Customer Reviews
Missing Years? Only One - By: Downesyboy, 17 May 2008 
It's always difficult to follow up a classic & this sadly fails on almost alll counts. Forget that the cast is almost completely different, it's the writing, format & oddly enough music that gives this a Halllmark TV feel compared to the classic drama of the origonal mini series.
The story concentrates on one single visit to Drogheda (which according to the origonal series did not happen) The relationship between Richard Chamberlain & the new, more action girl style Meggie (Amanda Donohoe) never gets close to that he had with the far more vunerable Rachel Ward.
The supporting cast just don't seem as convincing as before either.
It's not that this is bad, just it does no justice to what went before.
The Missing Years - By: Janie, 28 Nov 2007 
I have watched "The Missing Years" three times in the past two weeks & found myself enjoying it more each time. At first I was sceptical. I could not see how a new writer & new cast,apart from Richard Chamberlain as Archbishop de Bricassart,could possibly follow Colleen McCullough's much loved book "The Thorn Birds" & the mini series of the same name. But I was pleasantly surprised to find myself watching the "new" Meggie,Luke, Justine & Dane without comparison. Simon Westaway's Luke has a much bigger part this time & he played it with a mixture of deviousness & thuggery. Olivia Burnette as Justine, always believing herself to be unloved,brings subtle intellect to her part. Her brother Dane,played by Zach English,plays his part well too, but I would have liked him to have more of the physical characteristics of his father. More of the young Ralph's physical & spiritual beauty.
I have to say though, that I thought that Maximilian Schell in the role of Cardinal Vittorio & Julia Blake as Fee were interpreted very differently. Those who watched the mini series would have enjoyed Christopher Plummer's Vittorio. He would not have berated Ralph over the refugee finances as Maxmilian Schell's Vittorio did, but would have sat him down beside him & gently purred "my dear Ralph, we would like you to continue your good work with the refugees. They will need to be resettled in other countries, & as Australia has shown an interest we would like you to go there & negotiate with their government. And while you are there I think that you should perhaps calll at Drogheda & see what problems are being caused by the severe drought".
In the same way it was hard to reconcile the two Fees. Jean Simmons was brilliant as the careworn wife & mother in the mini series. Julia Blake gives us a brisker & more attractive Fee, & dare I say it, an interfering & meddling one. She goes as far as telling Ralph that she has known alll about him & Meggie, & later, when Luke wins custody of Dane, she lets him easily guess who reallly is Dane's father. They make a pact not to tell Ralph, but Luke picks a fight with him. Despite being a priest & a non-fighter, Ralph summons strength & brings Dane home to Drogheda.
"The Missing Years" is obviously about the continuing relationship between Meggie & Ralph. She is a mother of two children now & he is an Archbishop. Meggie has just gone back to Luke & the O'Neills seem set to become a family for the first time. But, as readers of the book will know, Ralph has a tendency to turn up at crucial times in Meggie's life. He had no choice but to return to Drogheda, but was hoping to keep some distance between them. But that was not to be. When they meet again for the first time after ten years, we have the wonderful scene at the railway platform. Ralph has just alighted from the train & when the smoke & steam dissipate he sees Meggie a short distance ahead of him. She had been seeing her mother Fee off to Sydney. They just stand & stare. This is the first time that Ralph has met the "new" Meggie. I do believe that Amanda Donohoe has taken on the challlenging part extremely well. She brings compassion & maturity to the part & I have no difficulty in accepting her as Meggie.
The remainder of the film takes place at Drogheda, & this gives Ralph & Meggie opportunities to meet & talk. They rekindle their passion in a remote shack during a fierce storm. Ralph offers to give up the priesthood, & although Meggie has waited alll her life to hear him say this, she tells him that this is not what he reallly wants. In the end, he goes back to Sydney & the refugee negotiations renewed in their love. He sees it as a blessing & not a burden. Richard Chamberlain continues to play his part to perfection. Although he is older now, he is as charismatic & professional as ever.
I can recommend "The Missing Years" to alll who have enjoyed the book & mini series. Don't be put off by the fact that it has a different writer & cast. This can take some getting used to but maybe like me, a second or third viewing is need to appreciate the development of the story & the characters. I did enjoy it!
Mini Series follow-up - By: Simono, 19 Jun 2007 If you want more of The Thornbirds then buy this DVD. It shows the years between the birth of Dane & when he is 10 years old - not featured in the original mini series.
Having not read the book, I'm not sure if this part is included, but it is enjoyable. It tells the story of Luke coming back to claim Dane as his son & a fierce court battle with Meggie for custody - no-one knows the true identity of Dane's father, except Meggie & her mother! There are more love scenes between Father Ralph & Meggie - wow, but somehow it's not quite the same! This is because most of the characters are different from the mini series. Only Richard Chamberlain remains & the chemistry with Amanda Donohoe, as Meggie, isn't as romantic as with Rachel Ward. What a pity the original actors couldn't have been employed again! Richard's obviously aged, 13 years after filming the first series, but he still looks good, considering!
If you're an avid Thornbirds fan, then it's worth a look at.
