Customer Reviews

The Thorn Birds

5 star:		(245)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Ok... first, I have to say that Tom Keogh, whose review sits above as the standard review for Amazon, needs to actually watch the movie. Opinion is one thing, but at least get the facts correct. Rachel Ward plays Meggie Cleary (not Meggie Carson) and Barbara Stanwyck plays her greedy, manipulative, devil-incarnate aunt.... not her grandmother. That aside...this still stands...for me at least, as the greatest mini-series ever! And, considering all the recent scandal surrounding the Catholic Church today, it is as relevant and thought provoking today as it was in 1983 when so many were incenced not only by the content and plot of the movie, but by its time of airing (holy week-the days leading up to Easter). The cast is perfection and makes an already engaging story about the inner battles of an ambitious Austrailan Priest (played by Richard Chamberlain who never looked more gorgeous)even more amazing. Not a single miscast here. The performances are phenomenal. This is a movie with that searing edge of forbidden love and the torment of unrequited love combined with a heavy dose of romance, great characters, manipulation, greed, and the progress of a family torn apart by various maladies. The chemistry between the all the characters is so apparent. It is a movie that makes you think and makes you cheer for something that is deliciously guilt-ridden. In case you couldn't tell... I love this movie!!!!!!! This is a guilty pleasure to the highest degree... like the most decadent Godiva chocolate if it could be made in the form of a film. Buy it...keep it... watch it over and over. Perfect for a girls only party or a rainy saturday afternoon. Get some snacks... sit back and know that 8 hours will seem to float by.

I first saw this mini series in 1983 when it first aired, I was 13! I watched each subsequent rerun and taped it. Even though I had it on tape I would always watch it again if it's on, like on the Love Stories channel.

In a word, "unforgettable". If you are into romance novels, this is the ultimate romance. Forget the sappy, brainless, shallow Harlequins, this is the real thing. If you are into romance but haven't read this book or seen the movie, you are missing out on something magical. Trust me, buy the book, rent the movie or buy it. You won't regret it.

You won't ever forget it.

The acting is first rate. I disagree with the previous reviewer about Rachel Ward, she does fine, in fact once you watch it you'll want these people to be real. You'll want to visit Drogheda! Barbara Stanwyck is amazing as the vindictive Mary Carson. The birthday party is one of many high points. Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Piper Laurie, Christopher Plummer, Mare Winningham, Earl Holliman, Richard Kiley, Jean Simmons, Bryan Brown are all excellent.

The story starts out in 1920's Australia and begins with Paddy Cleary and his family, including the very young Meggie Cleary (played by Sydney Penny of All My Children!) arriving at the Gilley Station, Father Ralph meets them and sees Meggie for the first time. I'll leave it at that. From there, you won't want to get up to go to the bathroom or get a snack until you have to change tapes.

This is, in my opinion, the best mini-series ever on TV by far. The impact of this story was so great that they made a second mini-series in 1996 to satisfy fans. This time, without any of the original actors except Richard Chamberlain. It's not horrible but doesn't have any of the magic of the original. Even with that, you'll want to see "The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years" after you've watched the original.

Disregard the two reviews by the "Aussie's". They are completely off base and misinformed. First, the movie was filmed in AUSTRALIA, not OREGON. I live in Oregon and no where in Oregon looks like that. I remember reading that it was indeed filmed in Australia. Second, the accents are fine. Third, no Aussie actors? Bryan Brown anyone?

The Thorn Birds is unforgettable. Take a rainy Saturday and watch it alone. The day will go by so fast, it will be dark when it ends and you won't have noticed but you'll have a big smile on your face and tears in your eyes at the end, if only because it is the end of the story.

Since I've already reviewed and bought both of these as separate items, I'm not gonna repeat anything about each show (see individual reviews for that). I will just rehash what I have all along. Despite its missing pieces from the book, the Original is still 5 star material. The "in betweener" is only worth it's value because it is a disc copy (as opposed to a tape copy). My advice, buy the Original separately, and read the book to get the "real missing years". If you are building a library of "ALL Richard Chamberlain", then buy both or this combo. But be prepared to be disappointed in what the alleged "Missing Years" has to offer (again see separate review). By the way for those who pay attention to cosmetic details, in most places that sell this combo, The Missing Years is in a thin case "attached" to the box of the original while the separate release is in a see through normal size case. The notes on both programs are the same as on the separate copies.

