On the way, we passed by a cluster of bungalows, and the blinds at the window of one bungalow were all the way open, revealing a small, tight reading room, with two sets of tall shelves, and an overstuffed red leather chair. I didn’t want to try the fried chicken and waffles, as I eventually did from my sister’s plate. I wanted to move into that bungalow and have that room all to myself. That was my reading room. That’s exactly how I want it to be when I have my own, and though I’ve occasionally debated whether to have the books in a separate room, I want them with me. That’s where I would be most comfortable. That’s all I need.
Treasure Houses of Britain, released on DVD by Acorn Media, and hosted by esteemed British journalist Selina Scott, is a head-snapping contrast to that modest reading room I want so badly. Here is Blenheim Palace, immortalized by Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet as the exteriors of that filmic palace, built 300 years ago for Winston Churchill’s ancestors, including a 183-foot-long library, a ceiling painting, and so much history that you could nearly gag on it, which is terrific for British history buffs. And there is Holkham Hall, with its stunned-into-silence Marble Hall, modeled after a Roman temple of justice, according to Scott. It took 30 years to build, it’s awe-inspiring, and I wonder how anyone could want to maintain this for all time. Look at all it has, everything that must not fall into disrepair. It’s amazing and intimidating at the same time. Other episodes feature Burghley House, an Elizabethan house; Chatsworth; and Boughton House, which is considered the English Versailles. It’s quite a lot to look at and admire, but what helps keep these tours interesting is that Scott is respectful of these rooms and halls without slobbering. Most people probably don’t know about these houses, and so they should learn, and she gives information and shows off portraits and other expensive items with family members connected to these houses, without making such a big show of it. It’s nice to see, and quite a tonic from the sometimes-frenetic “Look at me! Look at me!” nature of American television.
Scott doesn’t get too close to viewers, but just enough to get them interested in these houses. If you’re not interested in the portraits, there’s the halls. If not the halls, then the libraries. If not the libraries, then that one organ. If not all this, then there’s history that stretches far back to include a great number of interesting stories. It takes time to get used to the grand, soaring instrumental music, which is meant to convey the sheer power of these houses, but becomes overbearing at times. Fortunately, it never distracts from the Marble Hall or learning of Blenheim’s history.
In extras, there is “Behind the Architectural Styles,” onscreen text that breaks down the style of each house in one paragraph, and a booklet explains at length the oft-discussed “Grand Tour,” the “lost” houses of England, and the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest. But the most substantial extra is a 22-minute featurette on the second disc called “How We Did It,” in which we’re given intimate access to the filming of each episode, how it’s done, how each house must be lit in order to capture all of it. We get just a bit from Scott about why she did this, but not enough. She says she didn’t think she’d love it at first, but she did. Ok, but who proposed the project? Was Scott involved from the beginning? What were the logistics involved in making this happen? Who did they have to talk to and get approval from to bring in cameras and microphones and Scott? Did they walk through the houses before production to figure out where they were going to place cameras? The filming itself is interesting, but many opportunities for more sufficient insight are sorely missed.
I’ll stick with my dream reading room, but for sheer drama in houses and the history that surrounds them, Treasure Houses of Britain is a most remarkable feat in visuals and reportage. Prepare to gape often at massive wealth.
