What a beautiful movie!

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

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.

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.

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.

Apologies but those above who have slated the series by rubbishing the acting I feel, are seriously mistaken. Those who have said that the British characters were too reserved and meandering are quite correct - it is how British people were and definitely how they were portrayed in Paul Scotts original book. The beauty of the piece lies in its tender subtlety which provides in itself enough drama without constant high adrenaline action so common to the Hollywood Blockbuster. Tim Pigott Smith was just beautiful with his sadistic menacing Ronald Merrick who definitely goes top on my list of all time favourites. The whole piece when watched one after the other definitely gives the sense of time and place which - living in modern times it is often easy to lose sight of. Thumbs up to all the cast I feel that the acting from all members was superb.As the show progresses the viewer gets gradually enveloped and involved in the lives of these people the thing to remember about this piece is that it is not necessarily the action which enhances the show but more importantly the psychological development of every single character ( maybe with the exception on Aunt Fenny - funny but was only there for convenience - to introduce Sarah to Jimmy the soldier)