उपयोगकर्ता समीक्षाएं

It was brave of Yorkshire Television to take on a filmed adaptation of Paul Scott's massive novel 'The Jewel in the Crown'. All-in-all they did a good job of it. Wisely the script focuses in on the personal relationships within the context of a changing India. The jarring complexities of "old" India rubbing up against the modernizing influences of the British Raj is vividly conveyed, mostly in the smaller, quieter moments, as when Harry Kumar takes Daphne Manners to visit his aunt and the behavior of the servants and the Rajput princess with whom Daphne is living.

It's true that there is a great deal of dialog, in a soap opera-ish sense. There are times in some of the later episodes when I thought I was watching some bit of trash on TV on a Wednesday afternoon, but then I'd focus in on what the characters were saying and realize that it was deep and important stuff. You have to pay attention to 'The Jewel in the Crown' or it does indeed become a muddle and a bore. If you lose the train of thought you will not be rescued by brilliant cinematography or sound-track because both are inferior, which is a big shame. Perhaps it is the awful A&E dvds that are the problem, something that could be rectified with a remastering of the original films and sound- track. As it stands the sound is execrable, oftentimes the music and background rumble drowning out the speaking voices of the main characters. The musical score itself is wonderful and the actual camera-work is very good, which makes the loss of a good picture and decent sound-track all the more frustrating.

As for the acting, the thing is chocked-full of fine performances. Some of the characters are indeed a little too clichéd and, in the case of Ronald Merrick, completely over the top, but Merrick's character works, as a dramatic contrivance, to add to the melodrama of the story... something which may or may not have been the purpose of Scott's creation in the first place. But that's entertainment!

My favorite performances were Eric Portman's crafty old Russian emigré, Count Bronowsky. Porter was a great actor and is greatly missed. I savor his every appearance in 'The Jewel in the Crown' because he evokes the old Northern world of honor and good breeding, now extinct. His character makes me wish for a great film of the true story of the White Russians who had to flee the Bolsheviks in the first two decades of the 20th century, for such disparate places as India, Paris and Manchuria.

Susan Wooldridge is superb as Daphne Manners, ditto Art Malik as Harry Kumar. I enjoyed Charles Dance's upper-crust but manly Sergeant and found Derrick Branche's Ahmed Kasim a fascinating and seductive person. Peggy Ashcroft's old missionary lady is heart-breaking in the loss of her simple faith in God, conveying, in the end, a powerful and sibylline persona. It is good to see Rachel Kempson (Mrs Michael Redgrave) in one of her last roles on film. Tim Pigot-Smith manages to make an unbelievable character, Ronald Merrick, human, well, almost. He's a monster of bigotry, jealousy and class envy, and Pigot-Smith plays him so convincingly that it is difficult to imagine a more effective portrayal of pure evil by anyone else. Pigot-Smith steals the show, on the whole.

This TV series is definitely worth owning on DVD; if only A&E hadn't tossed it off in such a haphazard manner. Still, it's better 'n nuttin'.

...just as I imagine India during these "interesting times". The plot (greatly simplified here!) revolves about a number of English expatriots living in India at the time of the Raj and during the difficult struggle for independence. The acting is superb, particularly Peggy Ashcroft; and as in so many British productions, great care is taken to cast brilliant actors in even the smallest of roles.

The many characters' lives intersect in the most surprising ways, there are regular dollops of action and violence--this is riveting television! I remember receiving only a sound broadcast for one episode--no picture--and I sat by the screen for the full hour in rapt attention.

There is much to learn about human nature, both the dark and the joyful, and about the politics of imperialism, and about an awe-inspiring country and culture, from this beautifully crafted series. Highly recommended.

This mammoth series does a beautiful job of bringing Paul Scott's novels 'The Raj Quartet' to the screen.

The scene is the period of time at the end of the British Raj, the characters are well drawn and believable (particularly Tim Pigott-Smith as the racist and intolerant Captain Merrick, a complex character, and Art Malik as the intellectual Indian Hari Kumar). Scott's novel was an engrossing read and 'Jewel' does it proud.

