| | OK, I've watched all 8 hours of this "sprawling saga" but if anyone's looking for Objectivist content they'll be completely out of luck. The plot is almost totally involved with Richard Chamberlain's ambition to sacrifice himself to God rather than have a life with the woman (Rachel Ward) whom he loves, "but not as much as God." So, he has a constant struggle with the mind/body dichotomy. Self-sacrifice is the watchword of all of the principal characters who might be considered heroes.
The story starts out with Barbara Stanwyck, a 75 year old widow who is arguably the richest woman in Australia, wreaking vengeance on Chamberlain, at that time just a priest and about 30 years her junior, because she has loved him for a very long time and he has rebuffed her for the church (as he does later to Rachel Ward.) She does this by endowing the Catholic Church with her sheep ranch, which is worth 13 million pounds, in 1920s money, with the stipulation that he have authority on its management. She knows that this action will cause his ultimate downfall which (guess what?) it does.
Back at the ranch, and the Vatican, there is a lot of complicated relationships going on — children dying, wildfires, adultery and all the drama that make a good soap opera.
In summary, the actors are very, very good, the production and scenery are great but if you want more than a soap opera this doesn't cut it. It is entertaining, though, if you are looking for a tear jerker.
Sam
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