The Thorn Birds (1983)
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A family saga explores the forbidden love between a woman and a priest against the backdrop of the Australian outback.
The story
The series centres on the lives of the Cleary family from the 1920s until the 1960s, who are brought from New Zealand to the Australian outback to help run the ranch of their aunt Mary Carson. The narrative follows their lives over several decades, highlighting the forbidden love between Meggie Cleary and the family's priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The series centres on the lives of the Cleary family from the 1920s until the 1960s, who are brought from New Zealand to the Australian outback to help run the ranch of their aunt Mary Carson, and the forbidden love between Meggie Cleary and the family's priest, Father Ralph de Bricassart. The story spans forty years, detailing the family's experiences and the central romance between Meggie and Father Ralph. The narrative explores their personal lives and the complexities of their relationship within the context of the Australian outback.
- First release year
- 1983
- Runtime (minutes)
- 467
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Daryl Duke
- Writers
- Carmen Culver · writer; Lee Stanley · writer
- Cast and characters
- Richard Chamberlain; Rachel Ward; Barbara Stanwyck; Christopher Plummer; Jean Simmons; Bryan Brown; Philip Anglim; Richard Kiley; Piper Laurie; Mare Winningham
- Genres
- Drama; Romance
- Themes
- Forbidden Love; Family Saga; Catholicism; Christianity
- Tone and mood
- Romantic; Dramatic
- Setting
- Australian outback from the 1920s until the 1960s
- Premise and plot tags
- Family Saga; Romance; Drama; Historical
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
- Franchise connections
- The Thorn Birds
- Content notes
- Violence; Sexual references; Coarse language; Nudity
- Reception
- The series was enormously successful, being the second most widely watched television miniseries in history at the time, behind Roots. It scored a staggering 41.9 rating and 59 percent of the audience.
- Production trivia
- The role of Meggie Cleary was considered the role of a lifetime.; Lynne Frederick dyed her hair red to showcase herself for the role of Meggie Cleary.; The novel was originally developed as a feature film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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