America's Castles

Starring:Americas Castles
Studio: A&E Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Beware the title

America's Castles - The Homes of Frank Lloyd Wright (A&E DVD Archives)
Starring: America's Castles
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Frank Lloyd Wright: A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater Special Edition
Frank Lloyd Wright - A film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Heurtley House
Architectures, Vol. 2

ASIN: B0009K7RXO
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Description

From Fallingwater to the Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright created some of the most celebrated designs in history. But his development as an architect is best seen in the three homes he built for himself. Freed from the wishes and demands of any client, they are the purest expressions of the talents and theories of the greatest architect of the 20th century.America's Castles follows the evolution of Wright's style from the balanced simplicity of Oak Park (1891) to the destruction of the traditional boundaries between inside and outside space of Taliesin West (1937). Go inside Taliesin (1911) in Spring Green Wisconsin--off limits to the public--to see what many scholars feel is the most beautiful of all Wright's domestic designs. And learn of the turmoil and tragedy that marked Wright's private life--including the horrific axe murder in Taliesin!

Customer Reviews:

Beware the title.......2005-12-27

This is a show about the homes that Mr. Wright lived in - Oak Park, Taliesin and Taliesin West, not the homes that he built for others. Fallingwater and the Johnson house are mentioned in the biography, but not shown. I was disappointed at that.

With the scarcity of DVDs offered on Wright on Amazon, I would have hoped that this would have been an overview of his work. Instead, it concentrated on only three sites and did not attempt to put them into context with his other work.

I guess I cannot blame this on A & E. This was part of a series on American Castles and the subject was so small. It is the problem with TV shows that limit what can be said in the hour long (forty-four minutes, actually) format. Film and television can show views that books cannot. This show's problem is that it cannot please everyone (anyone?) because it is not specific to the pre-existing knowledge of its viewers.

Nonetheless, I did enjoy the presentation. It did not dwell on scandal or the sensational and stuck to its goal.

Average customer rating:

Excellent series to motivate one towards wealth
America's Castles
SURPRISINGLY ELEGANT AND WEIRDLY DECADENT

America's Castles
Starring: Americas Castles
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

AMERICA'S CASTLES: THE BILTMORE ESTATE
America's Castles - The Homes of Frank Lloyd Wright (A&E DVD Archives)
AMERICA'S CASTLES: NEWPORT MANSIONS
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Heiresses
AMERICA'S CASTLES: New York City

ASIN: B0007XG1BW
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Customer Reviews:

Excellent series to motivate one towards wealth.......2006-10-28

This entire series is superb, from the dazzling videography to the great v/o work and historical bios. I started with this single 2-volume DVD set and was instantly captivated, buying almost all the other DVDs in the series.

If you're in sales, copywriting, marketing, an entrepreneur of any kind, this series provides great motivation for becoming successful. Learning the case studies of the successful industrial barons and business leaders, by seeing their private castles and mansions, is a priceless expeerience. Highly recommended for all business people.

In nlp-talk, we'd call these anchors, I'd call them "wealth motivating anchors", visual cues to help one continue one's path towards achieving success. Plus, they're terrific for home decorating tips too, if you're trying to figure out how to do marble baths etc. Any way you slice it, this is a wonderful series, and I wish I'd found out about it years ago.

Superb workmanship on this entire series - bravo!

Ken Calhoun

America's Castles .......2006-09-23

I bought this DVD because I don't have a VCR. If I did, I would have purchased America's Castles Part I ON VIDEO. Why? The music! The music on the video version and the music on the DVD version are different and it matters because when I am away from the tv, I can hear the music and the music gives me an image of what magnificent Castle home is being shown. In my mind I can still see the images. This matters only if you've seen the video version FIRST. Otherwise this DVD purchase is great, very informative in fact even more than the video version etc...but what I wouldn't give to have the SAME MUSIC which was so much more in line, so much more grand and in keeping with the opulence of these fabulous palace-homes. Ah well! I'm still pleased BUT truth be told if I'd known the music was different, I'm not sure if I'd have purchased this.

SURPRISINGLY ELEGANT AND WEIRDLY DECADENT.......2005-07-21

If you're involved in a re-fi to remodel or re-decorate, you owe it to yourself to get a bigger perspective of just what a fine home can be. AMERICA'S CASTLES THE GRAND TOUR (A&E/NewVideo) is a glorious look at a handful of the most extraordinary American homes; grand estates that reflect the life and times of the original owners.

This two disc set features dozens of unique landmarks that will astonish you with their exuberantly inventive splendor. Experience Rockefeller's fabled estate in the Hudson Valley, the breezy elegance of the Newport mansions, the wooded seclusion of the grand Adirondack "camps," Donald Trumps Mar-A-lago in Palm Beach and many more including the fabled Vanderbilt estate.

America's Castles is an open door invitation to the exclusive and spectacular addresses that not only reveal the exteriors and interiors but remarkable lives of the denizens who dwell, and dwelled within.

I was dazzled at the opulance and the indulgent decadence. This is a great documentary on the far end of material success America offers to the lucky and the blessed. And the criminality of the lords of industry.