One of those series which goes in all sorts of different directions before it comes to its moving and surprising conclusion. One of the great pieces of British TV drama.

The person who wrote the other review here dismays me. I loved The Jewel In The Crown and highly recommend it! I think it's a very skillful and successful adaptation for TV from fiction.

My own views about this series have changed -- from good to better. A few years ago, I rented it and watched it over a couple days. I thought it was very good, a haunting, tragic story very well done. I realize now that I watched it then very literally, very matter-of-fact, and saw it mostly as a straightforward series of events in the lives of these people trying to cope with the turmoil of the last days of the British in India. I viewed it mostly as a sort of soap opera.

Recently I read all four of the books from which this story was taken, and what an illumination! These novels are brilliant, and I'm stunned with admiration for the talent of the writer, Paul Scott. So after turning the last page, I hot-footed it down to my local video store and rented the whole shebang AGAIN -- and this time saw it as a giant allegory, laden with symbolism, foreshadowing, and irony. The acting is top notch across the board -- you won't find better -- and it's visually striking. There are scenes in this movie that I'll never forget, in the same way the characters are haunted by them.

Instead of a meandering and random soap opera, I saw how event built upon event, how characters affected one another, how chance meetings changed lives, how it all slouched inexorably towards the climax -- or anticlimax -- of the devastating conclusion.

I am amazed at the skillfulness of the screenplay -- to compress those four novels and all their layers of complexity into this TV series. It really is astonishing how the *intent* and *spirit* of the story is communicated... it's not bashing you over the head, but it's *implied*.

I love how the story does not spoon-feed you. I love how the characters don't make sense and we must puzzle them out for ourselves. We're left with a hundred questions about why they did what they did, and I will enjoy speculating about that for years to come. (If you like pat answers, steer clear of this one.)

I loved this series, I intend to buy the videos, and I highly recommend it.

I first saw The Jewel in the Crown while I was in college on video. I was quite drawn in by it. There are many fine performances in this piece including Susan Wooldridge (Daphne Manners), Art Malik (Hari Kumar), Tim Pigott-Smith (Merrick), Geraldine James (Sarah Layton), Judy Parfitt (Mildred Layton), Dame Peggy Ashcroft (Barbie Bachelor), and Charles Dance (Guy Peron). It is these performances which keep the piece moving in the "less interesting" parts.

In fact, I think it is the persona of Sarah Layton played by Geraldine James that makes the middle part of the series really go. She comes across as being quite likeable and reasonable living in a situation and time that is full of discord and chaos. Judy Parfitt is wonderful as her mother. And when Charles Dance enters the picture as Guy Peron..... well I had hoped that Sarah Layton would really just settle with Guy. The chemistry they have on screen was quite palpable.

The series can be a bit stiff and starchy which is fitting considering the subject matter and the characters. I really enjoyed the Daphne-Hari romance. More wonderful chemistry between the characters. The world was well painted as full of turmoil for the British Raj whose rule in India was ending during the chaos of WWII.

Definitely worth watching. I recommend this work highly.

This miniseries is compelling, well-told, beautifully filmed, and superbly acted. With a powerfully moving script, it tells the story of the complex relationship between the British and Indian people at the end of British rule of the subcontinent. It has history, romance, action, mystery, and even a mild dose of sex and violence. ;-) It definitely has something for everyone.

I cried, laughed, was amazed, and said "Oh my God!" and "I knew it!" several times. I was glued to the screen and later watched my favorite scenes a second or third time.

Absolutely its only shortcoming was that there were no subtitles. Being as old as it is and with the many accents, it's sometimes a bit hard to make out the exact lines. But it's so easy to follow (yet never dull) that I was never lost. If A&E ever re-releases this with enhanced sound and subtitles, I'll snag it up in a New York minute! Even my husband (who normally hates British films) really enjoyed this. He hated to miss a minute; by Chapter 3, he was utterly hooked.

