Frontier House
starring: Kristen Brooks, Nate Brooks, Rudy Brooks, Adrienne Clune, Aine Clune
directed by: Maro Chermayeff, Nicolas Brown
directed by: Maro Chermayeff, Nicolas Brown
List Price: $49.98
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Based on the sweeping success of PBS' 1900 House, producer Simon Shaw applies the same standards of accuracy and authenticity to this imaginative sequel, giving viewers a glimpse into frontier America during the years proceeding the 1882 Homestead Act when land out West was "free for the taking." Appropriately billed a "docu-soap," Frontier House is part of PBS' House Series, blending documentary and reality programming as three modern American families test their grit and resourcefulness during a five month immersion as pioneers in the Montana Territory. The Clune, Glenn, and Brooks families' daily lives are recorded and condensed into six one-hour episodes chronicling the hardships and, in some cases, humor of building cabins, planting gardens, digging outhouses, chopping wood, and tending livestock—all while bearing the strain of close familial living and neighborly interdependence necessary for survival. While the film's bickering between families grows wearisome, narrator Kathryn Walker provides a historical context, explaining that such squabbles were typical of homesteading communities. PBS deserves kudos for its meticulous and painstaking commitment to the highest caliber of credibility, employing a team of historic preservation specialists to attend to every detail of the series. Highlights include the touching, actual wedding of Nate and Kristen Brooks, and a compelling "Making Of" bonus feature that caps the overall effort with charm and appeal. (Ages 8 and older) Lynn Gibson
Based on the sweeping success of PBS' 1900 House, producer Simon Shaw applies the same standards of accuracy and authenticity to this imaginative sequel, giving viewers a glimpse into frontier America during the years proceeding the 1882 Homestead Act when land out West was "free for the taking." Appropriately billed a "docu-soap," Frontier House is part of PBS' House Series, blending documentary and reality programming as three modern American families test their grit and resourcefulness during a five month immersion as pioneers in the Montana Territory. The Clune, Glenn, and Brooks families' daily lives are recorded and condensed into six one-hour episodes chronicling the hardships and, in some cases, humor of building cabins, planting gardens, digging outhouses, chopping wood, and tending livestock—all while bearing the strain of close familial living and neighborly interdependence necessary for survival. While the film's bickering between families grows wearisome, narrator Kathryn Walker provides a historical context, explaining that such squabbles were typical of homesteading communities. PBS deserves kudos for its meticulous and painstaking commitment to the highest caliber of credibility, employing a team of historic preservation specialists to attend to every detail of the series. Highlights include the touching, actual wedding of Nate and Kristen Brooks, and a compelling "Making Of" bonus feature that caps the overall effort with charm and appeal. (Ages 8 and older) Lynn Gibson
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- loved this show
I found this show fascinating. My 9 year old daughter loved it too. We found it very educational and at the end of it, I really wished my family could experience the same kind of experiment.
I have to disagree with many of the other viewers though. While I found the Clunes tough to watch in the beginning, I really came to respect them for what they were open to and what they allowed themselves to learn.
The Glens seemed like a family that had major issues before they ... Read More
Rating: - Love it!
We do not watch TV; we prefer reading with our children, and have been reading about the western expansion. Therefore taking time to just chill out and watch a DVD of modern day families attempting to go west under the same circumstances was quite educational and entertaining.
Rating: - This isn't just about 1883...
This is about people.Summery - Three families - well two families and a family to be - are given two weeks training on how to live as 1883 settlers on the frontier for five months.They have to use only items, tools, equipment from the time period and only have so much in supplies and credit at the general store.It is amazing, wonderful, funny and, sometimes, sad.They learned how to use the tools, they learned about cooking, animal care, keeping clean, building the houses and riding horses. ... Read More
Rating: - Entertaining voyage into the past
I really enjoyed this show. It was interesting, informative, historical and entertaining. You got to like some families and to dislike the others, watching them endure hardships, become industrious, learn how to live as homesteaders and see if they can make it through the change in seasons.
The way their experience unfolds is full of surprises and adventures and in the end the familise learn more about themselves and their relationships in the process.
Definately a must-see dvd if you like ... Read More
Rating: - Time Travel Is Possible
PBS is excellent at providing quality entertainment and slipping education into the equation. With the success of 1900 House, a realty mini-series where one family was transported to the Victorian Era, executives decided to send three families to the frontier of Montana with only the supplies that families would have had in 1883. Meet The Clunes, The Brooks', and The Glenns. The Clunes are a wealthy family from California, accustomed to frequent business trips and luxury. The Brooks family begins with ... Read More
- loved this showI found this show fascinating. My 9 year old daughter loved it too. We found it very educational and at the end of it, I really wished my family could experience the same kind of experiment.
I have to disagree with many of the other viewers though. While I found the Clunes tough to watch in the beginning, I really came to respect them for what they were open to and what they allowed themselves to learn.
The Glens seemed like a family that had major issues before they ... Read More
- Love it!We do not watch TV; we prefer reading with our children, and have been reading about the western expansion. Therefore taking time to just chill out and watch a DVD of modern day families attempting to go west under the same circumstances was quite educational and entertaining.
- This isn't just about 1883...This is about people.Summery - Three families - well two families and a family to be - are given two weeks training on how to live as 1883 settlers on the frontier for five months.They have to use only items, tools, equipment from the time period and only have so much in supplies and credit at the general store.It is amazing, wonderful, funny and, sometimes, sad.They learned how to use the tools, they learned about cooking, animal care, keeping clean, building the houses and riding horses. ... Read More
- Entertaining voyage into the pastI really enjoyed this show. It was interesting, informative, historical and entertaining. You got to like some families and to dislike the others, watching them endure hardships, become industrious, learn how to live as homesteaders and see if they can make it through the change in seasons.
The way their experience unfolds is full of surprises and adventures and in the end the familise learn more about themselves and their relationships in the process.
Definately a must-see dvd if you like ... Read More
- Time Travel Is PossiblePBS is excellent at providing quality entertainment and slipping education into the equation. With the success of 1900 House, a realty mini-series where one family was transported to the Victorian Era, executives decided to send three families to the frontier of Montana with only the supplies that families would have had in 1883. Meet The Clunes, The Brooks', and The Glenns. The Clunes are a wealthy family from California, accustomed to frequent business trips and luxury. The Brooks family begins with ... Read More
