The Thorn Birds 2 - The Missing Years
by Kevin James Dobson
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Amanda Donohoe, Ingrid Mason, Olivia Burnette, Richard Chamberlain, Todd SchulbergDirector: Kevin James Dobson
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 179 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-06-07
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Warner Home Video
Movie Reviews of The Thorn Birds 2 - The Missing Years
Movie Review: "We've All Done Things We Regret" ~ One Thorn Too Many
Summary: 1 Stars
One extremely important detail one should notice before watching `The Thorn Birds 2 - The Missing Years' ('96) is that Richard Chamberlain is the only member of the original Thorn Birds cast to return for this re-visioning of the classic mini-series from '83.That one simple fact says volumes about what lies ahead for the unfortunate viewer. No matter how much one may like Richard Chamberlain this is not a one-man-show and the supporting cast of fill-ins do little to make this one believable or acceptable.
Touted as an "in-betweener" rather than a sequel, the storyline looks backward to explore events left out of the first mini-series. New situations and encounters between the two forlorn lovers are concocted and the plot strives to add depth and meaning to the film by presenting earlier events intentionally designed to serve as foreshadows of what took place in the '83 production. Their ploy is unsuccessful and comes across as pretentious rather than thought provoking.
If you really love the original you're better off not watching this one, it offers nothing to help you further appreciate this classic love story between Father Ralph de Bricassart and Meggie Cleary. `The Thorn Birds 2 - The Missing Years' simply doesn't work on any level I can perceive. However having offered my warning, I know you're going to watch it anyway.
Summary of The Thorn Birds 2 - The Missing Years
What happened to Father Ralph de Bricassart and Meggie Cleary O'Neill during the mystery years not covered in the original 1983 smash-hit miniseries? Now every fan can be in the know. "The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years" provides the spellbinding answer. The time is World War II. De Bricassart heroically rescues refugees in Rome, then is sent by the Vatican to the sprawling Australian sheep ranch he though he had left behind forever. There, a fateful reunion with Meggie leads to new temptations and a profound crisis: Meggie may lose custody of the beloved son concieved during the season of forbidden love she shared years earlier with de Bricassart.The phenomenally popular The Thorn Birds was one of TV's hardest acts to follow, so it's a surprise that The Missing Years turned out as well as it did. Produced 13 years after the original 1983 miniseries, this is not a sequel but an "in-betweener," filling part of the 19-year gap in The Thorn Birds and beginning in war-torn Rome in 1942, where Father Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain) is struggling to rescue Italian refugees after the latest wave of bombing. He is sent back to Australia to investigate the potential for refugee relocation there, and is reunited with his former lover Meggie Cleary (now played by Amanda Donohoe, replacing Rachel Ward), whose beloved farm Drogheda is in the grip of a two-year drought. Their still-powerful love must remain unspoken, however, because Meggie has reconciled with her estranged husband Luke (Simon Westaway, assuming Bryan Brown's role), and is about to be engaged in a heated custody battle for her son Dane, whose father is actually (and secretly) Father Ralph.
These family secrets, and the turbulent emotions of Meggie's teenaged daughter Justine, create enough familial tension to fill The Missing Years with the kind of ripe, involving melodrama that fueled the original miniseries. Accepted on its own merits, this is a respectable, above-average TV production, bolstered by the fine performances of Chamberlian and especially Donohoe, who intelligently plays Meggie with warmth, inner torment, and plucky tenacity, making the role fully her own. The sweeping wall-to-wall score is excessively manipulative in its attempt to elevate The Missing Years to Gone with the Wind proportions, and some viewers may question the integrity of a plot (bearing no relation to Colleen McCullough's bestselling novel) that forces a noble priest to solve his dilemma with a vengeful fistfight. Still, this is an eminently watchable TV romance that can stand on its own, without the long shadow of its much-beloved predecessor. --Jeff Shannon
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