See this wonderful piece of work if you can. It's well worth every hour.

Ignore the poor reviews. This is an exquisite piece of work, possibly the best British drama series ever. I have watched this five or six times since it was first aired in 1984 and every time it's fresh. The casting is impeccable. The TV series launched the careers of Charles Dance, Tim Pigott-Smith, Art Malik and Geraldine James but also featured established actors of the day such as Eric Porter, Judy Parfitt and the legendary Peggy Ashcroft. (The latter's performance is a master class in simple - or seemingly simple - truthful acting - our hearts bleed for her character, Barbie. Peggy Ashcroft preferred theatre so there is not that much of her recorded on film. This is the very best of her recorded work and should, and will be, treasured). Of course in 2020 when I'm writing this review we are now well used to extensive and beautifully made HBO TV series but in 1984 Jewel in the Crown at 13 episodes was a rarity. Brideshead Revisited was released three years earlier in 11 episodes but such productions were rare - we were used to 6 episodes at most. But Jewel in the Crown was a true gem. Somehow Ken Taylor for Granada TV managed to condense Paul Scott's Raj quartet of four lengthy novels into 13 one hour episodes and Christopher Morahan and Jim O'Brien directed the impeccable cast with perfect pace and care. The result is wonderful and captures the turbulent time in India's history perfectly. We learn so much of the troubles of India in the last few years of British rule. The series is presented as a composite of interlocking stories and characters revealing the collapse of the British Raj from 1942-1947 just prior to the independence of India. It also reveals the snobbery and sense of entitlement of the British which today makes us feel uncomfortable. Now with another lockdown looming I think it might be time to read the original novels.

I first read all the books which are just marvelous and then I saw the TV adaptation. Can't count the number of times I have watched it. Watched the series rebroadcast on local public TV station and then binge watched it all over again.

The characters are unforgettable and so very realistic. The line "there's nothing I can do" appears over and over again to portray the impossibility of standing in the way of the change about to come over India.

Scott did a superb job of portraying the Raj, the Muslims, the Hindus, the English air of superiority and the class system of the English, all the while depicting the end of the Raj and the beginning of the new India.

It is also a feast for the eyes, showing many beautiful locations in India and depicting the railroad travel of the day in a fascinating way.

Can't figure out why the negative comments here. Did these people really watch the series?? The overall rating given by viewers is far more accurate. Have viewed this 3 times, including once on TV. The best mini series I have ever seen. Outstanding performances. (True that Ronald Merrick is stereotyped, but this is how he is in Paul Scott's Raj Quartet, the books on which the series is based -- well worth reading.) The love story of Daphne Manners and Hari Kumar is poignant and lovely, and it is an interesting foil for the other "love stories" that follow (Susan and her husband, Sarah and the soldier, Sarah and Guy, Mildred and the colonel) -- all pale considerably. The racial prejudice is quite accurately depicted. All in all, a very satisfying viewing experience. (Probably women would like this more than men.)

Saw the TV series first and then read all 4 books of the Raj Quartet. The books and the series are masterful and I have now purchased the DVD. The BBC and Masterpiece Theatre know how to present history. The actors are superb. I recommend the books and the series highly to anyone interested in history. What I found particularly interesting is the relationship between the Indians and the English Colonials and how the relationship changes over the course of the story which spans from 1939 - 1948 roughly. Paul Scott the author lived in India for a number of years and he fairly and painstakingly recreates the nuances, the feelings that flow between the occupier and occupied. It has been a pleasure to discover this series and the books. If you have not read them or seen the series, you are in for a great journey and treat.

You need all the patience to watch this series.. it's unexpectedly lengthy and boring.

This show (and particularly the reactions to it from certain people) is "interesting" from a sociological perspective. It shows very well the efforts of people working at any media to shift and rearange the perspective of people on the "other" or even their self-image in comparison to the aforementioned "other".

