Boobirt
Stylish but barely mediocre overall
SteinMo
What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.
FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Staci Frederick
Blistering performances.
Vonna
I really wanted to love this series, and at first, It drew me in for the first few episodes, but then after that and by the ending, I was left with a feeling of lack of tying in of the story. We begin the story with a set of characters that then changes. New characters are introduced, such as miss manners aunt, but then later on, there is really no tie in at the end. It didn't make sense to me. We also hear that Hari Kumar is released from jail eventually, but it is rather anticlimactic. We never know what ends up happening to miss manners aunt and the child of Miss manners and kumar. In the end the "bad guy" gets it, but again it's all rather anticlimactic. no justice really was done, and this story is begging for justice. I didn't read the novels, so I have no idea how true to the novels the series is, but I was completely let down by the second half and feel I wasted hours of my life watching it.
Mark Christiansen
Not knowing anything about the book, I was expecting this celebrated PBS series to be somewhat like a longer variation of the excellent David Lean movie Passage to India. But I was disappointed by Jewel in the Crown. While it did give me valuable glimpses into the British Raj, the class tensions between the British and the Indians (and between the British themselves), and the history of the period, the overall effect on me when the series ended was depression.And I did not enjoy the portrayals of rape, brutality, torture, insanity, homosexuality, etc. I regret having watched this series. If you would be offended by such content, then I also caution you about this film. PBS has been going downhill in recent years, in my opinion, as far as portraying more and more offensive content. After watching Jewel in the Crown, I now realize the decline had began much earlier - at least as early as 1984, when this series was broadcast.
madeleinebecker
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.
trevillian
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.