cody W. Hampton | - | - | Tobias Master |
| Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson | William Preston Daly | - | - | Frank Schaff |
| Robert Anderson , Major and Commanding Officer of Fort Sumter | James Rebhorn | - | - | Kurt Goldstein |
| Augusta Barclay, widow | - | Kate McNeil | - | Joseline Gassen |
| Rafe Baudeen, gambler | - | Lee Horsley | - | Wolfgang Condrus |
| Miles Colbert, Madeline's lawyer | - | James Stewart | - | Friedrich Schoenfelder |
| Mrs. Neal, hospital head nurse | - | Olivia de Havilland | - | Inge Wolffberg |
| Rose Sinclair, former actress | - | Linda Evans | - | Gisela Fritsch |
| Thomas Turner, Captain | - | Wayne Newton | - | Joachim Kerzel |
| Hiram Berdan, Colonel and Billy's boss | - | Kurtwood Smith | - | Karl Schulz |
| Ezra, slave | - | Beau Billingslea | - | Helmut Gauss |
| Rudy Bodford, Lt. | - | Michael Dudikoff | - | Tobias Master |
| Stephen Kent, Lt. | - | Whip Hubley | - | Benjamin Völz |
| Shain | - | Maurice Roëves | - | Hermann Ebeling |
| Jefferson Davis , Southern President | - | Lloyd Bridges | - | Jochen Schröder |
| Robert E. Lee , Southern General | - | William Schallert | - | Herbert Stass |
| Dorothea Dix , head of all hospitals | - | Nancy Marchand | - | |
| Cooper Main, Madeline's brother-in-law | - | - | Robert Wagner | Joachim Kerzel |
| Judith Stafford Main, Cooper's wife | - | - | Cathy Lee Crosby | |
| Willa Park, actress | - | - | Rya Kihlstedt | Bettina White |
| Will Fenway, Ashton's lover | - | - | Tom Noonan | |
| Sam Trump, drama teacher | - | - | Peter O'Toole | Jürgen Thormann |
| Adolphus | - | - | Rip Torn | |
| Gus Main, Charles' son | - | - | Cameron Finley | Thomas Rohrbach |
| Scar | - | - | Gregory Zaragoza | Stefan Staudinger |
| Running wolf | - | - | Ted Thin Elk | Helmut Heyne |
| Getty's LaMotte | - | - | Cliff De Young | Frank-Otto Schenk |
| Jack Quinlan | - | - | Woody Watson | |
| Isaac | - | - | Stan Shaw | Jürgen Kluckert |
| Jane | - | - | Sharon Washington | Ulrike Lau |
| Prudence | - | - | Mariette Hartley | Liane Rudolph |
| Francis Cardozo | - | - | Billy Dee Williams |
production
Locations
The series was partly shot on location in the southeastern United States. The Boone Hall plantation in Mount Pleasant near Charleston in South Carolina served as the exterior backdrop of Mont Royal , while the interior shots of Mont Royal were taken in Stanton Hall in Natchez , Mississippi. The Resolute plantation is the Greenwood Plantation near St. Francisville in Louisiana . The Belvedere estate , located in Pennsylvania in the film , is the Calhoun Mansion in Charleston. The Historic Jefferson College in Natchez served as the West Point Academy . Most of the exterior shots of city buildings were also shot in Charleston.
Film music
The musical background for the first two seasons was provided by the well-known composer Bill Conti , who already wrote the music for Rocky , The Stuff The Heroes Are Made of , the James Bond film In A Deadly Mission , as well as the TV series Falcon Crest and The Denver -Clan composed. He was nominated for an Emmy in 1986 for the film music of Torches in the Storm .
However, Bill Conti also incorporated a whole series of titles into the music for Torches in the Storm that were not originally written by him or not for this television series:
- In the piece Knapp escaped he uses a fugue from the chorale Who only lets God rule from the Schübler chorales by Johann Sebastian Bach (BWV 647)
- A very melancholy theme originally comes from Conti's own film music for Die Formel (1980, with Marlon Brando )
- The German folksong go out, my heart, and seek Freud can also be heard
The music for the third season was written by the TV composer David Bell , who worked on the series Star Trek: Raumschiff Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , among others .
