The Jewel in the Crown
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Movie Reviews of The Jewel in the Crown
Movie Review: A new perspective
Summary: 5 Stars
Admittedly, I'm not a history buff and probably, like most Americans, what I do know about WWII is solely from the American perspective. The Jewel in the Crown was highly recommended, but I honestly wasn't enthused about getting a history lesson of the British occupation in India. I'm happy to report, however, that this series had me hooked. Not only was it brilliantly written and acted, but I came away with such respect for Paul Scott, the author of The Raj Quartet on which this series was based. A virtual lifetime of work went into this project, all gained from his experiences in India. There is so much detail, so many interesting, fully developed characters and intriguing, interwining plots, it's absolutely unbelievable how all of it blended so well. After watching 12 hours of these DVD's I had to read all four novels of The Raj Quartet. The DVDs were wonderfully satisfying, but getting more character background from the books was a treat. Like most A&E & BBC productions, there's always a wealth of remarkably trained British actors in this series. We get to see a very young Charles Dance-who was recently in "Bleak House" as the unmerciful Mr. Tulkinghorn. I do have to say though that I was most impressed with Tim Pigot-Smith as Ronald Merrick and Eric Porter as Count Bronowsky. Smith gives a very layered performance of Merrick who is so intensly disturbing. The payoff is finally understanding what makes him tick. This doesn't happen till the end, but all the pieces fall into place. Count Bronowsky is a very interesting character. He seems to be a delightful man and oddly seems to know everything about anybody. I've watched the series in full a few times and each time I hear or see something new from Bronowsky. Fortunately he's played by an actor who doesn't squander the time he's given. After reading the novels and viewing the DVD's I'm glad I finally have a general understanding of the British and Indian experiences during WWII. It's interesting to watch these cultures interact, their general distrust of one another, and how vastly different they can view a single, shared incident. It's heartbreaking, too, to see the damage that was done to India, not only from the War, but the toll British (and some Indian) extravagance had on the land, it's animals, the subjugation of the Indians and it's lasting effects on their government and justice system.
P.S. Try and avoid reading Amazon's product description for this DVD series. It reveals way too much of the plot. Also, there's several complaints about the sound & picture quality. True, it's not the quality that that I'm used to, but it didn't interfere with my enjoyment. When I'm watching a story this good, the picture quality is the least of my cares.
Movie Review: A MUST SEE CINEMATIC GEM...
Summary: 5 Stars
This powerful and moving eight part miniseries has lost none of its impact since it was first aired nearly twenty years ago. Highly acclaimed, it won numerous awards. Beautifully filmed on location in India, England, and Wales, it is a highly atmospheric and complex drama, redolent of the flavor of the turbulent years just before India gained its independence from British rule.The story begins in 1942, and through its memorable characters, both British and Indian, it masterfully weaves a tapestry of events that explains the state of flux that India was in at the time and the collision between East and West that often occurred, as the old guard made way for the new. Pivotal events become symbolic of India's struggle for independence, and it is those events that impact on those living in India and struggling to survive through those turbulent years. This tumultuous and sumptuous saga ends with India's independence in 1947.
Masterfully acted, lushly filmed, and awash with period detail, it is so atmospheric as to make its viewers feel that they themselves are there during the decline and fall of the British Raj. It captures the essence of India and its ramparts of colonialism. Interspersed throughout the episodes are snippets of old newsreels that recount India's involvement in World War II and the threat of Japanese invasion through adjacent Burma. These serve to further move the story along and imbue it with an air of authenticity that stays with the viewer.
This multi-faceted series, based upon Paul Scott's literary gem, "The Raj Quartet", is a fine adaptation that should not be missed. The award calibre performances by the entire cast are stellar and will keep the viewer riveted to the screen. Those interested in period pieces, historical dramas, and epics on Indian colonialism will love this series, as will anyone interested in a superlative drama. Bravo!
The quality of this four disc DVD box set is pretty good. The visuals are better than expected for what appears to be a direct transfer from the original print. The colors for the most part are still vivid and the audio is crystal clear. All in all, this transfer to DVD has fared pretty well. It is a DVD set well worth having in one's collection. As it runs about twelve and a half hours in length, it will provide the viewer with many hours of enjoyment.
