The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years (1996) Reviews

• Highly under-rated by die-hards of the first mini-series

  AnnieP1999-03-11

  I liked it. Better and better. At first I found the lady cold and not at all like the Meggie I had grown used to from watching the series over and over, but she was farther along in her story now - she'd borne Ralph's child and raised him to the age of thirteen. The world was at war. She was lonely and becoming a pragmatist. She didn't expect to see him again. (We didn't either.) THAT is the gift here - more time with the lovers. Before commenting on the consistently good performances, which were (for the most part) written and played true to the characters lined in the book and performed in the original mini, I must protest the unsympathetic, growling characterization of Vittorio, Father Ralph's mentor at the Vatican. The writer was dead wrong in having him threaten Ralph with his love for Meggie. "Get over it!" he says, essentially. "Get on with your life!" Vittorio would never have acted so. Maximillian Schell was serious miscasting, but he didn't write his own lines. The same judgments apply regarding the casting and meddling attitude of Meggie's mother- too sensational, too cruel. And out of character. The confrontation between Ralph and Vittorio comes so early in the story that one is tempted to judge the entire production by it, but it is important to keep watching. Eventually the characters fit in to the almost sacred memories we have of the earlier version and stand as logical segues to the time-line that they must fit into. The son Dane, by the way, is a real goody-goody. I didn't like him as an adult and I didn't like him as a kid, but he was true to character. Look - Richard Chamberlain is the best. The love story stands. It was the main reason we watched the first one - that and the wonderful performances by the major stars - Kiley, Stanwyck, Simmons. Those folks aren't there; two of them we will never see again, and we will miss them, but we have Richard Chamberlain here again, and he was, after all, the heart of the story. Look - try thinking of it as a road company performance with a star turn. It's worth seeing. Take another look and see if you don't agree- it's available on tape. I cried.

• Their great love... in the last shot!

  Nazi_Fighter_David1999-07-10

  The last scene was for me the most touching... The ambitious priest was leaving for Rome... He was waiting to say goodbye... He was anxious to see Meggie... Where is she? As the train begins to move, every time with more speed, the best shot of the film came when we saw Meggie on her horse in that lovely place, awaiting for the train to pass, barely able to utter last minute thoughts about what she really feels... Suddenly Ralph sees her from his window... In this precise moment 'everything' was in slow motion... Of course, two lovers were communicating, the world had to stop! Meggie's eyes were more focused, intense, commanding, and Ralph seemed, momentarily out of himself to bond with her in this gorgeous place... He knew the intensity of this moment would fade... Then we read Meggie's lips saying: " I love you." This scene said everything... The two lovers were enjoying life at this very moment... Their senses awake and alive, passion burning through their veins, love pounding out such a sweet song in their heart and soul, love was everything they need! Love is everything humans need...

