Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Favorite Quotes from "The Thornbirds"

My favorite movie of all times is The Thornbirds. It is such a beautiful movie. I’ve talked about it a little in an earlier post, but I intend to provide a summary of it at some point when I have time and all. I hope these quotes give you an idea of why I am crazy about this movie! (P.S. It’s a book as well, but I’ve yet to read it. The movie was brilliantly made, and I can’t imagine how the book would be even better!)
For the characters, know that Ralph and Meggie desperately love each other, though Meggie was a little girl when she first met him (he’s the only one who seems to have recognized her existence in a good way; it was especially her mother who hated her guts because of her gender). But Ralph is a priest who wants to attain the highest level of priesthood, forbidding him any intimate relations with a woman. Still, as hard as he tries to resist Meggie, he fails.

Enjoy!

Ralph (the Father): … and what would that make you? Surely not the Pope!
Mary (an old woman who’s in love with Ralph, much younger than she): Oh, no, no. That’s too dull. Satan, perhaps. That’s more interesting.
Father: And more powerful!
Mary: Well, every heaven needs one just to stay in business.


Ralph: How will we live without him?
Meggie: We will. Your God gathers in the good ones... and leaves the living to those of us who fail. Your greedy God! There *is* no peace with him!

Ralph, to Meggie (telling the legend of the thorn bird): There's a story... a legend, about a bird that sings just once in its life. From the moment it leaves its nest, it searches for a thorn tree... and never rests until it's found one. And then it sings... more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. And singing, it impales itself on the longest, sharpest thorn. But, as it dies, it rises above its own agony, to outsing the lark and the nightingale. The thorn bird pays its life for just one song, but the whole world stills to listen, and God in his heaven smiles.

Meggie, to Ralph (on the fire that just killed someone she loves): That dear and gentle God who has taken from me everyone that I've loved most in the world. One by one. [Person 1], and [Person 2]... and [Person 3].. and my father. And you, of course. Always you. If God is merciful... left me no one else to grieve.
Ralph: He is merciful, I know you can't see that now, but he is. He spared the rose. He sent the rain.
Meggie: Oh Ralph... who sent the fire?

Ralph (on Meggie): Fee, she's your daughter. It's as if you never remember that.
Fiona “Fee”: Does any woman? What's a daughter? Just a reminder of the pain... a younger version of oneself... who will do all the same things, cry the same tears. No, Father. I try to forget I have a daughter.

“There are no ambitions noble enough to justify breaking someone's heart.” Oh my God! I can’t remember which character said this. Was it Ralph? It doesn’t sound like him, though. I’ll be re-watching this movie soon, so I’ll know. Google doesn’t seem to know – whaaaaaaatt.

P.S. A lot of these quotes are courtesy of IMBD.

WORD COUNT: 562! YYYYES! Another success :) Trying to stay under 600, remember?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Dare to opine :)

Related Posts

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...