MovieChat Forums > Heaven & Hell: North & South, Book III (1994) Discussion > What if Patrick Swayze was back in Book ...

What if Patrick Swayze was back in Book III ?

posted 10 years ago by salchoff
5 replies | jump to latest

Have you ever wondered what would be Book III show like if Patrick Swayze agreed to come back ? I can remember reading that the creators wanted him to. It would be difficult to base the show on the novel and still have him back but not impossible.

Maybe Bent would have murdered Constance (which I hate but it's in the book) while George was in Carolina near the end of Book II show. And Orry, having learnt of it, would leave Madelaine and the Baby with Brett and Billy and maybe Charles, and go to Lehigh to comfort George. There they would have learnt of Bent kidnapping Gus and follow Charles (who would have gone first) in searches.
Rest could have been more or less the same, with turning apperaring of nowhere Cooper into Justin's relative or so.

What are your ideas ?

[–] rikajessie 10 years ago

I just feel like the movies should have followed the books and let Orry die, as sad as it was. Maybe Jakes made a mistake killing the character of Orry, but, it's what he wrote and they should have stuck with it. I assume they didn't know he was going to write a 3rd book, so tey didn't want to end their movies on a depressing note, so I get what their line of thinking was.

But I don't think Orry would have fit with the plot of Book 3 so I am not disappointed that they didn't try to work him in.

Of course Swayze's presence would have probably increased the movie's popularity though.

[–] salchoff 10 years ago

I know the books and that Orry was killed at the war.
By the time the 2nd show was made, Book III hadn't been written yet, so I agree that's why they must have made so many changes. But liked at least some of them, especially the one of not killing Orry.

[–] rikajessie 10 years ago

I liked that he lived too, honestly I think Jakes never should have killed off Orry, I probably preferred him to George and Charles.

So I have mixed feelings on what the success of the movie would have been had they left Orry in. Sure, Orry/Swayze fans would have been happy, but then the story would have had to be changed, and book purists wouldn't be happy, and I'm not sure if I think the story would have flowed right had they had to make major changes.

[–] salchoff 10 years ago

And I liked the most George. Orry was a little too touchy and self-pitting. When he and George argued it was alway George who apologized.

But I liked Orry a lot as well. I actually "fell in love" with Patrick after N&S ! And he has remaind my favourite actor until today. I wish James Read did more significant roles in significant movies/series.

And I enjoyed Charles. Lewis Smith was really good as him. I wish he had returned in Book III. Kyle Chandler wasn't half as good.

Out of the four, Billy was the poorest character, the least characteristic. He just was there.

[–] rikajessie 10 years ago

I think Swayze said that Orry was too self-pitying, something like that, in an old T.V. Guide.

I liked Patrick after seeing him in Dirty Dancing and Ghost. I liked him all right in this, but I can't say Orry was a standout in the movies to me, I personally liked George in the t.v. series because I guess I found James Read pretty handsome. I even invented my own N&S character of a girl that was in love with George before he met Constance. When I look at him now, I think yeah, I can see why I'd have made my character fall in love with him, lol.

But in the book I preferred Orry.

I think Lewis was a better Charles too, and I think that's part of why people didn't like the third movie as much. Smith has the correct coloring and height for Charles, although I do think Chandler has a handsomer face.

I agree about Billy, he really doesn't do anything for me. He feels much like a plot device to create a love triangle between two sisters. I personally liked Forbes in the book much better, and wish Brett had chosen him. If I'm remembering correctly, Forbes never cheated on Brett in the book, he didn't sleep with Ashton until after Brett hooked up with Billy. I know he definitely preferred Brett to Ashton in the book, unlike in the movie where it kind of looks like he threw Brett over for Ashton.