The 1900 House:  An Extraordinary Living Experiment [VHS]
Who hasn't longed for the simplicity of times past, when life was less convoluted, without the complications of cell phones, e-mail, and chauffeuring kids to soccer games? Well, one episode into PBS's reality seriesThe 1900 Housewill have you rethinking your romanticization of days gone by.Take one modern 1999 family, insert them into a Victorian London house redesigned to exact 1900 standards, focus a camera on them for three months, and you haveThe 1900 House. The Bowler family is a typical family of six (actually, seven--the oldest daughter remained in 1999 to take care of the house): 9-year-old Joe is a computer games addict, teenage Kathryn is a club hopper, and preteen twins Hilary and Ruth are still young enough to be the most mature people in the family. Add mother Joyce, a school inspector on hiatus, and father Paul, a Royal Marine who takes his head-of-the-household role a bit too seriously, and you have an immensely likable family living under incredibly strained circumstances.The first of four episodes focuses on the rebuilding of the house: the removal of the indoor plumbing and electricity, the installation of the coal-burning stove, the planting of the Victorian-era garden, and such. The subsequent three episodes follow the refreshingly fascinating daily life of the Bowler family as they navigate cooking, cleaning, entertaining themselves, and even personal hygiene (Paul learns to cope with a straight-edged razor, and Joyce and Kathryn get a lesson on womanly issues of 1900). Tight editing condenses the three months into four hours, keeping the series fast paced and humorous. Whether you're a reality-TV junkie or have an honest interest in a documentary on Victorian life,The 1900 Housewill certainly delight.--Jenny Brown