Product Details

• Actors: Annette O'Toole, Anthony Andrews, Jürgen Prochnow, Corinne Touzet, Sheila Gish
• Directors: Roger Young
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
• VHS Release Date: November 18, 1997
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000039D3
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,241 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A title in the Danielle Steel Television Film Series, this four-hour drama unfolds the story of a multi-generational family beginning in the 1930s, based upon Steel’s book of the same name. After her first marriage dissolves, Sarah Thompson (Annette O’Toole) tours Europe and meets the charming William, Duke of Whitfield (Anthony Andrews) who captivates her and persuades her to marry him. They settle in a French chateau until World War II interrupts their marital bliss and William must join his regiment in war, leaving Sarah at home with a child. She contends with losses and loneliness until he returns home. Then, with a touch of serendipity, the couple begins a small jewelry business, which eventually expands into a thriving family endeavor. As her children grow into adults, Sarah’s intentional love toward them is her truest nobility. Though the second of this two-part series degrades, in part, from drama to soap opera, the overall effort receives merit for its notable acting and beautiful cinematography. Some domestic violence and sexuality. (Ages 16 and older) --Lynn Gibson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-Notch Adaptation of Danielle Steel's Better Novel, December 20, 2001

By	J. J. Carew (Green Bay, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I was 13, I began reading Danielle Steel novels. Most follow the same path and offer few variations. So when Jewels was released, I did not buy it right away. Then I saw the miniseries on TV and knew it HAD to be part of my library, both video AND book library.

Why? For one, Anthony Andrews is the perfect fit for his role. For fans of Andrews, one only has to remember that he played King Edward VIII in The Woman He Loved and what an excellent job he did in that role. He was also stunning in The Scarlet Pimpernel and Ivanhoe, and period pieces seem to suit this well-trained actor. Annette O'Toole is also well-cast as the strong-willed American woman who falls in love with the man in line for the crown (granted, he is 13th in line for the throne).

The story provides all the Steel conventions, but it does not seem old-hand when staged in this movie. Even if you are not a fan of Steel's work, the story is compelling.

Other Danielle Steel adaptations pale in comparison to Jewels. This is by far the best adaptation of her work. The blossoming of love, the separation of war, the agony of loss, the trials and tribulations of parenthood, the reinvention of one's self, the survival of one family. Great entertainment!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story...So many decades, characters, events!, August 27, 1999

By A Customer

The amazing thing is my husband loved this one, too! We hated to see it end!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Wonderful Performance By Anthony Andrews!!, August 21, 1999

By A Customer

I watched this movie only to see the performance of Anthony Andrews, whom I've been a huge fan of ever since I saw him as Sir Percival Blakeney in "The Scarlet Pimpernel"(1982). Although I have to say I was not entirely impressed with the performance of the heroine, Anthony and the rest of the supporting cast is wonderful, and the story is a wonderful romance, akin to the later novels in the "Anne of Green Gables" series as we watch the original courtship, the war that imprisons the hero and nearly destroys the family, and the gradual metamorphisis of the "cute little kids" into characters as worthy of our attention as their parents. And, I have to say it once more..this movie is a must if only for Anthony's performance!!!!!