Colonial House
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Movie Reviews of Colonial House
Movie Review: A 21st Century Family
Summary: 3 Stars
I think the one big issue for everyone with the PBS House Series (Manor, Frontier, 1900, and Ranch House - I've seen the aforementioned) is that we expect to see a real reenactment much like a Civil War reenactment with the living historians living out what is was like. Yet in reality the show is asking - as in all the other series - "could a 21st Century Family make it?"
With that in mind I think PBS does a great job of selecting the diversity of people that represent the 21st Century. The people represent all kinds of individuals from various walks of life, from homosexuals to preachers. Yet it is due to this very choice of individuals that make me question the legitimacy of this project. Yes they cover a wide variety but these people were not truly prepared to understand and see what was truly asked of them.
The preacher was made governor while the educator of religious studies was made the minister. I do not believe this was a great choice because it is not taking people from a 21st century equivalent position and putting them into a 17th century equivalent position. So this questions the accuracy of this project because it is taking people from different walks of life to work in a different job let alone a different century and asking them to succeed. I feel PBS set these folks up for failure, personally.
With that said the participants really made their stay bad by their lack of cohesion and lack of knowledge in their roles.
So, in retrospect you can learn a lot about social interaction and it makes a great tool for teaching management styles and leadership. I think if PBS was trying to just see if the 21st century person could've made it then I think by just watching this video they would've failed but at the same time if you put the wrong person in the wrong job let alone century then expect them to succeed in as little as four months then that is asking for trouble!
Movie Review: Why Did They Sign Up?
Summary: 3 Stars
Colonial House is another of the PBS House series, a wonderful reality show that puts modern day families back in time to experience life from another era. This time we have several families and individuals sent to live on the New England coastline as colonists in the New World. They encounter struggles from how to make money, how to ration their food, how to handle the religious and social customs, and how to trade with natives. It is an ambitious project that spans over eight hour long episodes.
The main problem with this installment is that the participants seemed so unwilling to comply to the rules. Several people decided it was unimportant to attend church on the Sabbath, a crime punishable by death in some places. They did not take wearing their scarlet letters seriously, nor did they comply with the governor's laws. The women refused to be quiet and docile and one man even left for civilization for a day. It is difficult to care about the individual people because there are so many; only a few people are given a lot of individual screen time. To add to this problem, some people leave early, one group because of a family emergency. It is very telling when in the last episode, the camera crew goes back to check up on only a few of the participants after the project is over.
This edition is entertaining, but it is by no means as good as the other House programs.
Movie Review: Good, would be better with better candidate screening
Summary: 3 Stars
I watched Colonial House with mixed feelings. After reading the reviews here, I expected to hate it. Overall, I enjoyed many elements of this reality show. First, I liked the setting. Maine was absolutely beautiful, and the costumes were excellent.
I liked the Hentz's. I also liked Jonathon Allen. Despite one over-dramatic episode at the end of disk 1, I felt he really did try to play his role quite well and he was quite likeable. I felt sorry for the governor trying to get people to conform to the rules and laws of the times.
I did not care for the Vorhee family at all. Mr. & Mrs. Vorhee spent a great deal of time showboating, and I hated the part where they went skinnydipping instead of attending church like everyone else. If they want to lead 21rst century lives, why volunteer for this experiment? I felt they were a drag on the show, and the experiment would be better off without them, particularly Mrs. Vorhee whose irritating and shrewish opinions we were subjected to on a regular basis.
Overall, not bad, although Manor House still remains my favorite. Too bad, the show did not screen candidates more carefully. A more committed cast would've made the show more interesting.
Movie Review: It's alright.
Summary: 3 Stars
If you're looking for a authentic reality show where it will be respected historically then Colonial House might not be for you. I did enjoy some of the families and people in the show and some of them really did a good job at throwing themselves back in time, but too many of them were stuck in modern times and dragged it in without much of a consequence and unfortunately that destroyed the value of the project. Overall, I personally enjoyed watching it, as did my husband, but we were disappointed that they didn't remove people from the project that didn't seem to want to stick with it. Though, in a way, I guess that shows how we got to where we are now, because of people like those who weren't "typical".Movie Review: Should have represented colonial Virginia instead
Summary: 3 Stars
I have enjoyed all of the PBS "house" projects. That being said, I was a little disappointed in the Colonial House edition. A good number of the participants refused to play by the rules, and some got a little heavy handed with the religious Puritan attitude. BUT, the original Puritans came to America to escape persecution, and then promptly persecuted everyone unlike them here in America, so I guess that was somewhat represented in the show. I think if the producers had gone with 1607 Jamestown in Virginia, it would have gone more smoothly and accurately, with less religious nonsense.