The Thorn Birds

Continuity mistake: When Mary Carson is touching Father Ralph when he is shirtless her hands keep changing position between shots.

Audio problem: When Meggie and Stu see the fire he cries "Oh my God". His mouth, however, is open when he begins to speak, then closes it, and it remains closed throughout the rest of the line.

Factual error: During the huge thunderstorm which causes the fire you can see that it's actually a bright, sunny day with only a mild overcast. Several times you can see the sky in the shots and though sometimes lightning bolts are visible there are only a few light clouds on an otherwise blue sky.

Audio problem: When Meggie cries "It's starting to rain" over and over, as she hugs Stu tightly her lips are not moving, even though she is still speaking.

Visible crew/equipment: When Luke enters the shearing barn after the rest of the crew has gone, the camera rigging is briefly visible at the lower right of the screen.

Jean G

Factual error: When Stu finds Paddy he has burned to death. Yet his clothes are still intact and not very scorched at all.

Factual error: Dane's funeral is held at Christmastime, but people are wearing winter coats. (December is summer in Australia.).

Visible crew/equipment: During the rain storm, when Frank comes in from outside, the camera equipment and crew are reflected in the window.

Jean G

Revealing mistake: When the youngest baby (Hal) dies and Father Ralph de Bricassart holds him, he is moving (and cannot be dead therefore). When they show the dead baby moments later, it doesn't look like a real baby anymore. (01:32:30)

Ralph de Bricassart: What kind of man is this Luke O'Neill, who roams about and doesn't even make a home for Meggie?
Fiona 'Fee' Cleary: The ambitious kind.

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Question: Fee tells Mary she has two deceased sons. She tells her this before the deaths of Stuart and Hal. I don't remember any other of the Cleary children dying in the novel, what two sons is she referring to?

Answer: When Fee was very young, she had an affair with a man and became pregnant. To avoid a scandal, she was quickly married off to Paddy Cleary, a good and honest man, but someone far below Fee in social class. The eldest son (from Fee's previous relationship) never felt that he fit into the family, and both he and the second eldest son left home early on and met premature deaths. Neither character appears in the TV series, they are only mentioned. Stu and Hal are killed later in the story.

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