Colonial House
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Movie Reviews of Colonial House
Movie Review: Excellent and historically accurate, despite the know-nothing complaints to the contrary
Summary: 5 Stars
Briefly--an excellent show and historically accurate in precisely the right way. Read "Traveler"'s review. I couldn't have said it better. If you're at all inclined to believe the complaints about the "modern" sensibilities ruining the show, give that idea a long, hard think. You'll see the absurdity eventually.Movie Review: Very informative show!
Summary: 5 Stars
The show was very informative about how people from our time would weather the circumstances of our ancestors. The show was interesting, and the special features told much about the story that the show didn't yield. Good product.Movie Review: Excellent show if you love history!
Summary: 5 Stars
Perfect show for history lovers and those who have ever fantasized about living in the past. Lots of fun and full of information about colonial life. My favourite out of the PBS "house" series.Movie Review: Colonial House
Summary: 5 Stars
This was an awesome product! I want to see more like this!! I would reccoment this to all to watch!Movie Review: Culture clashes were educational - and expected
Summary: 4 Stars
The various individuals on the show were asked to spend 4 months (which doesn't include the weeks they spent before the show preparing, taking classes, etc.) in a rural Maine setting under Colonial "rules."
What Colonial House did was allow the participants to be who they were and THEN they explained what would have happened had they behaved that way in Colonial Days. As long as the PBS producers explained what _would_ have happened, both participants and viewers alike are given a learning moment. Furthermore, dissent to the norms of the period also had its educational upside. Many Americans think that the colonists were tolerant and accepting of other beliefs because they themselves were escaping persecution. Not so. And the Vorhees' behavior along with the narration helped show that.
It's important to note that the original colonists did in fact commit acts that were far worse than what was shown in the series. One colonist was executed for bestiality. There were also a number of men who were severely whipped (the law stated they could be killed) for homosexual acts. Obviously, it's not human behavior that changed, but our laws and social acceptance. It is thus historically inaccurate to suggest that everyone on the show should have behaved a certain way. More importantly, it would have been utterly inhumane and cruel to enforce such rules. The only way Colonial House would have been historically accurate would have been if people went ahead and broke the rules and then received severe physical punishment for their actions. Thankfully, reality TV has not yet stooped to such levels.
All of this leads me to believe that the critics of this show either don't know their history or, more likely, they aren't so much concerned about historical accuracy as they are their own political agendas which deny certain historical truths.
I just came back from Plymouth Plantation which was heavily involved in the production of Colonial House. They have two of the original buildings from the show which they now incorporate into their presentation. Of course, Plymouth Plantation is still the way it's always been. You walk among the buildings and you can interact with a dozen or more people in period clothes and acting in the role of one of the original colonists. Obviously, they better than the participants on Colonial House in showing people what life was "really like." However, one must keep in mind that each of those people, besides being paid actors, goes home at 5 p.m. after the tourists are gone. It's a lot easier to stay in character when you've got the 21st century waiting for you at home.
Critics need to keep all of that in mind. If you want everyone to stay in character then watch a movie of the period with paid actors. Demanding than modern individuals go through the experience 24 hours a day (along with historically accurate punishments) with zero relief for four months would have been nothing less than sadistic.
I would agree that it would have been good if the Colonial House participants could have stayed in character more. But this is a minor problem. My bigger complaint is that the show seemed too short given how many months they were in production. They had four months to tape and they produced eight episodes. It also seemed like most of the material covered the early months while not offering much insight into the last six weeks of the experience.
Overall, this is a four star effort. Sure it could have been better. But's it's far better than what many critics are arguing. And it _is_ educational. You can't say that about many "reality" TV shows on the tube.