Differences Between TV Series and Novels
The series is based on the three novels North and South ( The Heirs of Cain ), Love And War ( Love and War ) and Heaven And Hell (Heaven And Hell). However, there are differences, for example the Mains grow rice in the novels and cotton in the series. Overall, the plot of the novel had to be shortened for the television version, and some actors do not correspond to the description in the novel:
A major cut compared to the novels was initially the omission of Orry's brother Cooper; in the novel a capable but only moderately successful engineer. Part of his text from the novel has been transferred to Orry Main, who is also much more progressive and enlightened than in the novel. When the filming of the third part ("Heaven and Hell") was decided, two problems arose: With Patrick Swayze as Orry Main, a sympathetic figure was missing, at the same time Cooper Main had to appear, since without him the plot would have made little sense. In addition, at the age of 64, Robert Wagner was 20 years too old for his role.
The male members of the Hazard family are described in the novels as short and stocky, but the actors - including James Read (1.88 meters) and Jonathan Frakes (1.93 meters) - are tall and slim.
Elkanah Bent is first portrayed in the books as corpulent, later even as pathologically obese, but portrayed in the series by the normal-weight Philip Casnoff. Furthermore, in the book, Bent is a Northerner from Ohio deserting south. Charles serves under Bent in Texas, this storyline, which takes up several chapters in the book and through which Bent's (almost asleep) hatred is rekindled and consolidated, is not mentioned in the series. In return, Bent and Ashton only meet briefly a few times in the book, and the encounters are characterized by mutual dislike. Although Ashton is not particularly fond of Orry, she notices Bent's hatred and refuses to give him any information about her brother. In the series, Bent is the illegitimate son of an Ohio senator who was given up for adoption by his father south. Therefore, he also represents the views there and has a relationship with Ashton, which is based on both of them aversion to Orry. The fictional character of Lamar Powell (who dreams of a new confederation in the west) was omitted, Powell was largely merged in the series with the character of Elkanah Bent, who also represents his principles.
Ashton Main's husband James Huntoon is described in the books as physically similar to Elkanah Bent, but also very nearsighted and beginning to be bald in his late youth. In the show, however, he is an average tall and slender man with full hair and no glasses. There are also differences in character: in the book Huntoon is a weak and impotent man, in the series, on the other hand, he is a committed and respected southern politician - although not a hero like Orry and George.
Constance Flynn's father is a Texan lawyer in the submission and has nothing to do with the army. In the novel, Constance is described as red-haired and taller than George, while in the film she is blond and shorter than George.
Justin LaMotte, who is portrayed much more brutally in the film than in the novel, dies in a fight with Orry and not, as described in the book, of blood poisoning. Justin's brother Francis, Forbes' father, is not mentioned in the film.
In the books, Virgilia Hazard is not executed at the end of the second volume, as in the series, but also plays an important role in the third volume and, as the counterpart of Cooper Main, changes from radical to philanthropist, while it is the other way around with Cooper is. In the end, Virgilia even helps to save Mont Royal, which she once hated as a symbol of slavery. In the series George is imprisoned in Libby Prison , in the novel it is his brother Billy. In general, the change of generations in the book (from Orry and George to Billy and Charles, in volume three Charles is the sole main character) is not supported after the first volume in the series.
In the original, Orry Main is shot dead in the last quarter of the second volume by an injured Union soldier whom he wants to help. When the third volume was filmed, Main's death was caught up in the murder of Elkanah Bent. Orry's first wound in the series is on the leg; in the books he is also hit there and loses his left arm a little later. This wounding is formative for the development of the character in the further course of the novel. In the series, he is shot from his horse during the civil war. Virgilia saves him from death in her hospital and later helps him to escape. But he doesn't lose an arm. He also has no child with Madeleine, this was built into the series as a bearer of hope for the new Mont Royal. It is only mentioned that they are "working hard on it".
The characters Randall Gettys, a shopkeeper from near Charleston, and Desmond LaMotte, the last living relative of Justin and Forbes, are merged into the character Gettys LaMotte in the film. Since both characters are co-founders of the local Ku Klux Klan and have the same goals, this is understandable. In the film, the character is shot. In the novel, LaMotte is killed and eaten by an alligator, while Gettys is arrested and made a key witness.
