The Thorn Birds
Tags: melodrama

Plot synopsis:
The epic begins with Meghann "Meggie" Cleary, a four-year-old girl living in New Zealand in the early twentieth century, the only daughter of Paddy, an Irish farm labourer, and Fee, his harassed but aristocratic wife. Although Meggie is a beautiful child with curly red-gold hair, she receives little coddling and must struggle to hold her own against her numerous older brothers. Of these brothers, her favourite is the eldest, Frank, a rebellious young man who is unwillingly preparing himself for the blacksmith's trade. He is much shorter than his brothers, but very strong; also, unlike the other Clearys, he has black hair and eyes.
Paddy is poor, but has a wealthy sister, Mary Carson, who lives in Australia on an enormous sheep station called Drogheda. One day, Paddy receives a letter from Mary offering him a job on her estate, Drogheda.
In Drogheda, Meggie meets Ralph de Bricassart, a young, capable, and ambitious priest who, as punishment for insulting a bishop, has been relegated to a remote parish in the town of Gillanbone, near Drogheda. Ralph has befriended Mary, hoping a hefty enough bequest from her to the Catholic Church might liberate him from his exile. Ralph is strikingly handsome, "a beautiful man"; Mary, who does not bother to conceal her desire for him, often goes to great lengths to see if he can be induced to break his vows. Ralph blandly shrugs off these attentions and continues his visits. Meanwhile, he cares for all the Clearys and soon learns to cherish beautiful but forlorn little Meggie. Meggie, in return, makes Ralph the centre of her life.
Frank's relationship with his father, Paddy, has never been peaceful. The two vie for Fee's attention, and Frank resents the many pregnancies Paddy makes her endure. One day, after Fee, now in her forties, reveals she is again pregnant, the two men quarrel violently and Paddy blurts out the truth about Frank: he is not Paddy's biological son. Long ago, Fee had been the adored only daughter of a prominent citizen. Then she had an affair with a married politician, and the result, Frank, was already eighteen months old when her mortified father married her off to Paddy. Because he resembles her lost love, Fee has always loved Frank more than her other children. To the sorrow of Meggie and Fee, when Frank learns that Paddy is only his stepfather, he runs away to become a prizefighter. Fee later gives birth to twin boys, James and Patrick (Jims and Patsy), but shows little interest in them. Shortly afterward, Meggie's beloved little brother, Hal, dies.
With Frank gone and Hal dead, Meggie clings to Ralph more than ever. This goes largely unnoticed because Ralph has now been her mentor for several years; however, as she ripens into womanhood, some begin to question their close relationship, including Ralph and Meggie themselves. Mary Carson has also noticed their changing relationship, and from motives of jealousy mingled with Machiavellian cruelty, she devises a plan to separate Ralph from Meggie by tempting him with his heart's desire: a high place in the Church hierarchy. Although her will of record leaves the bulk of her estate to Paddy, she quietly writes a new one, making the Roman Catholic Church the main beneficiary and Ralph the executor.
In the new will, the true magnitude of Mary's wealth is finally revealed. Drogheda is not the centre of her fortune as Ralph and Paddy have long believed but is merely a hobby, a diversion from her true financial interests. Mary's wealth is derived from a vast multi-national financial empire worth over thirteen million pounds (about A$200 million in modern terms). The sheer size of Mary's bequest will virtually guarantee Ralph's rapid rise in the church. She also makes sure that after she dies only Ralph, at first, will know of the new will – forcing him to choose between Meggie and his own ambition. She also provides for her disinherited brother, promising him and all his grandchildren a home on Drogheda as long as any of them live.
At Mary's seventy-fifth birthday party, Ralph goes to great lengths to avoid Meggie, now seventeen and dressed in a beautiful rose-pink evening gown; later, he explains that others might not see his attention as innocent. Mary dies in the night. Ralph duly learns of the new will. He sees at once the subtle genius of Mary's plan and, although he weeps and calls her "a disgusting old spider" he takes the new will to her lawyer without delay. The lawyer, scandalised, urges Ralph to destroy the will, but to no avail. The bequest of thirteen million pounds works its expected magic, and Ralph soon leaves to begin his rapid advance in the Church.
