The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years

This would of been great if this part of the story was in the original but it wasn't! So here it is 13 years later! Only Richard returns! We have a woman cast as Meggie that looks like she be more at home on the Womens P.G.A. TOUR! The story here is weak! It is still a little kick to see old friends but when your friends have had face-lifts they don't seem the same! If this is the only thing left at the video store one night READ a book in fact read the THORN BIRDS

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.

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.

I read the book and loved the original mini serie. And yes, 19 years were skipped in it.

But only one thing from the book is here in The missing years. The brothers who went to fight in ww 2. The rest is totally made up for this unnecessary flick.

Luke never came back to Meggie and abducted Dane. That storyline is utter rubbish. It makes these so called missing years a hidious deviation from the original story by Colleen McCullough.

Only Richard Chamberlain reprised his role as Ralph de Bricassart, the other characters are replaced with other actors. On top of that they act completely out of character. Complete waste of time, this thing.

This sequel departs from cannon of the original story so, one wonders if the creators actually viewed the original mini-series. It was a shame to see Colleen McCullough's carefully detailed characters (some of them) bent to suit the plot of this contrived piece of work. Oddly, Feonna Cleary (an a-vowed atheist in the original mini-series) has suddenly found faith and speaks about "God's greatests blessings" a multitude of times through out the film. To-wit, also, after years of running Drogheda, she is relagated in this sequel to knitting and a "cheery attitude". Amanda Donahoe does a reasonable job of potraying Megan Cleary-O'Neil. Richard Chamberlain seems to work very hard at keeping the characterization of Fr. (now Arch Bishop) Ralph D'Brickesar authentic. A portion of the original mini-series is totally ignored in respect to the character of Luke O'Neil (in respect to Meagan's ending her relationship with him) And Lastly, this is really the nineties (well now the millinium) Does anyone really sigh with relief when Luke O'Neil arrives on the scene because (as "Fee" puts it) "We need a man around the place"? I say rent or own the original and leave the missing years missing in action!