Amazon.com video review:
The second most-watched miniseries (after Roots) of all time, The Thorn Birds was originally broadcast in 1983 and captivated viewers
with its story of a lifelong conflict between the spirit and the flesh. Adapted
from the bestselling novel by Colleen McCullough, the production stars
Richard Chamberlain as a Catholic priest named Ralph de Bricassart, whose
life in Australia between 1920 and 1962 is one long torment as he pines for
his lover, Meggie Carson (Rachel Ward), while seeking advancement in his
clergyman career. The passion and the guilt make for compelling drama, but
a stellar cast of supporting players adds muscle to the proceedings: Barbara
Stanwyck (who won an Emmy for her work as Meggie's tough grandmother), Jean
Simmons, Richard Kiley, Christopher Plummer, Bryan Brown, and Mare
Winningham. Chamberlain, who was something of the king of the miniseries
form at the time, is very good in the lead, as is the often-underrated
Ward. Their affair is indeed irresistible to watch, which proves to be true, too, of the story's thick weave of church politics, forbidden desire, social
change over decades, and family secrets. --Tom Keogh
