BBC TV's political drama based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. The rise and fall of Prime Minister Francis Urquhart. Please note: All 3 discs are double-sided, please turn disc over for more episodes Read more
| Starring | Ian Richardson, Susannah Harker, Nicholas Selby, James Villiers |
|---|---|
| Director | Paul Seed |
| Genres | Drama, Television |
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BBC TV's political drama based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. The rise and fall of Prime Minister Francis Urquhart. Please note: All 3 discs are double-sided, please turn disc over for more episodes
| Starring | Ian Richardson, Susannah Harker, Nicholas Selby, James Villiers, David Lyon |
|---|---|
| Director | Paul Seed |
| Studio | BBC WORLDWIDE PUBLISHING |
| Run time | DVD: 3 hrs 20 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, Television |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 09 Jul 2004 Production year: 1990 |
| Format | DVD |
Or you can rent each disc individually:
It is hard to say anything about House of Cards without giving away the whole plot. That notwithstanding, this is a sharply scripted piece of showcase television from the pen of Andrew Davies (after Michael Dobbs), which either celebrates or castigates (depending on your politics) political malevolence at its most extreme. Ian Richardson is simply magnificent as the grotesque Francis Urquhart who, in this age of television naturalism, is not afraid to share with us in soliloquy all of the little intricacies of the current scheme being weighed up in his calculating mind. His rise to power is pure Richard the Third, with a bit of Caligula and Machiavelli thrown in for good measure. And the d?nouement? It?s as shocking today as it was upon first transmission. The audio commentary from Ian Richardson, Andrew Davies and Ken Riddington is also well worth a listen.
It is frightening to think that, although this drama was made under the Tories, one could so easily imagine an Urquhartean figure rising through the ranks of New Labour. One already has? You may very well say that. I could not possibly comment?
This is what we do well in this country - make excellent TV dramas! The acting and story lines are first class and we could not stop watching it! If you like a good drama you will love this.