The Thorn Birds
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Movie Reviews of The Thorn Birds
Movie Review: One of the great ones. An epic tale of love and betrayal.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Thorn Birds is truly one of the epic miniseries, ranking at the top with Shogun (which also starred Richard Chamberlain, who reigns as the King of the Miniseries). The story closely follows the story set forth in Colleen McCullough's bestselling novel, and is a very faithful rendition of the novel.
This is a great and epic story set in Australia, from about 1925 through the 1960s and is the story of one Australian family, the Clearys, living in the outback in New South Wales. Richard Chamberlain stars as Father (later Cardinal) Ralph de Bricassart, a Catholic priest who initially has been "exhiled" from Rome to Australia for disagreeing with a Bishop about Church doctrine. This is really the story of a forbidden and impossible love between Father Ralph and Meghann Cleary (Rachael Ward, who presents a great performance) the young daughter of the Cleary clan. Father Ralph refuses to allow this love, which is the great love of his life, to stand in the way of his advancement in the Church heirarchy, which is the consuming goal of his life, and which, of course, is utterly incompatible with his love for Meghann. This is a great story of forbidden love, ambition and betrayal. Incidentally, Christopher Plummer puts in a very fine performance as Archbishop Vittorio Conini-Verchese, who is a power within the Catholic Church who mentors Father Ralph. The chemistry between these two is excellent, and was one of my favorite parts of the film.
Barbara Stanwyck turns in a wonderful performance as the evil Mary Carson, who is the first to detect the love between Ralph and Meghann, and who diabolically (and succesfully) schemes to frustrate it by arranging for Father Ralph to essentially betray the Clearys to further his own ambition. Richard Kiley (Paddy Cleary), Jean Simmons, Ken Howard, Bryan Brown, and the rest of the supporting cast all turn in very fine performances and more to the point, really seem to understand and reproduce the characters from the novel. Bryan Brown, in particular, absolutely becomes Luke O'Neill, one of the more important characters in the story, and the chemistry between him and Rachel Ward is superb, for perhaps the very good reason that they later became married in real life.
This is a complicated story that nevertheless hangs together very well, and succeeds in its goal: to entertain. Unlike some miniseries, this one has few if any draggy interludes or long pointless segments that is the downfall of some attempts at miniseries. The plot moves along nicely from beginning to end, and pretty much every segment of the plot contributes towards the ultimate culmination of the story. More would be telling.
This is one of those films to which the musical score makes a major contribution. The musical score is just perfect, and really helps set the tone for the various parts of the story.
The DVD is technically pretty good. Unforgivably, the DVD does omit some scenes; I'm not really sure how much. But this is disappointing, because the strength of the DVD medium is that it should not be necessary for this to be done.
This is one that most viewers will enjoy many times over the years, as I have.
Movie Review: True Passion Born From Fiction
Summary: 5 Stars
"The best is bought only at the cost of great pain" says the Reverend Ralph De Bricassart in such a moving film. Never has any actor impressed me into believing his true passion and understanding for his character. When viewing Richard Chamberlain as Ralph, one never feels that he was playing a role, or "acting". He truly was Ralph De Bicassart, and I truly feel only he could be. I definitely congradulate Colleen McCullough for writing such a simple character, with such a complex existence, yet is able to keep his undying love for God and his overwhelming love for Meggie. Meggie and Ralph are definitely motifs to eachother. Both from faultering families whose mother ignored their being, and dismissed their love. Which explains partly, I think, their understanding and deep compassion for eachother. And, what a fight Ralph puts up for his faith. Always a struggle between his heart and mind; both fighting to overcome the other, and to live together in existence. Every character has meaning in "The Thorn Birds", just as every minute of the story has its significance. This is not a story renouncing the papacy, and what its priests stand for, but how love always prevails; whether it be for God or for His creatures. People may call Ralph a pedophile, while I say a strong NO to that statement. Ralph's love for Meggie as a child was just what she was to him, like his own child. He saw her that way for years, which is his "excuse" to stay away from her, for his heart needed her. He had to see her as a child to shun her love from him, but his heart was stronger than his mind for it gives way to her beauty, love, and devotion to him for so many years. Crisis can never tear them apart time after time, for their love is like the wind; has always been there, will always be there, and cannot be told to stop. "The Thorn Birds" is not only a tender account of endless wanting and growing affection to last the decades, but almost an on-screen history of the Church, family, hate, beauty, and love through the eyes of flawlessly written charcters who are revealed seamless and emotionally ideal through the gift of true performance. Long live great theatre like "The Thorn Birds:, for it is our true expression of emotion. May we all learn what love can overcome, and how much it can give.