It's quite comical when people call this show "not a soap-opera" or "complex" of all things and I had a good laugh as so often when I hear peoples opinion on films.

Let me put it simply: A bunch of random characters (all with an ideological function, though) live in colonial india. This soap-opera (!) revolves around an over-integrated indian Gary-Stu who only speaks (british) english because he is such a good boy and his love story with the heroine Mary Sue, a white upper-class woman (the people working on this didn't really care about people who are below upper-class except when it helped them making a point against white people.

Other characters include a indian doctor with a funny accent who is the helpful guy who explains stuff and some other moral and one-sided Indians, a cliche nun or a comically mean and evil police guy who bullies brown people for fun, of course.

The show itself is a melodramatic soap-opera revolving around the parody of a parody of a shakespearean love-story, full of self-righteous moralizing (literally from the first minute on), smug demonstrations of moral highness and hackneyed social commentary on class-struggle and such.

Of course, that's exatly what it wants to be and what viewers want since there are no ambiguous characters, no situations in which characters have to make hard decisions. Instead, it's very obvious from the beginning who you're supposed to root with and you don't have to think to much. Shows like this must be very soothing for people - who wants to be challenged by shows and films anyway?

There's a small scene in the first 2 hour episode of Jewel in the Crown about 80 minutes in. Susan Wooldridge, a gangly maladroit, clearly not cut out for India, is sleeping. The long awaited rain wakes her and she gets up and walks out onto the balcony. The obsessional loving care and artistry that is evident in just this single minute tell you everything you need to know about the quality of Jewel in the Crown. The set and the lighting on the sleeping figure momentarily transforms the character who will later be known, pejoratively as "that Manners girl" into the Diana-like beauty she always imagined she would become. Wooldridge is convincingly asleep and wakes naturally, and surprise, delight and relief register on her face as she revels in the feel of rain on her face. Nothing is out the book. It's all fresh, original, new. A great piece of acting by Wooldridge, never surpassed or even approached by all the other actors and actresses who have had to play this popular little scene, present in so many other movies. A great piece of directing, lighting, scene setting and costume design.

Aside from this one, there are 649 other minutes and the same care and devotion is taken with all of them. In the episode "The Mughal Room", Sara Layton and Guy Perron spend Guy's last afternoon exploring the Governor's Summer residence at Pankot. 7 minutes go by without any dialogue in this little elegy for the cobwebbed glory of the Raj before they settle down in one of the bedrooms to make love. You won't find anything else like it in mainstream television. Very hard to do but very beautiful.

But then the whole story is excellent, beautifully paced, tragic, funny, pathetic, illuminating and exciting by turns. I've watched it a number of times and I never want it to end.

It really is the best drama series ever made.

My mother used to make occasional references to this landmark tv series, all through my teens, twenties. Then, one day, I saw it on video and thought to myself, I'll get this for mum. And so, we watched it, together. And then rewatched it, and again, and again, bingeing entire videos (or discs).

Today I started it again, four years to the day since her death. Was that a coincidence?

Adapted from Paul Scott's tetralogy, The Raj Quartet, and produced by Christopher Morahan for Granada Television, The Jewel in the Crown (1984) has 14 episodes, the first feature length, the others all approx 50 mins. It tells stories of the last years of British imperial rule in India, from 1942-47. It begins with a story of forbidden love, and then goes on from there to show how the colonial population is affected by the aftershocks emanating from that episode, as much from the turmoil of WW2. Gandhi calls upon the British to quit India, leave her to God or anarchy. The Japanese are threatening invasion. Captured Indian soldiers are turning against their British officers and fighting with the enemies, after generations of faithful service. Everything is plunging into doubt and uncertainty.