Average customer rating:

250 rooms, but not one cable ready!
Good Overview of the house

AMERICA'S CASTLES: THE BILTMORE ESTATE

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

AMERICA'S CASTLES: NEWPORT MANSIONS
America's Castles
AMERICA'S CASTLES: New York City
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Astors
AMERICA'S CASTLES: The Railroad Barons

ASIN: B000E3713C
Release Date: 1997-02-15

Description

It is truly the grandest of all American homes. Built by George Washington Vanderbilt, Biltmore dwarfs all the mansions built by his illustrious forefathers, even the Breakers "cottage" in Newport. America's Castlestakes a remarkable top-to-bottom tour of the largest home ever built in America. With its 255 rooms, the Biltmore is a monument to the extravagance and eccentricity of its owner. See footage of its construction, and go behind the scenes with the men and women who work there to learn the secrets of this incredible mansion. Get a privileged tour of rooms that are off-limits to the public, and marvel at the magnificent treasures that Vanderbilt collected. Travel to the gorgeous mountains of Western North Carolina for the definitive look at the ultimate American Castle.

Customer Reviews:

250 rooms, but not one cable ready!.......2007-05-15

I've been fascinated by the Biltmore Estate ever since I first saw it in movies as a kid. I've visited there twice and was blown away both times. No other home in the nation can match Biltmore for its scope and detail. This video elegantly captures the Estate from the mansion to the grounds and everywhere in between. It's beautifully shot and also shares the full history of this greatest of America's Castles.

Good Overview of the house.......2006-07-06

I enjoyed the film. The narrators are good. You get to meet the guy who currently owns the castle...the grandson of the builder. If you plan on actually visiing the castle, this would be a good way to preview it before you go. A&E did a good job of producing and editing this piece. I doubt that it covers ALL the rooms on the tour, but it seems to at least hit the highlights.

Average customer rating:

America's Castles: The Chemical Age

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

AMERICA'S CASTLES: Astors
America's Castles - The Auto Baron Estates
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Heiresses
AMERICA'S CASTLES: The Railroad Barons
AMERICA'S CASTLES: New York City

ASIN: B000E37344
Release Date: 1997-01-26

Description

During the Industrial Revolution, two of America's most prominent companies were Eastman Kodak and DuPont. The owners of these chemical giants celebrated their wealth in stunning homes far from the hustle and bustle of city life. AMERICA'S CASTLES visits the opulent retreats of these giants of the chemical age. Go inside George Eastman's magnificent upstate New York retreat and marvel at the architectural details and stunning furnishings. Tour some of the many mansions built by the DuPont family, who shared the work and the wealth of their legendary company. Get a special behind-the-scenes tour of Longwood Gardens, and learn the hidden story of Winterthur, one of the many stunning homes the DuPonts built in their native Delaware. It's an up-close look at the beautiful homes of some of the giants of American industry.

Average customer rating:

America's Castles: Grand Plantations
Starring: America's Castles
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

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Marie Antoinette

ASIN: B000JBXHP0
Release Date: 2006-12-19

Description

From New Orleans to Natchez, along the great Mississippi River, enormous fortunes were made from cotton and cane, and southern planters built majestic castles to celebrate their nobility, wealth, and power. America's Castles takes you on an exclusive tour of the great antebellum mansions of the Old South. Go inside John Hampden Randolph's 64-room Nottaway, set on a 7,000 acre sugar plantation, and visit the exquisite Rosalie, built by Peter Little for his 13-year-old bride. Meet the colorful Irish immigrant Frederick Stanton. He became one of the richest men in America and built the five-story Stanton Hall to prove it. And what tour of Natchez would be complete without a look at Dr. Haller Nutt's Longwood, the 100-foot tall octagonal wonder they call "Nutt's Folly"? It's a once-in-a-lifetime grand tour of the Old South's spectacular palaces.

Average customer rating:

America's Castles - Movie Palaces

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

America's Castles - The Auto Baron Estates
America's Castles - Architectural Masterpieces
America's Castles: The Chemical Age
America's Castles - Mavericks Of Medicine
America's Castles - The Governors' Mansions

ASIN: B000FKP28K
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Description

A delightful visit to the grand palaces of cinema built to showcase the first of the great motion pictures. Includes New York City's legendary New Amsterdam Theater and Hollywood's famous Chinese Theater.

AMERICA'S CASTLES: HUDSON RIVER VALLEY ESTATES

Average customer rating:

AMERICA'S CASTLES: HUDSON RIVER VALLEY ESTATES

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

AMERICA'S CASTLES: GRAND PLANTATIONS
AMERICA'S CASTLES: The Railroad Barons
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Heiresses
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Astors
AMERICA'S CASTLES: NEWPORT MANSIONS

ASIN: B000E371CS
Release Date: 1996-02-01

Description

For the turn-of-the-century captains of Wall Street the majestic Hudson Valley provided an ideal getaway from the chaos of New York City. Just an hour or two from town, the valley offered tranquillity, natural beauty, and plenty of elbowroom for their sprawling country estates. America's Castlestakes you on an exclusive tour of the finest of these grand mansions. Get a rare look at financier John Jay Gould's Gothic castle Lyndhurst, with its turrets, gables and two-story tall stained glass windows. Meet Gould's archrival Frederick Vanderbilt, whose 50,000 square foot mansion was the area's most lavish. And get unprecedented access to Kykuit, the stunning estate of John D. Rockefeller, then the wealthiest man in the world. America's Castlespresents an extraordinary tour of the "valley of the millionaires."

