Customer Reviews

AMERICA'S CASTLES: THE BILTMORE ESTATE

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

I visited Biltmore several years ago. It brings back great memories. It took 5 years and an army of men to build.
This DVD gives lots of information about the house itself, the man who built it, and the era in which it was built.
In addition, it shows some of the rooms,
the gardens (which are extensive), and art collections. The dining hall is 70 feet high; heated by a six-foot+ tall, 3-hearth fireplace (at least 18 foot wide).
It had all the modern conveniences for the time, such as refrigeration, electricity, centralized communications, (etc). I would love to visit at Christmas time; I understand the decorations are stunning over the holidays.

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.

This video was good enough. The story and all were fantastic. Great information. I wish it went a little more into detail about the construction of the house and the conversion of the dairy farm into what is now the winery but it was pretty informative regardless. The only major drawback that keeps it from being a 5 is that I couldn't get it to play on my DVD player. It kept locking up at the start. I actually had to play it on my PS2 and it worked fine.

I know of no other property that has had so much influence in setting a standard in the United States as Biltmore. After George Washington Vanderbild build it, raise the bar to all others, so after Biltmore, dozens of fine hotels had taken the name. The castle itself -because it is a castle as impressing as, let's say, Azay le Rideau, Chenonnceaux or other beauties of Loira valley, is incredibly beautiful, surrounded by hundreds of thousands acres of the most beatiful woods, all made to match the castle, by Richard Morris Hunt (who designed the castle), and Frederick Law Olmstead (who designed the landscape). Biltmore is one man's dream made real.