4.5 stars. There is really only one glaring flaw in this production, and it is that at the end of each section (there are 4 in all) there are snippets of foreshadowing taken from what will happen in the next section that are shown in montage form as a teaser to get the viewers to come back and watch. It made sense when showing it on television to try and sustain the viewers' interest in this way, but on DVD it was a little annoying to see major plot elements revealed before I saw them unfold in due time. I wish that someone would have edited these snippets out for the DVD release. However, that is my only gripe. The story, acting, immense production value, and the romance all combine to create a fine show. The sheer size of this production is impressive, but it is the characters that are eventually the most memorable aspect of the story. It wasn't until the end of the show that I realized I had formed an emotional connection to the characters that transcended the time in which this show was made. I was transported into their world, if only for a short while. It is certainly a journey worth taking. The price for this DVD package is excellent, as well. If you love epic romance stories then "The Thorn Birds" should be in your DVD collection.

For anyone who has suffered through the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune in love, this 1983 mini-series will touch their hearts like no other film or tv series ever made. The casting was perfect in every way to bring the story of the Australian Cleary family to life so vividly (Jean Simmons as the mother "Fee" won the Emmy Award that year; unfortunately Henry Mancini didn't for his gorgeous musical score, and he deserved to win!). While the main thrust of this story and film appears on the surface to be the love of a Roman Catholic priest for a young girl whom he sees grow into adulthood, the underlying, truly poignant aspect of this story is about the long-term affects of what happens to children when mothers love one child more than another. This theme is the real heart tugger here. Meggie is an afterthought to her mother Fee until the very end of the story (Frank is her favorite child, even though he is troubled, because Frank was the love child of an extra-marital affair), and later on when Meggie becomes a mother Dane is her favorite child (also a product of a clandestine love), and her daughter Justine is the afterthought. It is this basic lack of love that each child feels from his or her mother that determines the choices they make in life (i.e. Meggie choses to love someone who cannot commit to her, Justine choses to avoid love altogether and throw herself into acting to escape reality, Frank goes off and kills a man because he cannot deal with loving his mother too much, Ralph reveals his mother abandoned him early so he too inclines towards a non-committal type of love with Meggie and escapes through the church, etc.) The pattern develops early and continues throughout the lives of the Clearys. That is why, to me, the most profoundly moving scenes in this entire series are right near the end: 1) when the old Fee has to tell Meggie that her son Dane has died, and she caresses Meggie's face for the first time in both their lives, and 2) the scene in the stable barn, between Meggie and Justine, as they confront the truth: that Meggie does love Justine, but Dane WAS the favorite child, for reasons beyond Justine's control. In hugging Fee and crying in grief, and in resolving her differences with Justine, Meggie finally finds the peace she needs in life; she is then able to let go of Ralph when the inevitable takes him from her for good.

Richard Chamberlain never had a better role than that of Ralph de Bricassart. Rachel Ward is beautiful and alluring as Meggie. Richard Kiley has a quiet strength as Paddy and Jean Simmons is superb as his wife "Fee." Bryan Brown's is aggressive and memorable as Luke O'Neill, the archetypical Australian sheep man. The remaining cast members, including Christopher Plummer, Piper Laurie, Earl Holliman, and Mare Winningham are exemplary as they bring to life the pages of McCullough's best-selling novel.

However, the movie belongs to Barbara Stanwyck. Although the character of Mary Carson dies early in the production, the scenes in which Stanwyck appears are stunning in their execution. As a "woman of years" pining over the younger de Bricassart, Stanwyck's Carson has that would be her last great one. Her Emmy-winning performance is magnificent.

Not a miniseries before or since can match the total perfection of this one.

I absolutely cherish this film ( and to the younger viewers- dont be afraid- I was only 3 when it first aired ) Richard Chamberlin is haunting and beautiful. He embraced this role like nothing I have ever seen.
This story plays on emotions you never knew you had, and expresses beautifully how tragic love ( in its many forms ) can be. This is one of the best stories ever told, and I have never seen a movie capture the art of story telling so well. Henry Mancini's score is haunting and perfect and strikes the core of your heart. The scenes between Sydney Penny as young Meggie and Richard Chamberlin are precious, and those between Rachel Ward as a grown Meggie and Chamberlin are electric.
Richard Kiley is heartbreaking as Paddy, and B. Stanwyck is both chilling and tragic as the complicated Mary Carson.
You will feel for these characters, you will believe them and you will be haunted and touched by this epic story of love in its truest form.