Before he leaves, Meggie confesses her love for him; after the birthday party, Ralph finds her crying in the family cemetery and they share a passionate kiss, but Ralph refuses her because of his duties as a priest and begs Meggie to find a suitable partner. The Clearys learn that Frank has been convicted of murder after killing someone in a fight. He spends three decades in prison.
Paddy and his son Stuart are killed; Paddy dies in a lightning fire, and Stu is killed by a wild boar shortly after finding his father's body. Meanwhile, Ralph, unaware of Paddy and Stu's deaths, is on his way to Drogheda and suffers minor injuries when his plane bogs in the mud. As Meggie tends his wounds, she tries to seduce him and is rebuffed. Ralph remains at Drogheda only long enough to conduct the funerals.
Three years later, a new ranch worker named Luke O'Neill begins to court Meggie. Although his motives are more mercenary than romantic, she marries him because he looks a little bit like Ralph, but mainly because he is not Catholic and wants little to do with religion-her own way of getting back at Ralph. She soon realises her mistake. After a brief honeymoon, Luke, a skinflint who regards women as sex objects and prefers the company of men, finds Meggie a live-in job with a kindly couple, the Muellers, and leaves to join a gang of itinerant sugarcane cutters in North Queensland. Before he leaves, he appropriates all Meggie's savings and arranges to have her wages paid directly to him. He tells her he is saving money to buy a homestead; however, he quickly becomes obsessed with the competitive toil of cane-cutting and has no real intention of giving it up. Hoping to change Luke's ambition and settle him down, Meggie deliberately thwarts his usual contraception and bears Luke a red-haired daughter, Justine. The new baby, however, makes little impression on Luke.
Father Ralph visits Meggie during her difficult labour; he has come to say goodbye, as he is leaving Australia for Rome. He sees Meggie's unhappiness for himself, and pities her. Justine proves to be a fractious baby, so the Muellers send Meggie to an isolated island resort for a rest. Father Ralph returns to Australia, learns of Meggie's whereabouts from Anne Mueller, and joins her for several days. There, at last, the lovers consummate their passion, and Ralph realises that despite his ambition to be the perfect priest, his desire for Meggie makes him a man like other men. Father Ralph returns to the Church, and Meggie, pregnant with Ralph's child, decides to separate from Luke. She sleeps one last time with Luke to ensure that her child's paternity would not be questionned, then tells Luke what she really thinks of him and returns to Drogheda, leaving him to his cane-cutting.
Back home, she gives birth to a beautiful boy whom she names Dane. Fee, who has had experience in such matters, notices Dane's resemblance to Ralph as soon as he is born. The relationship between Meggie and Fee takes a turn for the better. Justine grows into an independent, keenly intelligent girl who loves her brother dearly; however, she has little use for anyone else, and calmly rebuffs Meggie's overtures of motherly affection. None of Meggie's other surviving brothers ever marry, and Drogheda gradually becomes a place filled with old people.
Ralph visits Drogheda after a long absence and meets Dane for the first time; and although he finds himself strangely drawn to the boy, he fails to recognize that they are father and son. Dane grows up and decides, to Meggie's dismay, to become a priest. Fee tells Meggie that what she stole from God, she must now give back. Justine, meanwhile, decides to become an actress and leaves Australia to seek her dream in England. Ralph, now a Cardinal, becomes a mentor to Dane, but still blinds himself to the fact that the young man is his own son. Dane is also unaware of their true relationship. Ralph takes great care of him, and because of their resemblance people mistake them for uncle and nephew. Ralph and Dane encourage the rumour. Justine and her brother remain close, although he is often shocked at her sexual adventures and free-wheeling lifestyle. She befriends Rainer Hartheim, a German politician who is a great friend of both Dane and Ralph – unbeknown to her, he falls deeply in love with her. Their friendship becomes the most important in her life, and is on the verge of becoming something more when tragedy strikes.
