Wordiezett So much average

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

mmunier During lunch I usually turn the TV on...And there was that beautiful story I decided to record it and watch it latter. I thought it was a movie and this got me to 12 midnight but abruptly stop with the credit? This is when I realised it was part of a TV series so search the net to find more about it. This episode unlike its TV programme was called "Crossing the River" and luckily the first one. Even more lucky I found the next episode was on the day after I made my search several days after the first screening! I know very little about India beside the film "Passage to India" but this grubbed me from the start, it started with my year of birth over 70 years ago India under British rules and about to worry of Japanese attack.... But the life of these days was so well represented and also the culture clash worsen by cross culture the is an Indian who has been "Britishised" and back in India has to deal with the conflict. These days I have much trouble to follow a story without subtitles and deplore greatly there weren't any. It's such a shame as many people of my age have hearing difficulty I'm surprise broadcaster can't see this as I would have thought such work is directed mainly to my age group. Just the same it's very enjoyable.

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.

patnet ...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.

arshadrahimtulla 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.