Colonial House
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Amy-Kristina Herbert, Carolyn Heinz, Don Heinz, Jonathon Allen, Julia FrieseCinematographer: William Edwards
Editor: Ben Holder
Producer: Kari Lia
Producer: Mica McCarthy
Producer: Rebecca Kelly
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 480 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS
Movie Reviews of Colonial House
Movie Review: Getting a pipe high...wha?
Summary: 3 Stars
I got Colonial House after watching Frontier House and posting a review of the DVD set on Amazon. I wanted to see the rest of the House series and bought up both Colonial House and Texas Ranch House. Colonial House seems to have many people, as you can see from the reviews, who hate it. But there are some good points and some bad points. First, let us talk about the set up.
17 people are sent, after some training, to live on a 1000 acres of wild country in Maine. They have to go by boat, they don't know what parts they will play before they get there - governor, freeman, servant - and, luckily for them, most of the town has already been built, the land cleared, and even the animals already transported to the spot. They just have to unload the boat that held their supplies and belongings. So they didn't have to spend two months building the houses. In the end they had four months to prepare to be judged - would they survive or be forced to return to England? Could they survive 1628? Or is it 1682? The DVD set box says 1682 but everybody else says 1628. Mistake or warning of things to come? Dun-dun-DUN!
The Good: They do seem to be able to adapt to the methods, equipment and ways of 17th Century colonists. They plant and grow corn, they built a new house when 8 more people are sent to help the colony, they collect material and foods and use the resources available to them. Some of the people, like Jeff Wyers, his daughter Bethany Wyers, Julia Friese and Don Wood all show a lot of backbone. They show inner strength to do what is right, a willingness to work hard and, sometimes, a sense of humor that is refreshing. They even, sometimes, try to think like a person of the 17th Century. The Wyers family kept to the rules EVEN after all the real life problems they had.
I also liked Jack Lecza, Cape Merchant, who was sent to help them prepare for the winter and the final judgment. He knew his history but he also knew about the resources, how to use them, and how to work with people.
The fact that they are so FAR from modern society is a plus - but did not stop one person from taking a break - see The Bad.
The Bad: Sometimes the Americans forgot about the fact that some of the people in the project were English. So when they talked about our nation this and Americans that I wondered if they remembered that they were 17th Century English colonists. I felt sorry for the English, frankly.
While many people adjusted to no bathrooms, no modern devices, no forks, yet few seemed to adjust to the 17th mindset. They could not stay within the 17th Century. Many kept pulling 21th Century values and ideas into the project and it made for some moments where you wanted to shake them and ask, why are you here? If you didn't want to do this, why did you come? Many people started to drink too much, they played baseball, they can be seen just laying about. Skinny-dipping? Infighting? Tons of meeting and why did they come all the way to the New World without corn seeds?
One Freeman went walk about - in fact he went to a nearby town, went to a bar and got free food and drink. Not only was he breaking the rules but he even promised that while away from the village he was NOT going to leave the 1000 acres. Which he did anyway.
Another Freeman just left after wondering if he was helping bring about slavery. Maybe he adapted to the 17th Century mindset too easily?
Also, with over 20 people in the project near the end I wanted more input from the other members of the village. But we barely see anybody outside the three main families. That sucks. I think they wanted to focus on two types of people - the ones who were major players and the trouble makers. Oh, the drama!
The Ugly: First one up to bat is, of course, Michelle Rossi-Voorhees. Funny enough the rest of her family did pretty good and, I think, outside of her everybody else in her family, and in the colony, came away from the project having learned something. She did not. She got drunk. She got high off the pipe. She complained, shouted at people, refused to go to church. And the thing that really made me feel sad for her was her stating that she felt sorry for Bethany because the girl BELIVED in God. I think I respected Bethany Wyers the most and if she could find comfort and strength in God that is no business of Michelle's. The drunk, pipe smoking, skinny-dipping witch.
Most of the time I found the Heinz family interesting. One day they said one thing and the next they switched over to say something else. Carolyn complained about the rules and how things were run at first. But all that changed when her husband was put in power and then she complained about how nobody was following the rules. And they treated every camera as if it was their own private camera.
The project, in the end was interesting, but also seemed to get twisted into knots. Issues of church, slavery, work, food got mixed in with the rights of women, the rights of servants, debates of freedom, and the need for some private time. In other words 17th Century issues got muddled by 21st Century whining.
Final note - it is not as bad as some reviews seem to say - I think many people got emotional if not outright mad at a few of the people in the project and that carries over into the reviews. It is good but I don't think it was as interesting as Frontier House. I think if properly done it could have been MUCH better then Frontier House. The DVD set also came with extras in the form of a making of, auditions and more diaries.
Summary of Colonial House
Welcome to daily life in the year 1628! Colonial House was filmed over a 5 month period on an isolated stretch of the Maine coast. Our adventurers arrived in their New World on a period tall ship and struggled to create a functioning and profitable colony using only the tools and technology of the era. Colonial House brings history to life and provides a glimpse into the daily life and experiences that helped shape our national character.Documentary DVD Video
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