In addition, the relationship between George Hazard and Madeleine Main, which is only just beginning in the book, is shown as already existing. George also takes the place of an Indian tracker in the film in the search for Charles Main's son, and the battle for Mont Royal between the Klan and the free blacks does not take place in this form; the Klan takes care of itself in the book through its literal stupidity Members who decimate themselves in multiple attacks on the plantation. In general, George is portrayed as active and eager to act, while in the book he retreats to Switzerland after the murder of his wife by Bent and becomes a drinker and thus cannot be present as a character, even if he is always up to date through letters and telegrams is or is held. Only after Bent's execution does he return to Lehigh Station. There he will work in the future to keep the main hazard clan together, which is not easy.
Stanley has twin sons in the original, but no children are mentioned in the series. He also does not go to prison, but divorces Isabel and shifts the blame for the illegal business (shoes instead of iron) on to her. It too is changing, but remains politically opaque.
In the book, slave overseer Salem Jones does not come back to Mont Royal, but joins the Northern Army (in revenge for his dismissal of M. R.) and deserted several times to collect the $ 300 registration bonus. After he was branded the third time, he set fire to the army camp in revenge, and it was suggested that he was shot while trying to escape. After that he is never mentioned again.
The freed slave Isaac, who is elected as a delegate by the Union Club (in the Union League version ) to great jubilation, is called Andy Sherman in the book and is critical of the club because of its methods (singing slogans, violence against those who think differently) remember slavery. Sherman is also not elected a delegate, but chooses it himself.
In the series, both Orry and George have the rank of general at the end of the war, in the original George, Billy and Charles all have the rank of major at the end, Orry is a colonel at the time of his death and is therefore one rank higher. All four reject the rank of general for various reasons, and George deliberately ruined his chances of advancement by telling the Secretary of War his opinion.
The three parts of the novel trilogy are all about the same length; approx. 1000 pages per volume depending on the print edition. Nevertheless, the film adaptation of the third part is only half as long (3 × 90 minutes) as the other two; so much more was cut here.
Broadcasting and audience ratings in Germany
Second German Television secured the first broadcast rights for the first two seasons for German television . Torches in the Storm gave ZDF a huge success when it was first broadcast in 1987. The first broadcast of episodes 3 to 6 reached values between 21.46 million and 23.89 million viewers. After the first broadcast, the series was repeated several times on television, sometimes as a 24-part series of 45 minutes each. After the first two seasons were repeated on Sat.1 , the third season was broadcast for the first time on this channel. A repetition on ZDF neo in December 2015 brought the special-interest broadcaster in the early evening program ratings of 0.3 million viewers. From August 1, 2019, all three seasons will be available on the Prime Video streaming service .
Awards
The first season of the series received an Emmy for best costumes as well as nominations in the categories of Best Hairstyling, Best Mask, Best Music, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound Editing.
David Carradine and Lesley-Anne Down were nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively , at the 1986 awards ceremony .
DVD implementation
All three seasons have now been released on DVD in Germany. It turned out that the series was slightly shortened for the German version. On the DVDs there is therefore the option to watch either the uncut original or the shortened German version. The differences in runtime vary from sequence to sequence. The first scene, for example, was cut right away: After the opening credits, the German version shows Orry's sisters finding a bird's nest. In the original, however, you first see the two girls happily strolling across the entire plantation and passing the hard-working slaves. In addition to short plot sections like these, the ZDF also shortened scenes of violence for the broadcast at that time due to time constraints, which is particularly noticeable in the jumping tone.
In addition, the picture format for the DVD was changed: at that time the film was shot in 4: 3 format, but the series appeared on DVD in 16: 9 format. This was achieved by cropping the image above and below. The third season, which was also released on DVD, however, has the 4: 3 format.
Web links
- North and South I (1985) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- North and South II (1986) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- North and South III (1994) in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Entry on Fernsehserien.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ Torches in the Storm - Filming Locations , accessed December 29, 2015.
- ↑ ZDF- 50 years in the quota check , accessed on December 30, 2015.
- ↑ Welt.de , accessed December 30, 2015.
- ↑ ZDFneo expands success , accessed December 30, 2015.
- ↑ Broadcasting streaming services. Retrieved July 27, 2019 .