The 1940s House

I’ve been slowly but steadily adding favorite movies and series to our DVD collection. With the push toward digital and not owning anything, I want to make sure I have copies of things I really like and know I will want to watch again and again. The 1940s House series from 2000 is one of those must-haves for me.

Here is the description from the DVD case:

One modern family takes on the challenge of domestic life on Britain’s home front in 1940s House, a recreation of a World War II household. This time-travel experiment covers the period from the outbreak of the war in 1939 to Victory Day in 1945, compressing the events of six wartime years into two months. Though the military threat is metaphorical, the privations are real and the pressures creates tensions nonexistent in modern society.

The three-generation Hymers family – mother Lyn, father Michael, daughter Kirstie and her sons Ben, ten, and Thomas, seven – learns to exist on ever-diminishing rations and builds and takes refuge in an air raid shelter. A “war cabinet,” composed of historians and scientists with special knowledge of the war, monitors the family’s progress and steers the course of the experiment. At the end of 1940s House, viewers find out what the experience meant to the family and members of the series’ war cabinet consider how well the Hymers fared in comparison to their wartime counterparts.

One of the things I liked about this particular series was the family itself. They seemed genuine and took the project seriously. The two boys are delightful. I wish this particular series would have been even longer.

It’s hard to believe this is 23 years old. At one time I could get a copy from the library. Then I had to do a special order from out of the area. The last time I ordered it several years ago, the set was barely hanging together. There are a couple of uploads on YouTube, but they are of poor quality. I  decided it was time to bite the bullet and purchase my own copy.

So while we’re on a homeschool break this week, I’ll be enjoying this. I’m not sure if Caroline will join me this week or next school year, but it will be part of our history curriculum at some point.

If you’ve never watched 1940s House, I highly recommend it.