Dane, who has just become a priest, is vacationing in Greece. While there, he goes swimming one day and dies while rescuing two women from a dangerous current. Meggie reveals before Dane's funeral that Dane is Ralph's son. Ralph dies in Meggie's arms after the funeral.
Justine breaks off all communications with Rainer and falls into a depressed, hum-drum existence. Eventually, they renew their acquaintance on strictly platonic terms, until Rainer visits Drogheda alone in order to urge Meggie to help him pursue Justine's hand in marriage. Justine, now the sole surviving grandchild of Fee and Paddy Cleary, finally accepts her true feelings for Rainer. They marry, but have no plans to live on Drogheda.

Review: 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.
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..
Richard Chamberlain became an even bigger heartthrob with the advent of this epic mini-series, Rachel Ward became a star, and Barbara Stanwyk made a major comeback and stole the show in only three hours of on-screen time.
"The Thorn Birds", based on Colleen McCullough's best-selling epic novel takes place in the Australia of the 1920's and stretches across three generations to the 1960's and tells the story of a life-long romance between an ambitious priest (Chamberlain) and the woman who only wanted his love.
Rachel Ward is a beautiful rose as Meggie, Richard Chamberlain is an ideal Ralph de Bricassart and Barbara Stanwyk is at her best as Mary Carson, Meggie's aunt, the richest yet loneliest woman in Australia.
Definitely among the best mini-series ever; worth watching, if only to catch outstanding performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Christopher Plummer..
Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward are okay as the tortured lovers, but the acting kudos go to Barbara Stanwyck and Christopher Plummer.
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.
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.
It is an emotionally charged drama of forbidden love, scandal and tragedy that teaches a very powerful lesson...that we, as a human race, are all doomed to destruction, each generation repeating the mistake of the one before (remember Rev. Jim Jones himself said "those who cannot remember history are doomed to repeat it").This miniseries was the Australian outback's answer to "Gone With The Wind".
Only this time it's Cardinal DeBricissart (Richard Chamberlin) that's the Scarlett O'Hara and Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward) that's the Rhett Butler.
And yes, not all love stories have happy endings.And there are some sequences that do not depend on a music score, such as the touching climactic scene with Meggie and Justine in the barn.But that's just what makes a miniseries a classic.
I even showed it to my boyfriend and he actually liked it.I wouldn't change anything from the miniseries and I believe that everyone in it were excellent, especially Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, and Christopher Plummer.
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.
The Australian Outback, Greece, Rome and London are the backdrops of this tragic, passionate, fantastic film.Rachel Ward and Richard Chamberlain deliver the best performances of their careers as lovestruck, tragic Meggie Clearly and confused, ambitious Father Ralph deBricassart.
Other notable actors include Jean Simmons as Fiona Cleary, Meggie's mother, who watches her daughter make so many of the same mistakes she made in her life.
People differ in their desires.This movie shows one important fact: Without love nobody can enjoy life to the maximum of it.This is my opinion.
Richard Chaimberlian as Father Ralph could not have been better cast or Rachael Ward as Meggie Cleary for that matter, the whole cast is suburb, the story mesmerizing, the whole series had me in awe, have never seen such a wonderful piece of art anywhere in any forum before or since.
This movie will touch your heart,a few years back on Easter Sunday, I put the Thorn Birds in my VHS around noon time and the whole family watched it for the rest of the day, no one wanted to finish eating....lol now thats a really good flick!I Love Richard Chamberlian since the Dr, Kildare days* Go rent or buy The Thorn Birds, even my hubby loved it!!!!!!!!!!!
In this movie I like the way of telling and expressing of a love and individuals from beginning to an end.
