Heather Huston wrote:
The Thorn Birds. I think its just under the time limit.

Sadly, Heather the total runtime of “The Thornbirds” is 477 minutes (do the math and that’s almost 8 hours). Since I have a 4 hour time limit for the site, I don’t feel so bad that I didn’t watch the WHOLE THING. I did, however, watch the first disc, and what a disc it was! 

The Thornbirds (mini-series) - Dir. Daryl Duke 1983

The Plot (of disc one, anyway): A money/power hungry traveling priest in the outback of Australia is seduced by an old lady and romantically attracted to a little girl.

What Makes it Watchable: I had a conversation with my girlfriend the other day about me and romantic movies. She finds it odd that films like “She’s All That” and “Sweet Home Alabama” hold my interest, but I had a very difficult time making it through “The Notebook”. We came to the conclusion that I don’t like “romances” but can enjoy “romantic comedies”. I think I’ll have to ammend that conclusion, cause “The Thornbirds”–a romance if ever there was one–held my attention for like 3 hours. In fact, had I asked Netflix to ship me the other 5 hours, I’d probably have watched those, too.

So, I’ve come to my own conclusion about romances and romantic comedies: I can enjoy either as long as they are entertaining. To put it another way:”The Notebook” just plain sucks.

“The Thornbirds” was actually fun. Maybe some people don’t find old ladies seducing traveling priests and priests staring longingly at little girls entertaining, but I did. The film is a little over the top–just enough that the acting is convincing but campy at the same time. There’s not a lot of humor in the story, but there are plenty of opportunities to laugh. If you’ve ever watched a movie where about 40 percent of the screen time is dedicated to accusing stares and expressions of shame, you’ll get the picture.

Averted Eyes: 0

Needed Breaks: 2

Overall Rating from One to Ten: 6

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