The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years (1996) (TV)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Kevin James Dobson

Writers (WGA):

Colleen McCullough (novel)
David Stevens (written by)

Release Date:

11 February 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Actually taking place in the middle of the original Thorn Birds miniseries, which chronicled the love affair of Meggie Cleary and Fr...

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Based On Novel

Cast

Richard Chamberlain	...	Ralph de Bricassart
Amanda Donohoe	...	Meggie Cleary O'Neill
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Bertram	...	Harry Gough
Julia Blake	...	Fee Cleary
Olivia Burnette	...	Justine O'Neill
Michael Caton	...	Bill Masters
Jimmy Costas	...	Italian officer
Rob Doran	...	Blackshirt #2
Zach English	...	Dane O'Neill
Peter Ford	...	The Warder
Christopher Gabardi	...	Father Angelo
Adam Grossetti	...	Tony Masters
Jonathan Hardy	...	Father Emilio
John Heywood	...	Doctor
Phillip Hinton	...	Levi
Enrico Mammarella	...	Blackshirt #1
Marijke Mann	...	Mrs. Smith
Ingrid Mason	...	The Mother
Maximilian Schell	...	Cardinal Vittorio
Todd Schulberg	...	Samuel
Robert Taylor	...	Jack Cleary
Jack Thompson	...	The Judge
Simon Westaway	...	Luke O'Neill

Directed by
Kevin James Dobson

Writing credits (WGA)
Colleen McCullough		(novel "The Thorn Birds")
David Stevens		(written by)

Produced by
Jeffrey M. Hayes	....	executive producer
Darryl Sheen	....	producer
David Stevens	....	co-producer
David L. Wolper	....	executive producer
Mark Wolper	....	producer

Original Music by
Garry McDonald
Laurie Stone		(as Lawrence Stone)

Cinematography by
Ross Berryman

Film Editing by
Stephen Butler
Philip Reid

Production Design by
Stewart Burnside

Art Direction by
Michael Rumpf

Costume Design by
Jean Turnbull

Production Management
Julie Forster	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Brett Popplewell	....	first assistant director
Wade Savage	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Bob Booker	....	props
Karyn-Lee 'Lilly' Miyoshi	....	props set dresser
Ray Pedler	....	scenic artist
Rolland Pike	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Julius Chan	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Matt Sloan	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
James Rogers	....	digital compositor
Peter Webb	....	digital compositor
Derek Wentworth	....	digital matte painter

Stunts
Danny Baldwin	....	stunt coordinator
Sue Baldwin	....	stunts
Haydn Dalton	....	stunts
Mike Kent	....	stunts
Darryl Young	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Jason Binnie	....	second assistant camera
David Elmes	....	first assistant camera
Daryl Pearson	....	best boy
Dick Tummel	....	gaffer

Music Department
Robin Gray	....	music scoring engineer

Other crew
Kathryn Metcalfe	....	production assistant
Yuell Newsome	....	stock librarian
Jenny Quigley	....	script supervisor
Rebecca Thornell	....	clearance

Production Companies

• Village Roadshow Pictures
• Warner Bros. Television
• Wolper Organization, The

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1996) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Photon Stockman

Runtime:

USA:178 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Company:

Village Roadshow Pictures

Trivia:

Richard Chamberlain was the only original cast member to reprise his role from the original miniseries.

Quotes:

Fee: Don't do to Meggie what you did to Mary Carson. Don't destroy her with love!

Movie Connections:

Follows "The Thorn Birds" (1983)

Comments to AnnieP

Just saw your review of the movie and it made me smile. My son Zach played Dane in the movie. The funny part is that Zach is anything BUT a goody-goody; how he was able to turn on the charm when the cameras were rolling is beyond me. The character definitely was a bit too sappy and innocent, but it worked within the framework of the story. My opinion is that Amanda Donohoe was poorly cast as Meggie, which was the mini-series' downfall. You say that the movie is available on video, but I haven't seen it anywhere, nor has Warner Bros. released it to video stores. ( I do, however, have my own copy of it, sent to me by the studio. )

Shooting the film in Australia was a complete blast -- the best experience we've ever had in this business. Thanks for your comments. It's interesting to read reviews about my son's work!