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Wow! Such a good movie.

Best movie ever!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

I have watched 'The Thorn Birds' several times and it is a well made show and deserves all the praise it has received. However I can't help wondering if there should be a remake like there was with 'Roots' made in Australia with Australian actors and with Australian accents. Just an idea. Well Australian actors are everywhere at the moment so a dramatization of one of their most popular novels wouldn't be that big. Look no disrespect to the original but I think an Aussie version of an Aussie novel which 'The Thorn Birds' happens to be. I think that Colleen McCullough never liked the mini series. Would she have liked it if it had been made in Australia with Australian actors. Who Knows?

Oh, it's so romantic. Like another girl wrote, the moment when young Meggie comes down the stairs and Father Ralph sees her finally as a woman and not a child, is so extremely breathtaking. You know that they are in love even if it's a sin for the priest to be with a woman. I feel for Meggie because she is so torn between obligation to her family (who are pretty cruel) and her love for Father Ralph, who is truly a man of God. This movie follows the book pretty closely and relates to the deepest emotions of us as human beings who crave love and intimacy, but sometimes with the people who can't love us back because they don't know how to express love or they feel like they are disobeying God if they love a person more than a friend. Not to give away too much, but Father Ralph is a hero in my book. I really like that they chose Rachel Ward for this part because she is beautiful and Australian, which is good because the book is set there and they did good to choose a local actress. Father Ralph is so handsome and of course, what woman would not want a Godly man even though sadly, he is a priest. I think he does try to quit the priesthood at some point, but I forgot how that part went. I should definitely 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.

Did anyone else think that the scene where Ralph is on the porch, naked, and Mary comes out and starts rubbing her wrinkly hands all over his chest, and telling him how beautiful he is, a little bit disturbing? I kind of felt sorry that Richard Chamberlain had to go through that. I mean I know that Mary had the hots for Ralph and she took advantage of him while she could, but I saw this about a year ago and I was weirded out by that whole scene, and was not even sure what that particular scene was supposed to be all about. Another thing, how old was Ralph supposed to be at the beginning of the miniseries, because according to IMDb, the whole story takes place over 60 years ?