Product Details

• Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Peter Gilmore, Simon MacCorkindale, Kate Mulgrew, Linda Purl
• Producers: Billy Ray Smith, Roger Gimbel, Stanley Kallis, Tony Converse
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount Home Video
• VHS Release Date: October 1, 1990
• Run Time: 290 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303425623
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #330,216 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From the tragedy of Ireland's famine of 1845 to the tumult of Reconstruction in the aftermath of the Civil War. The Manions of America tells the epic-scaled story of a nation's extraordinary growth, witnessed through the eyes of two immigrant families. Copyright 1981 EMI Television Programs, INC. Color, 2, 290 minute tapes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, Romantic and Interesting Historically, April 23, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Manions of America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This story of the Manion family, led by Rory Manion(formerly O'Manion), is an interesting and pretty accurate depiction of the trials and triumphs of the Irish immigrants driven out of Ireland by the Great Famine of the mid-1840's and "washed up" on the shores of America. This was the first time I ever saw Pierce Brosnan (who plays Rory O'Manion)and it seemed very likely that he was going on to bigger and better things because he was the perfect romantic Irish rebel. The saga of how he meets and falls in love with the daughter of the local British landlord (Kate Mulgrew) brings into play a great deal of the history of the Irish struggle for independence from the time of the Young Irelanders through the years of immigration, the American Civil War (and the Irish Brigade) and the discrimination against the Irish when they first came to America. The subplot involving Rory's sister (Linda Perl) and her suitors is less involving but overall the movie captures a great deal of the turbulence of that era and introduces us to the young, and very sexy, Brosnan. My biggest complaint is with the darkness of the tape--I've seen it on video and on TV and it is always quite dark--apparently not just a defective individual tape.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Manions of American.....a Classic!, November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Manions of America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Came upon this series on the Romance Channel quite by accident. Missed about 1 hour of the first part of the series. I was completely caught up in it within minutes. I've always admired the work of Kate Mulgrew. In spite of most of the scenes being very dark....could have been the quality of the cable transmission...the production was absolutely spell-binding.

By in large, it was a marvelous treatment of a part of history not often covered....the reason the Irish left Ireland and their struggles in America.

The cast was stupendous. Lina Purl is a delight.

I would recommend this video to any American History buffs.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving Tale of The Irish Fight for Their Way of Life, December 4, 2003

By 

K. Burkholder (Oregon USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Manions of America [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is the story of Rory O'Manion (Pierce Brosnan) from young adult hood and his fight against the oppressive English in Ireland. From the potato famine and loss of his mother, to his love for the English landlord's daughter Rachel (Kate Mulgrew: of Star Trek Voyager),and subsequent flight to the shores of America. From poor to rich in America, but still longing for the freedom for his beloved Ireland. Also starring Linda Purl (The Exorcist), Nicholas Hammond (Sound of Music, Spiderman), David Soul (Starsky & Hutch), and Simon MacCorkindale. Very moving, interesting to watch Pierce Brosnan in the early days of his career.