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Amazon.com's Price: $79.95 Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780767034272
Format: Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
ISBN: 0767034279
Label: A&E Home Video
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
Number Of Items: 4
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Publisher: A&E Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: March 27, 2001
Running Time: 750 minutes
Sales Rank: 17277
Studio: A&E Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1984
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
The Jewel in the Crown, adapted from Paul Scott's Raj Quartet novels, tells the story of the final years before India gained independence in 1947. It is rare for a filmed adaptation to successfully preserve the richness and complexity of a great novel, but this epic miniseries succeeds both as personal drama and historical panorama.
In 1942 Daphne Manners, a naive young woman newly arrived in the town of Mayapore, befriends Hari Kumar, an Indian-born journalist who has spent most of his life in England. With his dark skin and educated English accent, Hari feels like an outsider wherever he goes, but Daphne understands his plight and they become romantically involved. Their developing relationship is jealously observed by local police chief Ronald Merrick, a man haunted by his own demons. When the lovers are attacked in the gardens of the ruined Bibighar palace and Daphne is raped, Merrick seizes his opportunity, pins the crime on Hari, and has the young man jailed. Distraught, Daphne flees to her aunt's home in Kashmir, where she dies giving birth to a half-caste child. The focus then shifts to Sarah Layton, a young Englishwoman who becomes fascinated by the story of Daphne and Hari, and who will have her own encounter with Ronald Merrick.
The events in the Bibighar gardens become a symbol of the violent struggle for Indian independence, and other symbols--Daphne's bicycle, a length of butterfly lace, a picture of Queen Victoria on an Indian throne--appear and reappear, linking people and events. This helps to give coherence to the plot even as it spans five years and expands to include many characters whose lives intersect in complex and unexpected ways.
With a huge cast and breathtaking location photography, The Jewel in the Crown was an enormous undertaking when it was made in the early 1980s. Twenty years later it has lost none of its power, and it remains one of the best films ever made for television. --Simon Leake
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Old VHS quality, unfocused story w/too many characters
Yes, I agree that this transfer is terrible at best. I was shocked with the old VHS quality of this, there wasn't much effort to clean it up.
The second point I have is that only the first 3 hours based on the first book in the series seems focused and comprehensible to me. After that I found myself seeing too many characters that come and go and it not really continuing the story after that, what happened to the baby or the main heroines Indian lover? I think devoting 14 hours to just ... Read More
Rating:  - A mere two cents............
A few years ago, seeing an advertisement for a low cost tour package of London and a number of other locations in UK, I very nearly took advantage of its great price.
While I was mulling over the idea, one of the things that came into my head was how much I would enjoy a side trip to visit Sarah Layton, whose location is revealed in "Staying On", another DVD people who loved the Jewel should find and watch. It was only some hours later that I remembered that Sarah was a fictional character, ... Read More
Rating: - Deep, Dramatic History
The Jewel in the Crown depicts the last few years of the Raj, Britain's Indian Empire, through the lives of a few characters and families. Central to the story is the fate of Hari Kumar, a British-educated Indian who has the temerity to fall in love with Daphne Manners, a British girl who is new to India and doesn't understand or accept the racial mores of the Raj. Although Daphne and Hari virtually disappear after the first couple of episodes, their story has a huge impact on the other main characters: Ronald ... Read More
Rating: - It's the "unfulfilled promise."
Watch it and have a good laugh with the acting... Judy Parfitt is always in her classic mood. Peggy Ashcroft is such a camp and a half. And everyone is an alcoholic, practically. No wonder, it's not drag-ing. But could you PLEASE explain to me the meaning of the Jewel in the Crown (for the billionth time)??? All kidding aside, it's extremely entertaining and informative, "indeed."
Rating: - A new perspective
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 ... Read More
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