I love this miniseries, and I saw it before I read the book. I think they are pretty different, though. For example, I loved Ralph's character in the movie and in the book, but I think he seems like a totally different person in each. In the book, Ralph is an arrogant, unscrupulous man who is a priest because he wants to BE God, not because he wants to be a good shepherd to his needy parishioners. His redeeming quality is his capacity to be so moved by a little girl, and to be so in love with one woman his whole life. He is wonderful with Meggie, but he is surprisingly insensitive to others. Richard Chamberlain portrays a much more holy, benevolent priest in the miniseries. When he accepts Mary Carson's new will, it is a little incongruous; doesn't seem to fit in with the movie Ralph's character as well as it does with the book Ralph's.

In the book, when Ralph seeks out Meggie on Matlock island, he surrenders to the ...passion unwillingly because it forces him to realize he's not God, he's only a man. In the movie, Ralph deliberately gets together with Meggie after his Cardinal friend tells him he has to decide between her and the church.

There are lots of other differences. To me, one of the most beautiful scenes in all of movie history is the Gigi-like scene when Meggie descends down the stairs of Drogheda at Mary Carson's party and Ralph is forced to see her as a woman for the first time. It is so poignant the way he gazes at her, trying to pretend he's talking to the people at the party, occasional glimpses of tragic frustration on his face. That scene isn't in the book. The musical score is painfully moving and adds another dimension to the miniseries. They're both wonderful, but different.

I was out of the country when this film premiered on television -- when I got home, my parents plunked me down in front of the television and said -- watch this -- and I did, without interruption (they had taped it of course). This movie is thoroughly compelling, and features outstanding performances by Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward (why do we not see more of her these days? ), Bryan Brown, Piper Laurie and of course the late great Barbara Stanwyk. The heady mix of Catholcism, ambition, and romance come to a head more than once in this cleverly crafted soap opera, and it makes for a real EXPERIENCE -- you go there with these characters and get lost in their world. If you love romantic melodramas with sweeping vistas and stories that age the characters you love and take them through the good and the bad, all the while underscoring their world with stunning photography, beautiful music and suspense to boot, you will fall in love with The Thorn Birds too.

This is definitely worth revisiting if you liked the series - or even read the book. It is a really solid story and has a strong cast.

For Australians the use of American accents in the reputed outback Australia is pretty jarring as it is much more 'ranch life in the US' to our perception. I gather the Aussie Government rules at the time made it difficult to film it here as it would have been done now. However if they had peopled it with the sort of extreme Aussie accent Bryan Brown uses in it I can understand the preference (we dont all talk like that and it can perplex many of us too!)The aging makeup was primitive at the time this series was made but the filming is generally acceptable in a modern viewpoint.

I think Barbara Stanwick gives a performance that is truly noteworthy. However it has to be said that this is Richard Chamberlain's series. He is just incredibly good and draws your attention whenever he is on the screen. His theatre background gives him a dimension that allows him to draw everything possible out of his lines and gestures and is a delight to watch. My estimation of him as an actor has risen yet again on revisiting and I intend re-exploring his other older stuff.

In the DVD recent interviews it is clear he is as radiant in real life as he is on screen - and joyful and generous to others as well.

I find from the interviews (that are included on the DVD as extras) the supreme irony that some of the best heterosexual love scenes ever played out on TV (as it still is on revisiting) were not only played by a gay star (as Richard has since come out as being) but by one who was working with an emotionally inhibited straight co-star. Co-star Rachel Ward talks of how 'embarrassing' love scenes are for her (and in the days when she wasnt required to take her clothes off!) yet Richard talks of the importance of the scene for his character and how he approached it with joy! The success of those scenes then flows almost entirely from Richard and remains a shining romantic moment in cinema history.

Apparently Jane Seymour was considered for Rachel's part. The way Rachel responds to questions about the series makes you wish they had gone with that choice - though Rachel was generally OK in that role. I doubt whether with Jane's professionalism she would have said she'd gone to the US to find a husband as the reason she'd taken the part as Rachel does! Perhaps that's partly Rachel's attempt at a 'blokey humour' that she seems to favour. There is none of the generosity towards Richard from her, or since husband Bryan Brown, that they received and this stinginess is notable by contrast.

This series has a much slower pace than we are now used to but it is worth savouring the journey. One patch in the novel and the series I even found slow at the time (in the canefield years) but the advantage of DVD is being able to jump or fast forward over the slower bits on revisiting if you wish!

In short - great story still, and watch it for Richard - a much underrated and too often overlooked actor.