The Thorn Birds (1983)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Absolutely brilliant

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

How did Rachel Ward have a career after this? She is plain awful. Especially amidst the company of so many outstanding performers and performances. Watching her try to be dramatic almost makes me laugh! Very dab casting. Think of the great ladies. Barbara Stanwyck,Piper Laurie, Jean Simmons. She reminds me often a deer in headlights. The men overwhelm her too. But I do love this series. First time I have seen it.I would surmise that these great old mini-series have been replaced by shows on HBO, Showtime, and the like. Perhaps too expensive for regular broadcast TV. Mores the pity. But by and large this was a truly great television experience.

Never been a fan of love stories, but this one I enjoyed a lot, on repeated viewings. The story is dripping with passion and repressed desires, Oedipal complexes, love, hate, anger, guilt, sacrifice… And of course, there's the eternal struggle between body and spirit, the search for truth and meaning, and its disastrous personal consequences. The series is well written, and the acting is very good, especially from the supporting cast. Unfortunately, Rachel Ward is obviously the weak link. In fact, one of her very first lines, a simple exclamation like "Oh, no!" sounds unbelievably false. In addition, she seems to have a speech impediment, a lisp, which is very grating. She sounds like Daffy Duck. Casting Ward for this role was one gigantic, inexcusable mistake.Nevertheless, the story is poignant, endlessly entertaining and "feels" real on many levels, no matter how outrageous it gets. The movie resorts to shameless manipulations, but it's the subtleties of fine acting and clever direction that elevate the melodrama and make it compelling. Art direction and editing are splendid! The story's twists and turns are plausible, and the characters' reactions are always reasonable - they remain believable to the very last minute, even if sometimes the dialogue gets overly dramatic (as in "exquisitely over- the-top"). Strong character development is one of the film's great achievements. Christopher Plummer is simply unforgettable in a key supporting role, as well as Jean Simmons and Barbara Stanwyck, who often steal the show from Chamberlain himself. The chemistry between all actors is palpable, and it's a rare delight to see all those energies cross-fire. Take for instance Ralph and Mary or Frank and his mother- their encounters are sizzling! "Star Trek" fans will be delighted to discover John "Q" De Lancie in a cameo.I was also very surprised to see that the "aging make-up" was excellent, in fact much better that what we see in movies today. The best part of "The Thorn Birds" is arguably the first episode, which includes, among other highlights, the legendary party scene. The last episode was a bit "overdone" in my opinion, more specifically the last 4 scenes or so contain too much unnecessary, explanatory dialogue, that undermines the power of those scenes. Less words would have been preferable. "The Thorn Birds" never gets old, it's a classic for a reason. Die-hard romantics will cherish it, while cynics will enjoy it too for its heavy theatrics and great old-school entertainment value. It's a spectacular three-hankie like no other.A WARNING for those who watch the DVD: there's a completely unnecessary "preview" at the beginning of each episode, where they show the outline of the entire film. It contains many spoilers and will ruin the whole experience for you. Movie trailers were lame back then, but these ones are galactically stupid. So make sure to skip that extra-footage!

I love this mini-series because it was beautifully true to Colleen McCullough's creation. It is such a rich and complex tale because it spans over such a long time period, but they did it wonderfully in this adaptation. I loved to hate Meggie at times, as I did in the book, and I also wanted her to finally be with Ralph. But what really impressed me was the way in which they took such a poetic book and lost none of that when they put it on the screen. The casting was absolutely amazing, from the sensitive and torn manner in which Richard Chamberlain portrayed Ralph, and although he didn't have the colouring that Ralph had in the book, I couldn't imagine any other actor playing this character. To Rachel Ward, who brings the passionate and obsessive Meggie to life with such poise and lovliness, how I mourned with her and hated her at the same time, for the way in which her selfish and strong nature cripples Ralph. But I admired her ability to love. I will always adore this mini series, that proved that love, even denied, can bloom into the most precious treasure two individuals can own.

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.