And the human drama, or is it comedy, carries on. Class prejudice as much as racial, snobbery, spitefulness (there are A LOT of female characters in Jewel, by the way), disappointment, appointment, ambition, seduction, love, friendship, ageing, vulnerability, betrayal, intrigue, and any other descriptors you care to fling into Shiva's ring of fire. This is a drama that is very deep, hence the repeat viewings I mentioned. It is full of enigmas, metaphors, strangenesses, visitations (for example, the apparition of Lady Ethel Manners, witnessed by the grieving missionary, Miss Batchelor; was she really there or not? Was she a ghostly remainder of grace? A graciousness lost to time, or as they might say in the show, a promise unfulfilled?)

What contributes towards making Jewel exemplary amongst TV shows is the superlative quality of its acting, which is rightly invisible (we see only characters, not performances), the fact that it was filmed on location, and the splendid Anglo-Indian musical scoring by George Fenton. The most recognisable face in the series, I imagine, for newcomers will be that of Charles Dance, Tywin Lannister in Game of Thones, but here young, blonde, remarkably handsome. Art Malik too, the unfortunate Hari Kumar, who was in some Hollywood movies in the late 80s and early 90s. But there are also such thesps as Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Tim Pigott-Smith.

It's only just occurred to me that there are no Yanks in it. Not a one. Isn't that amazing? The only reference to the States is the A-bomb. I suppose it makes sense, because after all this is the story of an old order, the British Empire, making way for new superpowers.

As I say, I've watched this series many times. It is a classic so it never gets old. In fact, the more I watch it the deeper it strikes. People toss the word tragedy around rather too freely, especially in tabloid newspapers. What Jewel shows is a tragedy in action. It is profoundly, desperately sad. It is, as the youngsters say nowadays, a lot.

Don't worry. It won't give you India Syndrome. But it could make you dream of far-off lands and bygone days, when people were people, not robots.

With a cast that includes Dame Peggy Ashcroft, Geraldine James, Rachel Kempson, Judy Parfit and many more what else can you expect. This very well written adaptation of Paul Scott's "The Raj Quartet" demonstrates the quality of British TV Drama. There are some unforgettable scenes in this series that make it a must see.

Oh that Beecham House had the blunt audacity this series has. The last days of the Raj and British racism at it's worst, portrayed a stellar cast. Few series hold up so well over time. Well done.

Amazing that I've never seen this. I thought it would be overwrought (although there are certainly instances of overacting, they are relatively rare) and cheesy like most of the series and/or movies from the 80s. It is really very good and provides a lot of food for thought. It also offers a rather nuanced overview of the British occupation of India and the detriment suffered by the Indian people as a result. There are certainly sympathetic British characters but frankly, they are a rarity. The vast majority of the British as portrayed are petty, silly, and completely full of themselves. A surprisingly good watch!

This work kept me interested throughout, especilly enjoyed the photography and the insights into the Indian culture. Tim was totally evil and the girl was wimpy, but people are that way!!!! Sometimes your heroes aren't all that heroic, You don't have to love and hate every character in the show. If any fault at all, the characters could have been even more developed than this mini-series did them, and there could have been more explaination of some of the traditions of the Indian people. (like the Sutee scene.) Over all I enjoyed this series and rewatch and pick up new things every couple of years.

Apologies but those above who have slated the series by rubbishing the acting I feel, are seriously mistaken. Those who have said that the British characters were too reserved and meandering are quite correct - it is how British people were and definitely how they were portrayed in Paul Scotts original book. The beauty of the piece lies in its tender subtlety which provides in itself enough drama without constant high adrenaline action so common to the Hollywood Blockbuster. Tim Pigott Smith was just beautiful with his sadistic menacing Ronald Merrick who definitely goes top on my list of all time favourites. The whole piece when watched one after the other definitely gives the sense of time and place which - living in modern times it is often easy to lose sight of. Thumbs up to all the cast I feel that the acting from all members was superb.As the show progresses the viewer gets gradually enveloped and involved in the lives of these people the thing to remember about this piece is that it is not necessarily the action which enhances the show but more importantly the psychological development of every single character ( maybe with the exception on Aunt Fenny - funny but was only there for convenience - to introduce Sarah to Jimmy the soldier)