Regency House Party
|
List Price: Our Price: $22.50 You Save: $27.48 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Regency House Party
Movie Review: History lesson...sort of
Summary: 4 Stars
Regency House Party is another entry in the PBS "House" series canon. The project takes ten young, single people (five men and five women), four chaperones, dozens of servants, and various other characters of the day, and transplants them from modern life into an early 1800-era English estate. They are there for one reason - to play the dating game as it was played in 1811. What follows is nine weeks of flirtations and frustrations, hookups and breakups, and even a few cat-fights and illicit affairs.
It's a wonderful spin on the reality TV genre and, for the most part, gives the viewer a pretty good idea of what life must have been like in that age. The men spend their time drinking and playing war games while the women are condemned to a tedious monotony of embroidery and gossip. The couples are allowed to socialize for only a few hours a day - always under the watchful eyes of the chaperones. The setting and the costumes are fantastic and everyone looks like they've stepped straight out of a Jane Austen movie - although they are a great deal plainer and dirtier than Hollywood would ever portray.
I really enjoyed the series; however, I do wish the rules had been better explained. Several couples formed partnerships while at the house - were they under any real obligation to one another after filming was over? Also, I got a bit bored with the boxing, exercise, and military drills the men engaged in, and some of the scenes featuring period experts seemed to drag.
A few of the players were duds, but most took to their roles with gusto and stayed true to their 17th Century persona (at least on camera). However, almost all showed their 21st Century roots by listening to their hearts when it came to finding a match, contrary to the stated goal of the project - which was to find the best possible match in social and financial terms. Not that I would have done any differently, but it did sort of muddle the point of the experiment.
Overall, it's very entertaining and a lot of fun. I highly recommend.
Movie Review: Indispensable for the Regency Buff
Summary: 4 Stars
I quite throughly enjoyed the production, though I would have to admit that I've no strong interest in following up with the other series of the PBS productions.
The reception of a 6-hr long voyeuristic venture could elicit a diametrical range of responses from plain boredom, drudgery to even sheer delight, depending on what expectations you bring into watching.
I confess that I'm not a fan of reality series and in fact, cast more than a skeptical eye on them, but I'm primarily drawn to the Regency House Party in lieu of my interests and research into the Regency Era.
I thought that the series, far from being an ad hoc assemblage of the lights of blair witch undertakings, was most professionally done to the effect that is akin to watching a 6-hr miniseries movie.
It would have been too easy had it been just a pure documentary of the Regency period, but the documentary bits had been rather judiciously interspersed throughout and at relevant points, juxtaposed with the reality experiences of the house party guests.
My only suspension of belief required was how seriously the guests took to their roles their individual responsibilities and for example, Captain Glover's unflinching grasp of the "fact" that he had been made a baron following the end of the Napoleonic War (despite the fact that it would not transpire into actual circumstances in his 21st century identity).
Other than this aspect, I thought the production was as smooth, seamless and realistic it could be, considering that double standards notwithstanding were bound to occur to accomodate deeply entrenched 21st century personalities into the unfamiliar world of the Regency.
The only disappointment, I thought, was the rather inconsequential ending, which would probably have been compensated by a more explanatory round-up found in the book tie-in, which in my opinion, goes hand-in-hand with the DVD and which is even more excellent in terms of its clarity, comprehensiveness and informative pitch.
Movie Review: Could have been excellent with better editing and follow up
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently discovered the PBS House series and watched all of them. Regency House Party was very good compared to most drivel on television, but was only moderately entertaining for a House show. I agree with the earlier reviewer in that they focused much too much on the "romance" between the participants (which all seemed very forced and completely chemistry-free)and not enough on the period details. I also missed the preparations for the show that were so prominent in the 1900 house. And why on earth is there no follow-up on the participants and how they felt about the experience after returning to their modern life?
It was still a very enjoyable show, I really thought it was quite funny how the men embraced their lifestyle of leisure, and how bored out of their minds the women are. I would recommend particularly to anyone who enjoys Regency history.
Movie Review: Regency in the 21st Century
Summary: 4 Stars
I loved the series Regency House Party. Mixing the 21st century people with the regency era was always going to be fun and full of angst. I wasn't disappointed. Within in a day of being there it was tears and trauma and a general unwillingness to shake off their modern cloaks. As the series continued it became easier. For some they managed to adopt the attitudes they needed to slip into the skin of the Regency Lady and Gentleman, others ran headlong into conflict and others still into love. Every episode was filled with entertainment.Movie Review: Manor House it's not.
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me start off by saying I really enjoyed "Manor House" and felt it gave me a good feel for what Edwardian country house life was like, so that is the bar I am comparing "Regency House Party" too.
I did not feel like I learned nearly as much from "Regency House Party": There was a lot of focus on interpersonal relations, but it was more from the "problems a modern woman has fitting into the regency role" rather then the problems the participants are experiencing that reflect problems a regency woman experienced. There were multiple times where the viewer is told "and now the host is doing something that no regency man would ever do" which I felt was a cop-out. Yes, his reactions in trying to ease tensions among the women were absolutely what a modern manager would try to do. However, I would've preferred the modern anachronistic behaviors to have far less prominence in the show.
"Regency House Party" is, too some extant a dating show, but I felt that the editing of the show made if very hard to track who was who and who's interested in who and why. I kept referring back to the character summary provided in the associated book (which does not come as part of the DVD) to try to sort the characters out. I'm not sure if the problem was that there were too many people to follow or if the problem was the show trying to be both a dating show and a "slice of life in the Regency".
The show did point out some features of Regency life that were very interesting/novel to me (especially as a fan of Regency romance novels): How sharply divided men's and women's activities were, how central the evening meal was to social life, and to some extent how hobbies and activities fit into the "courtship process".