• Excellent film showing human passion

  moongirl5272000-12-11

  What started my interest in The Thorn Birds WAS "The Missing Years." I read the article on the series in TV Guide (a '97 Valentine's Day issue) that named Ralph and Meggie as one of the most romantic couples on television. I didn't know where to get the series...and then about a year ago, they showed "The Missing Years." This series introduced me to Ralph and Meggie, and, admittedly, it was hard to follow the storyline. But I liked it. I mean, so what if the people aren't the same? One day I broke down and bought the whole series. I sat down with sodas watched it from beginning to end. Some people say that Missing Years is a bad piece. Well, I disagree. Why should Ralph and Meggie wait 19 years? If anything, it brought an interesting reason for Ralph's return: he was ordered. He is shown suffering in "Missing Years." In the original, it seemed like he decided to show up...waiting 19 years to do so. Their reunion was wonderful...and sweet. The way they saw each other after their 10 years of being apart (by accident) and both were taken away. Like in the original, they had fought their passion...so it stood to reason that they tried to tell themselves, once again, that they were over their passion. Their parting in Missing Years was sweet and brought tears to my eyes. It was a private moment between them. If his reputation is already on the line (and no doubt, would be severely tarnished if Dane's paternity were revealed), how would it look for Archbishop De Bricassart to be hugging and kissing Meggie at the train station? Dane's character seemed true to how it was in the original. If anything, it was easier for me to see young Dane first and THEN adult Dane. In the original, Dane said he'd always wanted to be a priest. Well, in the Missing Years, young Dane seems at peace with his decision. We see his placidness and calmness in several instances. Also, in the original, Ralph said he'd always felt closer to Dane. It was good that he meet Dane at a younger age and get to know him. Granted, in the original, he just meets Dane as an adult...so there's a plot difference there, I'll admit. Yes, Dane is a goody goody. But he's supposed to be--he's the more priestly version of his father. I liked the young boy that played Dane...I thought he did a great job. He seemed, to me, more real than his zombie-like adult counterpart. Granted, Philip Anglim had a strong resemblance to Richard Chamberlain and could easily be seen as an adult version of a Meggie-Ralph combination. It was highly important that there be a young Dane. After all, you needed to see Meggie's partiality to Dane as a child. In the original, it takes awhile before it's shown that Dane IS Meggie's favorite. In the original series, young Meggie says "I'll never love any of my children different from the others." "Missing Years" shows that she's contradicted herself. Meggie DOES love Dane more than Justine--it's shown in their first scene together; in the original, she TOLD Justine she did--the younger Justine picked up on it more--the sibling rivalry for Justine against Dane was realistic. Ralph and Dane had a strong connection even when Dane is a youngster. Plus the fact that Dane, at a young age such as 10, knows he wants to be a priest is a harsher blow to Meggie... because she has to hear about it everyday and suffer through her denial that "He's just a child--he'll grow out of it." It made sense that she kept saying that. Fee, in the Missing Years, was a lot worse than the Fee in the original. I mean, spoiling any shot of happiness for Ralph and Meggie? Jeez...that's harsh! I must admit to being naive when I saw the Part II preview. I actually thought that Ralph would give up the priesthood...but then he couldn't, could he? Granted, I didn't know that he'd become Cardinal and die as thus. All in all, I liked the movie a lot. I may be alone here, but I saw a lot of chemistry between Amanda Donohoe and Richard Chamberlain. Sure, it was different than the Ward-Chamberlain chemistry, but still...it was strong. The love scene was good...after all, they'd been in denial about their passion for so long and couldn't fight it anymore. After ten years of being without the woman he loved, it stands to reason that Ralph would doubt where he belonged. On one hand, he wants solely to be Meggie's...and Meggie's alone. On the other, the Cardinal's robe looks awefully promising. I LOVED watching him fight for Dane. I think it's realistic that he could've won--after all, it's the lion protecting his cub, albeit subconciously. I loved the line: "The boy is MINE." If Ralph only knew... I thought there was more focus on Meggie & Ralph in the Missing Years. I was glad for it. They have to see each other again and remember...then they have to try to tell themselves it's over. But it's NOT over. In the end, as Ralph puts it, their love "is a blessing, not a burden." Their farewell is peaceful and, for once, leaving no hurt feelings. That makes the next nine years they're apart, no doubt, easier to bear. THEN they can reunite when Dane is older. The passion between them (in both series) have made Ralph and Meggie one of my all-time favorite couples. I just can't hate (for the most part) "Missing Years" for being different--in some places I appreciated the differences.

• A genuine Aussie version at last

  dianal2005-04-05

  I liked it. Mainly because this was actually filmed in Australia. I never found the original credible. The awful attempt to make Hawaii look like rural Australia by chucking a few sheep into the background failed dismally and the Drogheeda mansion looked like a poor relation of the house from 'Giant'. As for the weird, definitely non-Aussie out-buildings - what a joke. This time the authentic location made 'The Missing Years' much more believable. As for the young Dane being criticized for having a broad Aussie accent - how dumb can you be. He is an Australian character being played by an Australian boy - what would you prefer - one of those fake cockney Hollywood versions of an Australian accent? The plot was fine, if a bit predictable, the acting was as good as any in the original, if not better. So it was not the original cast. So what? Accept it for what it is - entertainment - and enjoy it.

• a Wonderful Film very Moving

  Simon-1592001-09-24

  Richard Chamberlain plays a perfect part it is a very moving Film which impressed me and my wife. the filming must have been very difficult and the conditions very warm but it was very well put together and acted by all.