I remember, even at such a young age, the story grabbed me from just the first few moments.This is the story of a young priest, Father de Bricassart,  who takes on the paternal role of a young girl, Meggie Cleary (she being the youngest, and therefore useless, in a family of boys).
(Meggie's marriage to rough and tumble, Luke O'Neill, her children and their personal struggles, Father de Bricassart's ascension into Catholic hierarchy, etc...)A terrific story with an all-star cast and beautiful cinematography, make this a must in any romance afficionado's collection..
Barbara Stanwyck at her best; as with Richard Chamberlain Rachel Ward shows much promise as an actress in the future.
I loved the book (and other books by McCullough as well) but when you think of what the story is about, a grown man, a priest no less, falling in love with a little girl and then pretty much ruining her life, it is kind of creepy.
The powerful story of a man of god and the girl he couldn't have.The performances in this were all excellent, especially Barbra Stanwyck as Mary Carson, the poor little rich woman.
First time I have seen it.I would surmise that these great old mini-series have been replaced by shows on HBO, Showtime, and the like.
I have waited for the thorn birds to come out  for a long time now.I love watching it as miniseries i was 12 when it first came out in 1983.Wonderfully directed with gorgeous music.I love it.I highly recommend to buy it.
Richard chamberlain is my one of the best actors i have seen and his my favorite actor and Rachel ward is one of the best actress i have seen.I love the scene on the beach.I love this miniseries..
The pain & joy in their lives were brought across in such a real way by Richard Chamberlain & Rachel Ward, & Barbara Stanwyck will always be one of the Greats!
While the main storyline of the epic miniseries is the relationship between Father Ralph and Meggie when she grows up, there's so much more to this wonderful drama than a forbidden romance.
Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward play the starcrossed lovers, and after watching The Thorn Birds, it'll be hard to see either of them in anything else.
With a huge cast, including Bryan Brown, Piper Laurie, Christopher Plummer, Ken Howard, Mare Winningham, and Earl Holliman, a memorable theme, and a story full of romance, heartbreaking family relationships, religious conflicts, and the drama of finding and forgiving yourself, it's no wonder it won four Golden Globes (with four additional nominations) and six Emmys (with ten additional nominations).
it's the pain of having so much to give to someone u love, while he's so much taken in the everlasting competition of men to achieve the best, ignoring the basics of life without which there's nothing to benefit from any achievement i loved this story, i loved the way every member of the cast gave the real characteristic of the character they played, i loved the way everything seemed so natural without all the technology tampering with the honesty of every single detail of the scene it's one of the best stories i've read, and one of the best movies i've watched.
I watched The Thornbirds when I was a kid and later on I couldn't remember much of it but I remembered certain details that always stayed in my mind - the rose in the bible, the name Meggie and a deep feeling that made me visualize scenes of love and romance for years upon end.
I love Richard Chamberlain since his Dr. Kildare days, and Rachel Ward is so sexy in a quite sort of way.
But the camera loved the three leads: Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown, while veteran actors Barbara Stanwyck and Jean Simmons added a touch of class.After the Cleary family arrive in Australia from New Zealand to work on Drogheda, the sheep station owned by Aunt Maggie Carson (Barbara Stanwyck), they meet Father Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain).
Although presented as benign and paternal, after all the revelations about child abuse within the church since the series was made, the relationship between Father Ralph and young Meggie is a bit disturbing.
Father Ralph's rise within the church is reminiscent of Otto Preminger's "The Cardinal", especially the way his motives are challenged by a mentor played by Christopher Plummer in this case.The Cleary's fortunes ebb and flow and Meggie marries Luke O'Neill, a shearer played by Bryan Brown.
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.
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.
I loved to hate Meggie at times, as I did in the book, and I also wanted her to finally be with Ralph.
To Rachel Ward, who brings the passionate and obsessive Meggie to life with such poise and lovliness, how I mourned with her and hated her at the same time, for the way in which her selfish and strong nature cripples Ralph.
