House of Cards Trilogy, Vol. 1 - House of Cards
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Colin Jeavons, Damien Thomas, Ian Richardson, Miles Anderson, Susannah HarkerBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 225 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-08-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Warner
Movie Reviews of House of Cards Trilogy, Vol. 1 - House of Cards
Movie Review: Best Villian since J.R.
Summary: 5 Stars
Another brilliant production from the BBC! Ian Richardson is superlative in the role of a man you'll love to hate. He charmingly lets you in on his machinations, enticing you almost into conspiracy with him. This works well with a young female journalist, too. The plot is not very realistic when you think of how easily the villian, Francis Urquart, gets away with his crimes. But it is so well done that it will hold your interest throughout. I'm tempted to subtract one star for the cyncism of it, but Richardson's performance makes up for any lack. Shakespeare would have loved it!
Summary of House of Cards Trilogy, Vol. 1 - House of Cards
Ian Richardson (From Hell, M. Butterfly) leads an all star cast in this malevolent satire of greed, corruption and ambition in the highest realms of government. As Machiavellian monster Francis Urquhart, he schemes and backstabs his way to the top until he is standing on a pile of broken promises, betrayals and the bodies of those who oppose him. Every step of the way, Urquhart lays out his plans with horrifying wit and venomous charm. But the ranks of his enemies are growing, and they intend to bring him down, whatever the price. Every step of the way, Urquhart lays out his plans with horrifying wit and venomous charm. But the ranks of his enemies are growing, and they intend to bring him down, whatever the price. Brilliantly adapted by Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bridget Jones's Diary), from Michael Dobbs's best-selling novel, this satirical trilogy took home a primetime Emmy, a Peabody, two BAFTAs and a Broadcasting Press Guild Award.Connoisseurs of political chicanery will relish House of Cards, the mordantly funny story of Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson), a British politician with his eye on the top job. Urquhart is the chief whip of the Conservative Party and his job is to maintain party discipline, or, as he likes to say, "put a bit of stick about." This means that he has intimate knowledge of his colleagues' foibles, knowledge that he uses to further his own political ambitions. Aided by his equally ruthless wife and drawing on a network of accomplices, Urquhart manufactures a crisis that forces the prime minister to resign. He then sets out to discredit each of his rivals for the party leadership, clearing the way for a rapid and apparently inevitable rise to power. The only possible flaw in Urquhart's master plan is his affair with Mattie Storin, a young journalist who is drawn into his web when he decides she might prove useful.
Although it is strongly cast throughout, House of Cards belongs to Ian Richardson. Without his perfectly balanced performance, Urquhart might have become no more than a two-dimensional villain, but Richardson finds exactly the right tone to make his character as attractive as he is wicked. Like his illustrious predecessor Richard III (House of Cards is filled with references to Shakespearean villains), Francis Urquhart is an irresistible bad guy with a nice line in witty asides to the audience. Even when he is calmly committing murder Urquhart is so charming, so much more clever than his rivals, that it's impossible not to root for him. Thanks to Richardson, and a superb script by Andrew Davies, this brilliant political satire is sure to delight anyone who has wondered what might be going on in the darker corners of our democratic institutions. --Simon Leake
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