Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

padraigjoseph1979 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?

vincentlynch-moonoi 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.

Maddyclassicfilms One of the best TV mini series ever made.Father Ralph(Richard Chamberlin)arrives in Australia and becomes the local priest in a small town.He meets the wealthy Mary Carson(Barbara Stanwyck)who falls in love with him,when he does not return her feelings she spends the rest of her life trying to destroy him(she only succeeds from beyond the grave).Ralph falls in love with Meggie Cleary(Rachel Ward)who he has known since she was a child.The series follows their relationship throughout the years and shows Meggie's pain as she loses Ralph to the church. As Meggie tries to cope with her situation Ralph becomes the assistant to a Cardinal called Vittorio(Christopher Plummer)who becomes a father figure to Ralph and makes it his mission to try and find out why Ralph is so unhappy despite his hard work and dedication to the church. Featuring a star studded cast including Jean Simmons and Christopher Plummer with some beautiful locations this is a well made series made with a great deal of care and effort this is well worth watching.Well worth buying on DVD.

karen-millard One of the best (and first) mini-series ever! I remember watching it faithfully every night while new, going so far as to have to go to my grandmother's house with a friend one night to watch that evening's episode.Richard Chamberlain was the hottest thing then! Rachel Ward, as Meggie, was a little limp then, but I thought that Mare Winningham was incredible as Justine, even though young and around my age at the time. The series stayed faithful to the book, and I have followed Mare Winningham throughout the years and think that she is a great actress and singer also. A super series, and the groundwork for whatever followed.