Movie Review: In Defense of Rachel Ward
Summary: 5 Stars
Although most agree that this was a gripping storyline and a classic miniseries, there were some people that criticized Rachel Ward. I would like to point out the following:
1) She was extraordinarily beautiful, hard to look away from when she was on-screen. It was plausible that a priest or any other man would be drawn to her. I can't imagine a better-cast Meggie than Rachel Ward.
2) Ward did a remarkable job of portraying convincing love scenes with a gay actor (Richard Chamberlain). I do not know if the cast was aware of his proclivity. If nothing else, Ward's gaydar may have signaled her to the truth of Chamberlain's orientation. Both actors deserve credit for pulling this off.
3) The reality on the set was that Ward had found her "masculine counterpart" in Bryan Brown. They would marry, raise a family, and see one of their daughters act on screen. Kudos to Ward for convincing the camera (and everyone else) that Richard Chamberlain was the love of her life.
4) Unforgettable goodbye scene #1: Meggie parting ways with Ralph on Matlock Island. I admit I was rather young when I first saw this, but I felt terribly torn and grieved watching this scene. The only comparably wrenching scene that comes to mind is Debra Winger saying goodbye to her kids in Terms of Endearment.
5) Unforgettable goodbye scene #2: the riveting portrayal of Meggie telling Luke their marriage was over. She was a commanding presence, lancing Luke's ego with surgical precision. Don't feel badly for him. He had it coming.
6) Ward was a former model with limited acting experience at this point in her career. That she could pull off items 2 - 5 so beautifully was remarkable. Item number one just added icing to the cake.
Thank you Rachel Ward for a once in a lifetime portrayal. All the better that you met your true man (Bryan Brown) on the set.
Movie Review: The Thorn Birds: For You Teens and Twenty-Somethings Too!
Summary: 5 Stars
Are you a college kid or under the age of thirty, like me? If so, let me tell you a little about how this wonderful miniseries has gotten me hooked! I was only one when it came out on ABC over Holy Week 1983. I had some free time over this Summer of 2003, and watched this miniseries in its entirety. At first, before the experience, I did not know what to think. Afterward, I was hooked and bought the whole VHS box set to add to my unique movie collection.When I came back to school, (a Catholic school mind you) and brought my tapes back, all my friends watched and now everyone of them is in line to get the DVD this Tuesday (Feb 3rd, 2004), including me. I want it for the special interviews with the cast. Like Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward, who are married for 20 years and have three kids. They met on the set and fell in love. Since both of their acting careers are not what they used to be, it will be awesome to see their viewpoints on the show almost twenty-one years after the fact.
Passion, sex, drama and suspense. You'll find it all here. Watch the passion build until the third part where Meggie's and Father Ralph's relationship is consummated. Watch the tragedy and the ectasy they go through. Trust me Gen Y'ers, this will top any Dawson's Creek, 90210, or the O.C. that you've ever seen. Our parents made this the second-rated all time miniseries ever. Find out the reason why.
Heck,..., how can you go wrong?
Movie Review: The Thorn Birds - excellent mini-series
Summary: 5 Stars
Over the years, The Thorn Birds has remained my favorite mini-series because of its content, cast, acting, and the musical score by Henry Mancini. I am pleased to now own the DVD which has remained remarkably popular over the years. There is another simple reason why I have always loved this mini-series. When the program first aired on television in March 1983, it was television that was able to lift the spirits of my mother who had been battling breast cancer for one year and was in the last weeks of her life. She watched the mini-series while in the hospital and passed away two months later. The Thorn Birds is a mini-series that resonates with most Roman Catholics because of its thought provoking insights of the Catholic faith and has a pleasant story line of a loving and hard working family. I think of my mom each time I watch it. It was the only television program that was able to make her smile during that time, and she and my father were devout Catholics. Richard Chamberlain, Sydney Penny, Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown, Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, Barbara Stanwyck, and Christopher Plummer and many others made a brilliant cast. The Thorn Birds is a classic that will always be my favorite mini-series. Something else about this cast is that both Jean Simmons and Richard Kiley during the 1990s were the narrator voices behind "Mysteries of the Bible" that aired on A&E. This mini-series is a true classic.