The Jewel in the Crown (25th Anniversary Edition)
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Art Malik, Charles Dance, Peggy AshcroftBrand: A and E Home Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 778 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
Product features:
- The New York Times called it Superb! and Time found it Ultimately rewarding.with a sterling cast.This acclaimed adaptation of Paul Scot's masterpiece, The Raj Quartet, won over 20 international awards, including a Golden Globe and an Emmy. Filmed on location, it re-creates the turbulent period when British colonial rule in India came crashing down. The memorable cast includes Dame Peggy Ashcr
Movie Reviews of The Jewel in the Crown (25th Anniversary Edition)
Movie Review: Not everyone will love this mini-series... but I certainly did (details)
Summary: 5 Stars
Here we have a 1984 Granada [British] mini-series rendered over a span of fourteen episodes on four DVD discs. The set comes packaged in two cases with an outer slipcover to contain them -- the total running time is 12 hours and 40 minutes. The first entry excepted (which is much longer) each episode runs for 51 minutes.
Other than brief and intermittent archival footage, all the episodes are presented in color, filmed on location in England, Wales, but chiefly in India. The series directors were Christopher Morahan and Jim O'Brien. Ken Taylor adapted the story from Paul Scott's original novel, Raj Quartet. The filmscore (a terrific one) was composed by George Fenton.
This is a dramatic account detailing the lives of Colonial British military officers and the indigenous people of India during the waning years of British rule, (before, during, and following World War II.) The underlying theme of British concern over a prospective Japanese invasion of India blossoms as the tale progresses.
More specifically, this production hones in on the lives of a shady British policeman, (who later transfers to the military as an officer); a naive young English lady to whom the policeman is much attracted; a native Indian who was reared and schooled in elite English society, now returned to his homeland where he feels much disenfranchised; a British intelligence officer (artfully played by Charles Dance: Gosford Park), sent in to investigate the nefarious policeman; and many subsidiary characters (including the delightful Peter Jeffrey: Midnight Express), all of whom nicely support the roles of the primary characters.
An English gal of twenty-some, a daughter of nobility who wishes to make herself useful in India, begins work as a nurse in an Indian hospital. She soon comes to the notice of two men, each of whom is interested in her attentions, a policeman and a highly-educated Indian who works as a reporter. It's not long before the two men clash and the Indian finds himself in no position to fend off his officious adversary. The fact that the girl soon falls in love with him only escalates his difficulties with the British authorities and with his policeman rival in particular.
This introductory tableau which launches the chronicle and tragic events, both personal and national, effectively punctuate this saga, continuing to drive it in a serpentine manner to its historic conclusion. But the transition to the independence of India is definitely the wallpaper to the greater melodrama of the lives of the primary characters, both Indian and British. Additional subplots have been nicely worked into the script such as the running conflict between certain Muslim and Hindu factions.
The style of screenwriting and directing is copiously refreshing -- often an event is initially conveyed and the backstory follows, a storytelling technique well known to fans of William Faulkner (Snopes: The Hamlet, The Town, The Mansion (Modern Library)) and a few other authors of note. The cinematography is terrific as are the numerous sets and locations.
Still, some will find this mini-series, to be candid, boring. For me, though, the viewing experience was quite the reverse. I don't need fast-paced action scenes, stacked one following another Hollywood-style, in order to digest an enthralling historical yarn. The theme here is generally anti-action, punctuated by a roller-coater approach to injecting events into the tale at unanticipated intervals. Think of this saga chiefly as a pure novel of life rather than as an historical period presentation. My personal experience manifested a nice balance between the romance, the (class, racial, and religious) interactions between the characters, and a fascinating historical setting, all positioned within an exotic eastern realm.
As to the specific quality of the DVD presentation, this isn't high-definition by any means but it's infinitely watchable and I am wholly satisfied on that front.
Highly recommended for enthusiasts of either British drama or the history of India.
Summary of The Jewel in the Crown (25th Anniversary Edition)
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