The Thorn Birds

For anyone who has suffered through the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune in love, this 1983 mini-series will touch their hearts like no other film or TV series ever made. The casting was perfect in every way to bring the story of the Australian Cleary family to life so vividly (Jean Simmons as the mother "Fee" won the Emmy Award that year; unfortunately Henry Mancini didn't for his gorgeous musical score, and he deserved to win!).

While the main thrust of this story and film appears on the surface to be the love of a Roman Catholic priest for a young girl whom he sees grow into adulthood, the underlying, truly poignant aspect of this story is about the long-term effects of what happens to children when mothers love one child more than another. This theme is the real heart tugger here. Meggie is an afterthought to her mother Fee until the very end of the story (Frank is her favorite child, even though he is troubled, because Frank was the love child of a pre-marital affair), and later on when Meggie becomes a mother Dane is her favorite child (also a product of a clandestine love), and her daughter Justine is the afterthought.

It is this basic lack of love that each child feels from his or her mother that determines the choices they make in life (i.e. Meggie choses to love someone who cannot commit to her, Justine choses to avoid love altogether and throw herself into acting to escape reality, Frank goes off and kills a man because he cannot deal with loving his mother too much, Ralph reveals his mother abandoned him early so he too inclines towards a non-committal type of love with Meggie and escapes through the church, etc.)

The pattern develops early and continues throughout the lives of the Clearys. That is why, to me, the most profoundly moving scenes in this entire series are right near the end: 1) when the old Fee has to tell Meggie that her son Dane has died, and she caresses Meggie's face for the first time in both their lives, and 2) the scene in the stable barn, between Meggie and Justine, as they confront the truth: that Meggie does love Justine, but Dane WAS the favorite child, for reasons beyond Justine's control. In hugging Fee and crying in grief, and in resolving her differences with Justine, Meggie finally finds the peace she needs in life; she is then able to let go of Ralph when the inevitable takes him from her for good.

My Mother talked me into watching this movie with her about 15 years ago. I loved it but didn't quite understand all the emotion behind it. I watched it again this past week and was amazed at how differently it spoke to me.

We can learn so much about love, forgiving and humility from this story. I also loved how in the end Meggie and her mother finally come to understand one another and her mother is able to show her the love she has longing for. It's a great reminder to not put off showing love to those close to us, but to be like Meggie and give it whether it is given or not.

If it's been a while see it again, because your perspective has changed and it will mean something different to you today.

If you have never seen it before, I think it is well worth the time you'll invest in seeing it. But be sure to grab some tissues.

I saw this movie first time when I was 16. I didn't understand it at first, but after that I got the novel and read it all over in 3 days. I have a VHS copy of this movie at home and I usually watch it twice a year (It means that I have nearly watched it more than 20 times). Every time I watch it I can't give any breaks! Last night I watched it till the end again until 6am... It always makes me sad and I can't stop my emotions, I cry (together with smiles) for a forbidden love.... especially the last 30 minutes of the movie.

Very great movie with a wonderful music, the best movie I have ever seen in my life, I always have recommended it for all my friends and the people who believe in existence of a true love. I am going to buy the DVD version of this movie for myself, although I have VHS version of it.

I always adore the acting of both Richard (Ralph) and Rachel (Maggie). Both of them have done best in this movie and I have become to love Rachel Ward since I saw this movie.

I hope the people who read my comment have seen the movie. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you to hire it and watch it till the end at least once in your life time.

This was one of the most beloved love stories, right up there with Gone With the Wind, Somewhere in Time, and The Way we Were...I remember there was talk once on making a sequel to The Way we Were, and I thought please don't. In my mind Hubel and Katie eventually reunited. Again, in my mind things turned out wonderful for the Cleary's. I remember the series when it came out, I was 12, I understood sacrifice, torture, love, betrayal, hate, undying love from this movie---I never get bored of seeing this again and again. The passion these two had for each other--the love Father Ralph showed to God--his tortured soul of loving both, but only committing to one kept me on the edge till the end.

My mother was given the box set DVD for Christmas, we sat down to watch it on Christmas day at about 8 o'clock, and didn't move until the early hours of the next morning. I simply couldn't drag my eyes away from the screen for one second. I became such an instant fan that as soon as I could I rushed off and bought the book, and before I knew it, I'd finished that as well! Towards the end of the film I felt myself identifying more with Justine, than I had done with Meggie the younger and elder throughout the film. Fate is always so cruel, how could Dane leave Meggie, and how could Justine desert her mother, and just how long did Fee live? That women seemed everlasting! Overall, I loved every second of it, and felt, as every women does, a very strong attraction to Richard Chamberline THROUGHOUT! I probably would've starved and gone without sleep if the book hadn't been prised away from my hands.