Purely Joyful Movie!

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

I had long heard of this program (never read any reviews) and had also always liked period pieces set in India, so I gave it a shot. The first two episodes were wonderful. Gloriously scripted and acted. It was then followed up by 12 or so episodes of wandering, poorly acted (for the most part) nonsense. I can only compare it to an afternoon soap opera. The dialogue, for the most part goes nowhere. In fact I think a majority of the dialogue consists of the following"care for a drink?" "Can I refresh your drink?" "How about another?" "We are meeting for dinner, would you care to join us?". "When is your train?" honestly...hours and hours and hours of this kind of stuff. Then, after they all sit down for supper and one character actually asks another character a question the view might want answered, the response will be "I prefer not to talk about that at dinner." As with most soap operas, you will also find. 100 different story lines that get started and never go anywhere and never get resolved....ever. Wooden actors...except for Dame Peggy (wonderful) and Charles Dance (who appears to be as frustrated with the storyline as you will be). Note actors in the first two episodes are good. It is as complete a waste of time as I have ever encountered. Note...the story line in the first two episodes basically ends after the first two episodes....it won't get anymore satisfactory than that.

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.

This miniseries is compelling, well-told, beautifully filmed, and superbly acted. With a powerfully moving script, it tells the story of the complex relationship between the British and Indian people at the end of British rule of the subcontinent. It has history, romance, action, mystery, and even a mild dose of sex and violence. ;-) It definitely has something for everyone.I cried, laughed, was amazed, and said "Oh my God!" and "I knew it!" several times. I was glued to the screen and later watched my favorite scenes a second or third time.Absolutely its only shortcoming was that there were no subtitles. Being as old as it is and with the many accents, it's sometimes a bit hard to make out the exact lines. But it's so easy to follow (yet never dull) that I was never lost. If A&E ever re-releases this with enhanced sound and subtitles, I'll snag it up in a New York minute! Even my husband (who normally hates British films) really enjoyed this. He hated to miss a minute; by Chapter 3, he was utterly hooked.See this wonderful piece of work if you can. It's well worth every hour.

What can you say about this inimatable piece of work which stunned the UK in the mid eighties? British television drama has always had a reputation for being superior as it tends not to be involved in sensationalism or commercial value. Maybe today this theory doesn't stand up too well but The Jewel in the Crown is one of the most beautifully written and performed pieces of work that the current generations could hope for. Forget about fast pace and update technology as this is a serious historical piece about Britains' end in India during WW11 and thus the de-mobilising of the 'polite society' class abroad. Cinematically photographed and performed to perfection, with Tim Piggott-Smith, Judy Parfitt and Peggy Ashcroft stealing the honours. This was repeated on UK TV in 1997 and everyone agreed how it had lost none of its power and dramatic pull. This will stay with you forever.