The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years

There is a legend about a bird...

which sings just once in its life...

more sweetly than

any other creature...

on the face of the earth.

From the moment it leaves the nest...

it searches for a thorn tree...

and doesn't rest

until it's found one.

Then, singing among

the savage branches...

it impales itself upon the

longest, sharpest spine.

And dying, it rises

above its own agony...

to out-carol the lark

and the nightingale...

and the whole world

stills to listen...

and God in his heaven smiles.

For the best is bought only

at the cost of great pain...

or so says the legend.

Inside, everybody!

You, priest!

-Don't you know about the curfew?

-A man is dying.

And what's this?

His dinner?

His family is very poor,

his children are starving.

Meat! Chicken!

-We haven't seen this in months.

-All we get is macaroni.

For God's sake, have mercy on them!

Out whoring and drinking, more like.

All rotten priests are the same.

-On your way, priest.

-And don't break curfew again.

It's not much, but it

will help. Bring them out.

-Dear God. How many more?

-The Allies have landed in Sicily.

Mussolini can't last

now. It won't be long.

It will be long enough.

You are all welcome here.

And you can take this off.

You don't need it anymore.

-It is the law.

-It's a Fascist law.

-This is the house of God.

-lf there is a God at all.

He has forsaken us.

Perhaps it is we who

have forgotten him.

This man seems to

doubt the power of God.

So put your faith in me.

You're under my protection now,

and no harm will come to you.

And you don't need this.

Follow me.

No. There are too many already.

lf the Fascists find

out, what happens to me?

This is my church. I am responsible.

We are all responsible, Father.

I absolve you of any blame.

lf the authorities find out...

Ill say it was all my

doing. Go back to your dinner.

It's best you don't know.

Come along.

Come along.

Follow me this way. Come along.

It isn't much, I know, but you'll be

safe here for as long as you need to be.

Thank you from the bottom

of my heart. You are a saint.

No. Far from it. Please.

Ill try to find a

doctor for you tomorrow.

Meanwhile, make yourselves

as comfortable as possible.

Father, my grandson, Samuel...

protect him.

And find a safe haven for him...

if such a place still exists.

You can both live in that place.

I don't want to live.

I saw what the Nazis did...

to his parents.

To my wife.

When I know that the boy is safe...

I want to be with her.

Ill do what I can for him.

You swear on your sacred,

solemn love of God?

I swear on my sacred oath.

Now rest.

There are too many. We have

no food for them tomorrow.

Ill find some.

-And we need some medicine.

-Ill find some.

And you must rest, My Lord.

You put us all to shame.

No. We must do what we can.

Ill do the rest.

I know these are

difficult times, Ralph...

but when the Holy Father says mass...

his servant should not be late.

All across Europe, thousands

of displaced people...

are seeking some sanctuary

from this ravaging war...

and Holy Mother Church

is doing nothing.

What has that to do with being late?

We know that punctuality and

obedience are not your virtues...

but at least you could

show some respect.

And, you know, we do whatever we can.

No, Your Eminence, we do

as little as possible...

because we don't want to offend

one Great Power or the other...

until we know which side will win.

Meanwhile, the homeless

have nowhere to go...

no future to look forward to,

and no one to take care of them.

-So I do what I can.

-Are you going to be a politician now?

Listen to me, Ralph. Many

people admire your work.

It has even been discussed

with the Holy Father himself...

and I think your future as

a cardinal seems assured.

It's all I have hoped for

you, ever since Ive met you.

But...

you cannot have one

breath of scandal...

not one hint of it...

-to taint your dazzling future.

-What scandal?

You know perfectly well

what Im talking about.

Your management of the great

fortune of Mary Carson...

which you brought into the Church,

and which you are in charge of.

-Ive used this much for the refugees.

-You cannot use any of it.

The money belongs to the Church...

and you cannot use the

tiniest fraction of it...

for purposes the Church

does not deem appropriate.

-Saving human lives is not appropriate?

-Of course it is appropriate...

and you know that.

But it is not up to you to decide.

-It is not your decision.

-What am I to do?

My priests and I

scrounge, beg, and steal...

to feed the refugees for one night...

never knowing whether

they will starve the next.

Then we have to

persuade the Church...

-to loosen her purse strings.

-And when the war is over?

-Then they can go home.

-Most of them have no homes now.

-There are other countries-- -Who

don't want them, won't take them.

Then we have to use our political...

diplomatic power...

and convince them to

change their policies...

and to help find

countries of refuge...

for these unfortunate souls.

Ill do...

what I can...

if you give me your sacred word...

now...

that you will not

use one penny more...

of the Carson money.

-I can't make that vow.

-You must.

Not only for me, but for yourself.

You have not only friends here.

There are powerful forces

lining up against you.

Let them do their worst...

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