The Thorn Birds (1983)
Facts
 
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| Directed by | Daryl Duke |
| Cast | Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Jean Simmons, Philip Anglim, Bryan Brown, Dwier Brown, Brett Cullen, Stephanie Faracy, John Friedrich, Earl Holliman, Ken Howard, Richard Kiley, Piper Laurie, Allyn Ann McLerie, Sydney Penny, Richard Venture and Mare Winningham |
| Theatrical Release | March 27, 1983 |
| DVD Release | February 3, 2004 |
| Running Time | 487 minutes |
| MPAA Rating | NR (Not Rated) |
| UPC Code | 085393162429 |
| Buy this item | $23.99 at Amazon.com As of May 11 2:30 EDT (details) 2 DVD, Warner Home Video, Usually ships in 24 hours, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Dolby, Miniseries, NTSC Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language - Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) Or 34 new from $22.96, 8 used from $19.99 |
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User Reviews
Average user review:
(172 reviews)
Those female stars - mmmmmm:-)))Back in 1984 I was 16 and this miniseries was the new "Gone With The Wind" all over the world. Even then I was speechless by the magnificent performance of Jean Simmons as Fee....
Seeing it again now, I must say that this is a glossy soap opera and some lines have dated badly. Back in 1983 I felt the same....
But now I feel a disturbance over the relationship father Ralph has with young Meggie("Why do you fill the gap God can`t fill???").... Stories of frolecking catholic priests comes to mind and the "friendship" is to me on the unhealthy side...
Rachel Ward is visually stunning and right for the role of Meggie, but her vocaltraining leaves someting to be desired. She should have taken vocal lessons; her voice is much too often flat and colorless....
The women are the stars of this miniseries; Barbara Stanwyck freezes my blood when she confronts her lust for Father Ralph, Jean is good - as are Mare Winningham as Justine...
Richard Chamberlain and Christopher Plummer has good chemistry, but the church politics is never a commercial for the non catholics...
Nevertheless; like "Gone With the Wind" - this is an all-stops-out tearjerker and with the performances - is quite watchable fro that sake.
April 19, 2008
follows the book well
The DVD was in excellent condition and arrived promptly. I enjoyed it and it followed the book very well. April 17, 2008
would have been 5 stars
I love The Thorn Birds and was really excited to get this DVD, but was disappointed that it IS edited. It is not the complete miniseries as shown on tv, there are small parts left out that I missed watching. March 26, 2008
Thornbirds Fan must have
Fond memories of my childhood were watching the miniseries Thornbirds with my mom. Now I can share the experience with my own daughters. The VHS movies were a real treat when I didn't have a DVD player. Now I'd rather get the DVD version, but I'll keep my VHS tapes as long as the player works. Good quality recordings. Nice easy to identify packaging for my library. March 10, 2008
God vs. the Girl
"The Thorn Birds" was controversial from the beginning with its forbidden romance between Fr. Ralph de Bricassart (a brilliant Richard Chamberlain) and Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward). To further stir the pot,so to speak,the couple's forbidden consummation was depicted during Holy Week. For all its controversy,"Thorn Birds" stands as a miniseries classic,with wonderful acting from its leads&Henry Mancini's romantic soundtrack.
"The Thorn Birds" begins in the Australian Outback. Fr. Ralph comes to the remote ranch of Drogheda,where the forewoman, Mary Carson (a chilling&sad Barbara Stanwyck,in her final role) is immediately attracted to him. He rejects her advances&she curses him. Fr. Ralph also first meets the young Meggie. His paternal relationship towards her grows to a passion of a different kind when he sees her in the "Ashes of Roses" dress at a party. In the meantime, Meggie deals with her mother Fee's (Jean Simmons) coldness&a romance with Luke O'Neill (Bryan Brown) Ralph dismisses his feelings for Meggie by getting ordained in Rome,while Meggie marries Luke. Over the decades,Ralph&Meggie's passion grows. They enjoy a brief beach idyll that produces a son,Dane. Dane grows up,desiring the priesthood. However,he dies young. In the end,Ralph&Meggie are reunited,tragically&poignantly in the rose garden. There are great supporting performances from Christopher Plummer (Archbishop Vittorio)&Bryan Brown (Luke O'Neill)
"The Thorn Birds" beautifully depicts Ralph's struggle with celibacy&his feelings for Meggie. The romance is also passionate&powerful. It isn't like the recent reality show "God vs. the Girl",which turns celibacy into a freak show&makes a mockery of the natural attraction between men&women. While one might disagree with Colleen McCullough's views on celibacy,"Thorn Birds" is a piece of art in leaving viewers to decide for themselves.
"The Thorn Birds" is one of the great romantic epics. It's the archetypal "chick flick",and it doesn't fail to move. Like the doomed lovers,sit back,open a bottle of wine,drink in the scent of roses&enjoy! February 26, 2008