I couldn't help thinking of playwright Lillian Hellman as I began watching this tale of an OLD matriarchal figure in love with a hunk of a young priest, a young priest with a crush on a young girl (and vice-versa), a father who had a negative relationship with his wife's son, and a son who hated his father for making his post-40s mother pregnant. Then a husband who doesn't really love his wife; babies that are wanted or unwanted. Etc. And therein lies the problem -- for me -- with this film. I couldn't find a single major character to root for. All were badly flawed people.
I remember watching this when it was on TV back in 1983, and it was nice watching it again, although frankly it isn't as good as I remember it being...although it is still better than most of what's on television nowadays. It's a great example of how mini-series can tell stories that could never really fit into a 2 hour movie.
Richard Chamberlain was...as usual...magnificent here. Rather perfect for the part. On the other hand, I was not impressed with Rachel Ward. She was...adequate; and ironically seemed better in the later years of the saga. Perhaps the standout performance was that of Jean Simmons. It got me thinking that while Simmons was never a flashy actress, time after time, in film after film, she turned in solid performances. Certainly one of America's most underrated actresses. She did win an Emmy for this performance.
I did have a little problem with Barbara Stanwyck's performance. Oh, good acting, and over the years an actress I always enjoyed. But at age 76, what I usually think of as false-teeth lisp (although it may be caused by other health factors) was a bit distracting. Nevertheless, good to see her here, a full 14 years after here television series ("The Big Valley") ended.
Back in 1983, this was my introduction to Bryan Brown. I remember being impressed with him, although there were few endeavors of his after this miniseries that impressed me. I was a bit disappointed in the performance of Richard Kiley. I guess maybe I was too used to seeing him more a college professor type role, and I didn't enjoy his depiction as a rough Irish farmer.
It's always a pleasure to see Christopher Plummer, and no less so here as a Catholic prelate. While this is not his best role, he added to the quality of the production.
In terms of the younger actors in the drama, none went on to bigger stardom, with the exception of Mare Winningham.
The production quality seemed somewhat low to me, and certainly care was not taken in some of the outdoor photography.
If you haven't seen it and you like sudsy melodrama, this is a good miniseries, and in seemed like the later "chapters" were done better than the early ones.
I remember watching this when it was on TV back in 1983, and it was nice watching it again, although frankly it isn't as good as I remember it being...although it is still better than most of what's on television nowadays. It's a great example of how mini-series can tell stories that could never really fit into a 2 hour movie.
Richard Chamberlain was...as usual...magnificent here. Rather perfect for the part. On the other hand, I was not impressed with Rachel Ward. She was...adequate; and ironically seemed better in the later years of the saga. Perhaps the standout performance was that of Jean Simmons. It got me thinking that while Simmons was never a flashy actress, time after time, in film after film, she turned in solid performances. Certainly one of America's most underrated actresses. She did win an Emmy for this performance.
I did have a little problem with Barbara Stanwyck's performance. Oh, good acting, and over the years an actress I always enjoyed. But at age 76, what I usually think of as false-teeth lisp (although it may be caused by other health factors) was a bit distracting. Nevertheless, good to see her here, a full 14 years after here television series ("The Big Valley") ended.
Back in 1983, this was my introduction to Bryan Brown. I remember being impressed with him, although there were few endeavors of his after this miniseries that impressed me. I was a bit disappointed in the performance of Richard Kiley. I guess maybe I was too used to seeing him more a college professor type role, and I didn't enjoy his depiction as a rough Irish farmer.
It's always a pleasure to see Christopher Plummer, and no less so here as a Catholic prelate. While this is not his best role, he added to the quality of the production.
In terms of the younger actors in the drama, none went on to bigger stardom, with the exception of Mare Winningham.
The production quality seemed somewhat low to me, and certainly care was not taken in some of the outdoor photography.
If you haven't seen it and you like sudsy melodrama, this is a good miniseries, and in seemed like the later "chapters" were done better than the early ones.