Our Favorite Film Adaptations

by LitStack Editor

Jewel in the Crown by Paul Scott

1984, Starring Tim Pigott-Smith and Geraldine James

I remember struggling through the four books that make up Paul Scott’s The Jewel in the Crown, and thinking to myself that I really needed to create a visual timeline in order to put everything into the proper, chronological order. The four books known as The Raj Quartet begin with the story of a young English girl who moves to India in 1942 to live with her closest living relative, after the death of her immediate family members. The story ends in 1947 with the independence of India and Pakistan and the different storylines that evolve within, deal with the political and social difficulties that existed between the families of the British military and the Indian residents.

The books are written from the point of view of the author, through interviews, letters and conversations that took place between characters, and the plot hops back and forth in time with little or no warning for the reader, often presenting characters which had died in previous chapters.

Thankfully in 1984, British television created a 14-part miniseries that aired on PBS and presented the four books in perfect chronological order, an answer to our prayers. It is probably the very best adaptation of a novel that I’ve ever seen. The casting is spot on with actors who seem to have walked right off the pages of the book. If you ever get the chance to watch all 14 episodes, I highly recommend it – then afterward go ahead and read the book.

~Lisa Riley Emig

Related Posts

3 comments

Leah Barr 17 November, 2011 - 11:12 am

The husband says Harry Potter #5.

This isn't a movie, but Wicked (the musical) is significantly better than Wicked (the book).

Tee 17 November, 2011 - 3:24 pm

Had I had even the smallest amount of free time this week, I would have participated in this post with "Deathly Hallows Part2." Perhaps it's geeky and a bit dorky to say, but I consider that movie to the one of the best I've ever seen and certainly the best movie I've seen in ten years. It was very true to the novel.

Jennifer 17 November, 2011 - 4:29 pm

just love everyone's picks…. several movies I really want to see now (Titus Andronicus, for one!)

Comments are closed.