However, though most of the actors (especially Jean Simmons as Fee Cleary) are good, Bryan Brown (who plays Luke O'Neill) is the sole Australian in the series, so you'll have a laugh when his broad accent emerges from the American dominated cast, most of whom didn't attempt an Australian accent at all.
Best describes this brilliant film.No wonder Richard Chamberlain was known as the king of mini-series.
He etched one unforgettable character after another.This time, he is Father Ralph Di Bricissart, who is loved by the town's wealthy Mary Carson.
I don't know if it was the lack of red hair, the imperfect accents, the parts of her novel left out but I hope she takes comfort in the fact that most of the world loved this series.
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.
I have read the novel of "The Thorn Birds" and i love this novel a lot, just i wish to have the chance to see the movie or the series.i advise every one to read the novel.
With a stellar cast; Barbara Stanwyck is wonderful, as well as Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, etc.
This film series of TELEVISION is great in my opinion, it is a history on love and  doubts, woman and god that shows in the end the mistake of Ralph in not believing in the love of Meg. Great Romance.
Her son Frank spoke with an Irish brogue, though he was supposed to have been New Zealand born as well.Odd that while "Irish" Mary Carson sounded like she'd just gotten off the boat from Brooklyn, NY, her brother Paddy seemed to retain his Irish brogue...At least Meggie shed her American accent when she grew up!If they could've just sorted out the accent thing, a good mini-series could've been great..
That such an archetypal Australian story set in the outback had so little of the flavour of this amazing and rugged country!Nevertheless, Richard Chamberlain remains the ultimate Ralph de Bricassart.
And the acting was good, particularly Jean Simmons and Rachel Ward.I wonder how this series would fare today?
Oddly enough, this manages to maintain your interest throughout the entire movie.The story mostly settles on two people Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain) and Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward).
Oh, yeah and the crux of the story is a young girl, Meggie, and a handsome, ambitious Catholic priest, Ralph de Bricassart, falling passionately in love.
Ah the Thorn birds saga..i was 12 the year it aired on TV in 1984 in France for the first time because it had many reruns after.I love this saga and miniseries and loved Richard chamberlain the fine priest Ralph who took care of Meggie like a father when she was a child,a very lovely little girl but rejected by her mother and in need of love and affection because of Frank's departure and many deaths in her life..She was a child when she arrived at Drogheda first at Mary carson's property,a bitter and wicked old lady ,the sister of Paddy Cleary who wanted to leave in Australia to see his sister..And through the years Meggie grew up and she fell for Father ralph knowing he was a priest,this poor young red haired girl with grey eyes,in the book the character of Meggie is red and it's very different in the series but it is good though.
She madly falls in love with Ralph who at the death of Mary carson will have to choose between Drogheda or the Vatican..and he will choose both of them.He is an ambitious man actually and won't break his vows not even for Meggie..We 'll see his torments and visits at Drogheda after the fire,the kiss the reject then later the coming at the Mueller's then Matlock island where he and Meggie will live three weeks of passionate love like wife and husband but not for long..the birth of Dane who is the son of Ralph,the lies,the betrayals..in fact this saga is the story of different feelings,love ,hatred,jealousy,betrayal and the forgiveness at the end.It is also the story of a love that is IMPOSSIBLE UNATTAINABLE because Ralph is a priest and the internal conflicts in a family which are better described however in the Novel ,the family secrets especially like Fee's secrets which will have a big influence on Meggie's life..As a 46 year old woman now i still love this miniseries but i would kick Ralph if i were Meggie more than once.He is so ambitious and so self centered and full of ambiguity..How can Meggie love a man like him?
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.
The Thorn Birds mini-series is an honest-to-goodness adaptation by Carmen Culver of a classic novel by Colleen McCullough.
It is a timeless classic that was as heartwarming then as it is now, 23 years later.This is one of the best, if not the best, love story of all time..
I loved you very much as Father Ralph de Bricassart (sp.) in "The Thorn Birds".
I am following this story, and thinking of all of you."The Thorn Birds": wonderful series.
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.