Average customer rating:

AMERICA'S CASTLES: NEWPORT MANSIONS

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

AMERICA'S CASTLES: THE BILTMORE ESTATE
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Astors
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Heiresses
AMERICA'S CASTLES: New York City
AMERICA'S CASTLES: THE CASTLES OF CHARLESTON

ASIN: B000E37132
Release Date: 1996-02-01

Description

In the wild and extravagant heyday of the Gilded Age, Newport, Rhode Island was the summer retreat for America's social elite. In this quaint coastal town, "the 400" of high society built their most magnificent estates summer palaces filled with rare marble and glass, woodwork, art, and even solid gold taps running salt and fresh water. America's Castles takes an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the famed Newport Mansions, from the 50-room Chateau Sur Mer, the first of the great "cottages," to the stunning estates of the ultra-wealthy Vanderbilts. Get an unprecedented look at the Marble House, created to put the strong-willed Alva Vanderbilt at the center of Newport society, and visit her sister-in-law's awe-inspiring The Breakers a 70 room palace that could entertain 3,000 guests. It is an inside look at the summer "cottages" that are some of the grandest homes ever built.

America's Castles - California Dreamers: The Winchester Mystery House and Scotty's Castle

Average customer rating:

NOT MUCH TO SEE BUT GOOD

America's Castles - California Dreamers: The Winchester Mystery House and Scotty's Castle
Starring: America's Castles
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

The Inscrutable Mrs. Winchester and Her Mysterious Mansion
America's Castles - Hearst Castle at San Simeon
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Astors
AMERICA'S CASTLES: The Railroad Barons
AMERICA'S CASTLES: THE BILTMORE ESTATE

ASIN: B000CSTK6A
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Product Description

Not surprisingly, two of America's most unusual mansions are in California. Visit the Winchester House and Scotty's Castle in this mysterious AMERICA'S CASTLES.

One of the strangest homes ever built, the Winchester House is the product of Sara Pardee Winchester's superstition. The heiress to the fortune of the famed gun maker believed that she had to build a home for the spirits of all those killed with the Winchester rifle. For 38 years, she kept an army of carpenters busy 24 hours a day. Go inside the bizarre home and marvel at the jumble of stairs to nowhere, secret passages, dead ends and turrets of the 160-room mansion.

In the middle of Death Valley, the eccentric Walter Scott built a 20-room Spanish style castle. Explore the stately halls, Moorish bell tower and grand music room - with an 1,100 pipe organ - and learn the story of the strange alliance that created Scotty's Castle.

System Requirements:

Running Time 50 Mins.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

NOT MUCH TO SEE BUT GOOD.......2007-06-12

I bought this because of the Winchester House. There's not much in the way of books on the subject and I'll never get to California so this DVD is as close as I'll get to the actual house. I wish it had more footage of the interior though. Lots of talk about the Winchester rifle and Sarah but I hoped to see more of the house. I've always love the America's Castle series on A&E but this one didn't show as much as others have.

Scotty's Castle is interesting and again, it talks a lot about the people in it but they show more interior footage than they did for Winchester House. A bit disappointing but with so little information out there on this subject, I'll keep it. I bought it at a great price so I can live with the short 50 minutes this DVD shows me.

Average customer rating:

AMERICA'S CASTLES: GRAND PLANTATIONS

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( A ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

AMERICA'S CASTLES: SAVANNAH
AMERICA'S CASTLES: THE CASTLES OF CHARLESTON
AMERICA'S CASTLES: THE BILTMORE ESTATE
AMERICA'S CASTLES: NEWPORT MANSIONS
AMERICA'S CASTLES: Astors

ASIN: B000E371CI
Release Date: 1996-02-01

Description

From New Orleans to Natchez, along the great Mississippi River, enormous fortunes were made from cotton and cane, and southern planters built majestic castles to celebrate their nobility, wealth, and power. America's Castles. takes you on an exclusive tour of the great antebellum mansions of the Old South. Go inside John Hampden Randolph's 64-room Nottaway, set on a 7,000 acre sugar plantation, and visit the exquisite Rosalie, built by Peter Little for his 13-year-old bride. Meet the colorful Irish immigrant Frederick Stanton. He became one of the richest men in America and built the five-story Stanton Hall to prove it. And what tour of Natchez would be complete without a look at Dr. Haller Nutt's Longwood, the 100-foot tall octagonal wonder they call "Nutt's Folly"? It's a once-in-a-lifetime grand tour of the Old South's spectacular palaces.

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