Movie Review: Bad Sound; Cheap DVD; but Great Story
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read "The Raj Quartet" (i.e. "Jewel in the Crown) twice -- all 2,000 pages of it -- and I love the story. The novel and this DVD paint a fascinating and exhaustive look of the English in the last days of their rule of India.
The story is circular. It centers around the rape of an English girl in the Biribigar gardens in 1942. Seen through the lens of that event we go on to a picture of the British in India during World War II, the growing movement toward independence, and finally the consequences of Muslim-Hindu animosity aroused by independence. Most of the cast is superb and the number of characters is enormous: a tortured, lower-class policeman of chilling efficiency, a sensible English girl with a malevolent mother and a madly incompetent sister, several admirable but ineffective missionaries, befuddled soldiers, a Cambridge scholar, a demented but appealing Russian political advisor, Muslim and Indian politicians, and Hari Kumar -- the Indian boy who was English at heart and served as the scapegoat for all the English failings in India.
It's long, slow-moving, majestic, educational, sometimes a bit unlikely, inconclusive, but compelling -- a soap opera in the exotic and explosive setting of the British Raj. There are elements of Kipling here, and "Passage to India" and Mother Teresa -- a whole melange of not-so-original ideas and scenes. But nobody has ever taken such a meticulously close look at British India in its death throes as has author Paul Scott in the novel and this DVD.
"The Raj Quartet" in my opinion is one of the very greatest novels of the 20th century and "Jewel in the Crown" one of the very greatest of television dramas. That being said neither the color nor the sound of this DVD is of even average quality. The story deserves better.
Smallchief
Movie Review: You'll love the books!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love to curl up with this set and travel to Pangkot and Rawalpindi where I can cry for Hari Kumar and shiver whenever Ronald Merrick looks toward the camera. If Colonel Merrick and Hari/Harry and the Gardens of the Bibighar intrigue you, please read the Raj Quartet- all 5 volumes-or get them on tape to take to the beach. That plummy-voiced guy who reads for B.O.T crams so much portent and foreboding into the first book "The Jewel in the Crown" that you will race to the library for "The Day of the Scorpion", "The Towers of Silence", "A Division of the Spoils" and the elegant, perfectly tragic "Staying On" (not officially part of the Quartet but the indispensable coda.) Paul Scott's interweaving of different people's experiences over time creates a chilling pattern that brings history alive. Hari and Ronald and Lady Manners are threads that run through all five volumes, Miss Crane and Daphne haunt the volumes like ghosts, Sarah Layton and Barbie Batchelor become the vortex around which the whole panorama whirls. No sooner do you feel you've got good and evil sorted out, then all the cards get re-shuffled and Scott deals a new hand. The sheer scale of India dwarfs individuality and in the (final,final)end you are left with the heartbreaking question-how could such good intentions go so terribly wrong, but what on earth were the British thinking?. The ideal for me? Listen to all five books then, when all the characters are vividly and complexedly alive in my brain, watch the film and step into the screen.Movie Review: Simply tremendous.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is quite simply the most engrossing serial I have ever seen, and it has not dated at all since it was first shown on television over 20 years ago. A powerful and intricate story in which the personal and the political interact (though the pace, tension and clarity slacken a little in the 12th and 13th of the 14 episodes); terrific acting (not least because it is mostly understated in a very British way, which anyway corresponds to the ethos of the British at that time and to some extent still; we often know what the characters are feeling not through what they say, but through what is reflected on their faces), stunning photography (but see the next paragraph), an impeccable sense of the period and of class attitudes at the time.
I understand that the colour in the Region 1 version, for the US and Canada only, ASIN B000053VA4, is terrible. My review is of the Region 2 remastered version, ASIN B00075141W, which Americans and Canadians can play only if they have a multiregion video player. If they do have a multiregion player and cannot find the Region 2 version on amazon.com, they can order it from www.amazon.co.uk. The European version is in 14 parts, where the American version appears to be in eight.