Perhaps inspired by a growing appetite for reality-based programming,
The 1900 House is an experiment in emotional manipulation. The subjects for this time trip were the Bowlers, a fairly average British family who volunteered to live on camera for three months. The hard part of their decision lay in the challenging setting: a completely restored Victorian house outfitted for 1900. Take away the television, central air, and the water heater, and the result is hardly livable. Indeed, in one episode the family was treated for smoke inhalation from the wood stove. Far from the attention-deficit production that characterizes American programming, this series focuses on the family's slow burn. Each member of the clan experiences an awakening of sorts. Most changed by the harsh conditions is Joyce, the matriarch, who is neither allowed to work outside the house or to change clothes to go to market. Her four children, nine-year-old Joe, 17-year-old Kathryn, and 11-year-old twins Ruth and Hilary escape each day to school. Even the father, Paul, maintains his updated employment. When the housework becomes unbearable, Joyce undergoes a transformation from corseted maid to turn-of-the-century feminist. Without the ease of modern technology, the Bowler family struggles tirelessly to find both pleasure and meaning in a less defined world.
The 1900 House video, broken down into four episodes, captures a paradox of modern cravings in a primitive setting.
In The End of an Era, Joyce applies her newly realized feminist leanings by releasing the maid from her servitude in the last episode of the 1900 House. Finally enjoying a family outing, the Bowlers enjoy a show at a historically accurate music hall. Joyce and Kathryn explore the boundaries of propriety by trying out for the next musical. After three months of work and hard play, the family is allowed to return to the year 2000. But despite the struggles, farewell is difficult for Bowlers who consider the experience an invaluable one. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide