La joya de la corona

This series is captivating. The wonderful way in which strands of plot are woven throughout the series in new and interesting ways, the eternally memorable characters, the fascinating background of historical events, the series' sympathy to people of every age, social and economic background, the charm of many of the protagonists.

Even the more minor characters are just drawn so well. Thus, one of my favorite characters in all of television is that of Nigel Rowan - who is wonderfully portrayed by Nicholas LePrevost; one of my least favorite is the major to whom Sarah is introduced by her aunt and uncle.

Such historical episodes as the decision by the princely states of India whether to accede to the newly independent India - or the creation of an Axis army by Indians who had been taken captive by Germans or Japanese -- these stories are engrossing and not so well known among those of us in the United States not well versed in recent Indian history.

The series is spellbinding - one cares greatly about these people and what happens to them is very interesting indeed.

The symbolism in the series deepens one's sense of the mood of the time, of the tragedy, of the ocean in which these characters swim.

I can't imagine a better series adapted from more wonderful books.

The haunting story of Paul Scott's THE RAJ QUARTET brought to the screen with flawless acting and character interpretation. While the story is not a pleasant one, the screenplay captures the scope of the problems created by nearly 300 years of British presence in India. Peggy Ashcroft, Fabia Drake, Judy Parfitt, Art Malik and above all Tim Pigott-Smith, to mention but a very few of the cast, create memorable characters that come alive on the screen and will live on in your memories. Superb...

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'.

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 can't understand why there are so many negative comments on 'The Jewel in the Crown'. What a well-made series with great performances. Yes, it does tend to drag during the first three or four episodes but anyone who's read 'The Raj Quartet' would realize that the book is just so - several seemingly unrelated events taking place in a larger political context. The series was definitely better than the books and effectively recreated the political milieu of the time. I could read the quartet only after having seen the mini. Kudos to Ken Taylor for his adaptation of a convoluted epic. Definitely a Herculean task. And kudos to the directors (Christopher Morahan & Jim O'Brien) who despite the mammoth task of filming a period piece did it with panache. Anyone who has worked in India (especially a foreign crew) would know just how frustrating an experience it can be. Yet, they've come out with a magnificent product. Truly a classic. Fine viewing. Definitely recommended.