Actually, in the original novels on which the miniseries were based, Orry died toward the end of Book II, before the Civil War ended. He is shot by a deserter while at the Petersburg lines, and much of the latter half of "Love and War" (the book title of the second part of the North and South trilogy) is spent detailing how everyone finds out about Orry's death, and how they deal with it.
However, the producers of the miniseries were so happy with Swayze's performance as Orry that they decided that he shouldn't share book-Orry's fate. Thus it is that in the TV version, Orry survives and is happily reunited with George after spending what looks like about fifteen minutes inside a Yankee prison.
Unfortunately, by the time Wolper got around to filming Book III, Patrick Swayze was a huge star and unavailable to participate. What to do, since Orry was still alive and kicking at the end of Book II? No problem - some stock footage was dug up of Swayze walking across a room, stunt doubles were brought in, and that's how Bent rather randomly shoots Orry Main to death at the beginning of Book III.
That's also why I won't even watch the dreck that is Book III. It's bad enough Wolper departed so radically from Book II by having Orry live, but to just blow him away at the beginning of Book III because Swayze wasn't available was a huge insult to the character, and to N&S fans.
Even worse was the throwaway scene just after, where George - who's been best friends with Orry since they were both teenagers, mind you - utters one half-hearted "I just can't believe he's gone"...and that's the end of it. A few scenes later Constance is dead (that at least is book canon, although I hated Jakes for doing that) and George gets busy wooing Madeline before Constance's corpse is cold.
Actually, all of Book III, both book and movie, really suck bad, but the offhand murder of Orry is the worst transgression of the lot.
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Geechee
14 years ago
I agree. Book III was awful. As much as I loved the first two, I hated the third. It was so disjointed and just awful.
"If I don't suit chu, you kin cut mah thoat!"
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Antosha_Snape
14 years ago
Actually, I was pretty satisfied with Orry's fate in Book II. Hated it, but understood it.
But I was also happy to have the version where he lives with a child and Madeline. There's the real version, which makes sense, and the movie/fan version (because who really wants Orry to die??!) which satisfies my inner romantic. I've never seen the third part of the miniseries, even though I own the box set. Never want to see it.
"Any idiot can face a crisis. It's the day-to-day living that wears you out."
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ladylotuske
13 years ago
I did watch it and I regretted it very much, it was simply awful. The first two parts were brilliant though! Never stopped loving them.
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