The Thorn Birds (1983)

Memorable, crazy movie

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

In my house, The Thornbirds is a go-to classic. I don't know if it is in yours, but if it isn't, rent it during a long weekend and it soon will be.This sprawling epic takes place in Australia, focusing on one family's generational journey, the Clearys. Headed by Richard Kiley and Jean Simmons, the Clearys struggle with their sons and daughter as they run the family ranch with Barbara Stanwyck. As a little girl, the daughter Meggie develops a crush on Father Ralph, who is kind to her and her family. While the main storyline of the epic miniseries is the relationship between Father Ralph and Meggie when she grows up, there's so much more to this wonderful drama than a forbidden romance. Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward play the starcrossed lovers, and after watching The Thorn Birds, it'll be hard to see either of them in anything else. They are Meggie and Father Ralph.This was an enormously successful miniseries, and for good reason. With a huge cast, including Bryan Brown, Piper Laurie, Christopher Plummer, Ken Howard, Mare Winningham, and Earl Holliman, a memorable theme, and a story full of romance, heartbreaking family relationships, religious conflicts, and the drama of finding and forgiving yourself, it's no wonder it won four Golden Globes (with four additional nominations) and six Emmys (with ten additional nominations). I could praise each actor's individual performance, but this review would turn into an essay. But if you're a Jean Simmons fan, she gives the best performance of her career in this miniseries. And if you loved Barbara Stanwyck in her youth, you'll be very touched to see her still feisty at 76 years old, reaching out to the audience and reminding them that there's still a young woman inside of her. Christopher Plummer makes for a very believable Archbishop, and Bryan Brown was so charming, he married his costar Rachel Ward! The Thorn Birds gets its title from the legend of the particular bird. The birds pursue a beautiful rose, knowing there is a deadly thorn attached. They love the rose so much, they can't stand to be apart from it, and they end up impaled upon the thorn. Every character in this decades-long miniseries has a compelling love, one that isn't healthy and practically kills them just by loving it. The love can be a partner, a child, or even God. I won't spoil the plot, but it's a very emotional, tragic story. You'll fall in love, and you'll shake with sobs. If you don't go through an entire box of Kleenex, you need to take some time to find your heart. Then watch it again.

I couldn't help thinking of playwright Lillian Hellman as I began watching this tale of an OLD matriarchal figure in love with a hunk of a young priest, a young priest with a crush on a young girl (and vice-versa), a father who had a negative relationship with his wife's son, and a son who hated his father for making his post-40s mother pregnant. Then a husband who doesn't really love his wife; babies that are wanted or unwanted. Etc. And therein lies the problem -- for me -- with this film. I couldn't find a single major character to root for. All were badly flawed people.I remember watching this when it was on TV back in 1983, and it was nice watching it again, although frankly it isn't as good as I remember it being...although it is still better than most of what's on television nowadays. It's a great example of how mini-series can tell stories that could never really fit into a 2 hour movie.Richard Chamberlain was...as usual...magnificent here. Rather perfect for the part. On the other hand, I was not impressed with Rachel Ward. She was...adequate; and ironically seemed better in the later years of the saga. Perhaps the standout performance was that of Jean Simmons. It got me thinking that while Simmons was never a flashy actress, time after time, in film after film, she turned in solid performances. Certainly one of America's most underrated actresses. She did win an Emmy for this performance.I did have a little problem with Barbara Stanwyck's performance. Oh, good acting, and over the years an actress I always enjoyed. But at age 76, what I usually think of as false-teeth lisp (although it may be caused by other health factors) was a bit distracting. Nevertheless, good to see her here, a full 14 years after here television series ("The Big Valley") ended.Back in 1983, this was my introduction to Bryan Brown. I remember being impressed with him, although there were few endeavors of his after this miniseries that impressed me. I was a bit disappointed in the performance of Richard Kiley. I guess maybe I was too used to seeing him more a college professor type role, and I didn't enjoy his depiction as a rough Irish farmer.It's always a pleasure to see Christopher Plummer, and no less so here as a Catholic prelate. While this is not his best role, he added to the quality of the production.In terms of the younger actors in the drama, none went on to bigger stardom, with the exception of Mare Winningham.The production quality seemed somewhat low to me, and certainly care was not taken in some of the outdoor photography.If you haven't seen it and you like sudsy melodrama, this is a good miniseries, and in seemed like the later "chapters" were done better than the early ones.

One of the best TV mini series ever made.Father Ralph(Richard Chamberlin)arrives in Australia and becomes the local priest in a small town.He meets the wealthy Mary Carson(Barbara Stanwyck)who falls in love with him,when he does not return her feelings she spends the rest of her life trying to destroy him(she only succeeds from beyond the grave).Ralph falls in love with Meggie Cleary(Rachel Ward)who he has known since she was a child.The series follows their relationship throughout the years and shows Meggie's pain as she loses Ralph to the church. As Meggie tries to cope with her situation Ralph becomes the assistant to a Cardinal called Vittorio(Christopher Plummer)who becomes a father figure to Ralph and makes it his mission to try and find out why Ralph is so unhappy despite his hard work and dedication to the church. Featuring a star studded cast including Jean Simmons and Christopher Plummer with some beautiful locations this is a well made series made with a great deal of care and effort this is well worth watching.Well worth buying on DVD.

The Thorn Birds mini-series is an honest-to-goodness adaptation by Carmen Culver of a classic novel by Colleen McCullough. It is sad to note that people who have read the book tend to compare it with the movie. I myself have read the book, and I can say that Ms Culver couldn't have done it better. The thing is, comparing a classic novel to an adaptation, no matter how brilliant it was done, just doesn't add up - a novelist versus a screenwriter is a no contest. Why not see the movie, judge it according to it's merits, and find out for yourself why it was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards and won 6, including Best mini-series made for TV.The Thorn Birds is one of the best things that happened to television in the 80's. It is a timeless classic that was as heartwarming then as it is now, 23 years later.This is one of the best, if not the best, love story of all time.