Jamaica Inn

Watch on Netflix so you do not suffer the mumbling. Do not watch for continuity issues. I was reminded of Crime and Punishment and some sad personal memories. I was very naive at that age and had never experienced true evil. It wasn't until 9/11 in downtown Manhattan that I truly realized that true evil exists. This level of casting and acting are rarely seen on film. I was duly horrified at many points. I was going to recommend it to my daughter but she does not need to see this reality at this point in her life. The brutality is portrayed in its real form, and many of us in America are descended more from the Moors of England, than the pretty pictures of Jane Austin.

This is a TV miniseries based on a Daphne du Maurier novel, adapted by Emma Frost, brought to life by the superb direction of Philippa Lowthorpe. Great cast (Joanne Whaley, Matthew McNulty, Sean Harris, Ben Daniels, Shirley Henderson) lead by Jessica Brown Findlay (a favourite of mine), none of whom missed a beat in fleshing out their characters. Wonderful themes of finding yourself, your own strength, and making complex choices. There is also an interesting study of the complexities of being both an abuser and a victim. This is not your historic pastoral piece but has dark themes and moods. The cinematography is breathtaking capturing the landscape that is another character in this film. The costuming is gritty and dingy so befitting the mood of the piece. I thoroughly enjoyed this series , although I feel the last episode was the weakest, yet I still give it an 8 (great) out of 10. {Period Drama}

I love Cornwall, I go there all the time, and I have never had any trouble understanding the delightful Cornish accent. So what in God's name is the language they're speaking in BBC1′s new adaptation of Jamaica Inn? I began by turning up the volume, thinking I simply had the TV on too quietly. When I still couldn't catch what most of the cast were trying to say I tried listening on headphones like a language student struggling to revise for a forthcoming aural exam.But however much I concentrated, rewound on TiVo, or adjusted the audio controls I could only manage to pick out about one word in fifty.

Most inaccessible of all was the dialogue uttered by Sean Harris, as violent, drink-soaked smuggler Joss.

Joss produced a baffling array of mumbles, whispers and grunts, delivered through the upper nasal cavity in a West Country accent so thick it might as well have been first generation Klingon.

Even headstrong barmaid Mary – played by Jessica Brown Findlay off Downton Abbey – had trouble understanding the ramblings of her thuggish, inebriated uncle, and pointed out as much on more than one occasion.

"I don't understand," she said at one point, and Britain breathed a huge sigh of relief that not every viewer in the country had simultaneously gone deaf.

Uncle Joss turned out to be a bit of a nineteenth century Basil Fawlty – a reluctant innkeeper who "don't like people staying," and would rather go down to the beach and crush people's heads with his bare hands. He also had a nasty habit of grabbing people around the throat and shoving them up against walls – a style of behaviour that was also reminiscent of Mr Fawlty at his least hospitable.

Matthew McNulty was in it, of course. He's in all the BBC costume dramas and probably hasn't had a day off work in about 7 years. Poor old Matthew must be sick to the back teeth of heavily colour-corrected, windswept moors full of clattering stage coaches and women wading up to their knees in muddy bogs. He looks like he could do with a couple of weeks in the Canaries. Maybe his agent needs to learn how to say "no" from time to time.

Finally giving up on trying to follow the dialogue, I turned my attentions to Mary's heavy, full length velvet dress. This character's fondness for bog wading at a variety of different depths meant that in every scene the dark stain around the hem of this garment moved up and down, up and down, like the rise and fall of the tidal Thames at Teddington. I eventually found myself trying to guess at which level the watermark would appear next, and I have every intention of turning this pastime into a drinking game while I am watching episode 3 of Jamaica Inn (with the subtitles turned on.)

The only version of Jamaica Inn I had watched before this was the one with Jane Seymour,which I'm quite fond of.I have noticed that because of recessions,we seem to be having spates of darkly lit grim dramas,and intense acting.There's nothing wrong with that of course,but It starts to feel like all other dramas rolled into one,because really it felt to modern,too abrasive for the time it was meant to be set in,and the excitement and tension was lost (I did feel they gave away the culprit to early).Plus the audio,Sean Harris was the worst,which is a shame,as he is a very good actor,possibly giving the best performance in the entire series,despite his mumbling growls.Jessica Brown Findlay gave a believable performance as Mary Yellan,credit to her that we didn't even remember Lady Sybil as she romanced a thief.Overall a series I watched,but would not watch again,best to watch the Seymour version,or The Thirteenth Tale,the bbc didn't even widely advertise it,and it was remarkably better than this series.

Orphaned young woman Mary has to move in with her aunt and uncle after the death of her parents, she arrives at Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor, and quickly discovers dark goings on at Jamaica Inn.

In many respects this is a pretty decent adaptation, I've only just completed the book, and wanted to watch this, before the film. It's a fairly faithful adaptation, the tone (bleak) of the book is very much captured, and Jamaica Inn itself feels right.

It starts off pretty well, the second episode is good, the third and final episode is fantastic, the best of the lot.

The visuals are striking, it looks wonderful, scenes on The Moor, on the coast and inside Jamaica Inn, the costumes are spot on.

Very good acting for the main part, Jessica Brown Findlay, Matthew McNulty, Joanne Whalley and Ben Daniels were all spot on.

I absolutely adore Sean Harris, I'd go so far as to say he's a favourite of mine, but there are times where every word he says, is almost inaudible, is it my hearing, or was he mumbling? I want to say he was amazing here, and you can't deny he had a powerful presence as Joss, I just needed the subtitles on.

The lighting, sadly is also an issue, most of the interior shots are hard to make out, it's a pity a few extra light bulbs weren't plugged in.

Better than I remembered it being.

8/10.