Yes, the train is about to depart, a new era has arrived. Although the train must follow the paved tracks, it must take the passengers to the vast unknown land.
In this era, the idyllic scenery is still quiet and moving, but another world, other groups are also rapidly rising: industrial workers, factory owners, bankers, and they are becoming the force that pushes Britain to the top.
The heroine Margeret Hale came from the countryside of southern England to the emerging industrial city of Milton in the north under this background. The series spares no effort to use various means to render the difference between the north and the south, with warm tones in the south and cold tones in the north; soft strings in the south, and grand orchestral concertos in the north. It is represented by the scene when Margaret first came to the factory floor. She opened the door and was immediately stunned by everything in front of her: neat machines, an endless workshop, fluffy cotton wool falling like snowflakes, and busy workers. At this time, the factory owner Thornton (played by Richard Armitage) walked up the steps, stood up straight, and looked around with eagle-like eyes. The background sound of this scene is composed of noisy human and machine voices and a grand orchestral concerto, which clearly and vividly depicts a prosperous era mixed with endless misery.
This is the way the series is, trying to portray the social contradictions at that time in an objective manner. As can be seen in the second episode, the strike is actually a process in which both labor and management are struggling. Workers struggling on the poverty line want higher wages, but factories face rising costs and competition from cheaper American goods. The result of the strike was that the main leaders were fired from the factory, and the rest still had to go back to work. In this process, both employers and employees constantly adjust their strategies and demands, all the time—until today.
In the context of such a rapidly changing society, Margaret and Thornton met. This is not an afternoon tea-style love story. In the words of a report, a love story at climate.
Margaret is very important to her For the times we live in, especially in the South, it seems to be too advanced. She has her own ideas in everything. Although this makes her fall into subjective assumptions a lot, she can always maintain herself and face the difficulties in life independently, make her own judgments, and correct her wrong views in time. She inherited her father's conscience as a priest and maintained an equal friendship with the poorest workers at the bottom.
Thornton is almost a perfect person. The downfall of his family made him have to give up his studies to become an apprentice. The experience of starting from scratch made him resolute and fair, and he was strict with others because he could first be strict with himself. He has an extraordinary vision. Among the factory owners in Milton, he was the first to install hair dryers that can reduce the pollution of workers' lungs. Later, he provided workers with a place as a canteen to ensure that workers could eat meat every day; he even cooperated with Higgins, the worker leader who brought him huge losses, became a friend and accepted his opinion humbly. It has to be said that Thornton was simply a factory owner who Mrs Gaskell had created as an ideal image.
The love line between the two runs through the play from beginning to end. Thornton fell in love with Margaret at first sight, even if he misunderstood that she had a secret lover. At first, Margaret thought Thornton was just a businessman full of business. Indeed, when he first saw him beating up an unarmed worker, no one was in the mood to go crazy. As if she first came to Milton thinking it was a place abandoned by the gods. But gradually, she understood his growth process and his true character, and the bad feeling gradually disappeared. After the midnight train station incident, the opinion between her and him completely fell apart, and he convinced her southern pride and prejudice with the nobility of a real gentleman. After returning to the south again, she found that she could no longer adapt to the society she once desperately wanted to return to. The hypocrisy and lazy life between people here made her see clearly: she could no longer leave the north. , there is rough but full of vitality, where the poor are hungry but sincere and tenacious, where there is a person who does not say any sweet words but will unswervingly and silently use actions to protect her and all the responsibilities that belong to him.
Eventually, in a small train station between the South and the North, Margaret met Thornton again. The scene begins with a series of arpeggios and ends with soft strings, which is very moving. The first is a series of simple and beautiful arpeggios. Margaret's eyes are focused on the opposite train, and the tired Thornton opens the door. At this time, Thornton's misunderstanding about her has been completely resolved, and she has traveled thousands of miles just to pursue the beautiful woman's trace. Thornton's face was tired but warm, corresponding to Margaret's crampedness and panic. The scene of kissing hands is really touching. This series of orphaned girls who lost their three most important relatives gained their own happiness, and this man who was abused beyond measure finally had a happy ending.
The London train is about to depart! But she had to take the train in the exact opposite direction and go home with him.
In addition to the two protagonists, many supporting roles in the series are also very full, and it can be said that none of the characters are flat. These excellent performances also work together to support this epic series.
By the way, I recommend a series of Mrs. Gaskell's drama series produced by the BBC, "Wives and Daughters", "Cranford", etc., which are excellent works to understand the changes of British society in the era of the Industrial Revolution, especially "Cranford" is simply a gathering of the best old British actors.
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