Elizabeth Gaskell Collection (Wives & Daughters / Cranford / North & South) (7-DVD)

Elizabeth Gaskell's novels capture an England during the Industrial Revolution, where snobberies, gossip, and small-town values collide with the rapidly modernizing world. These film adaptations for the BBC capture all the nuance, romance, and deviousness of Gaskell's characters who have thrilled generations of readers. In CRANFORD, the local ladies rule the small town through their words uttered behind closed doors. But their world is about to be changed by more than just a handsome new stranger. NORTH AND SOUTH is a look at the contrast between rural life and that of a booming new mill town. And finally, WIVES AND DAUGHTERS takes the microscope to a well-heeled social circle filled with nobles, their wives, and the scandalous behavior that follows, as seen through the eyes of a 17-year-old girl whose father is about to take a new bride. This trip back in time reminds us that, though some things may change, there are plenty of human qualities--admirable and not--that are perennial.