House of Cards

Plot synopsis:
Reno Davis (George Peppard) is an American writer who has recently retired from boxing. Now unemployed and broke in France, he finds the wealthy widow of a French general. Anne de Villemont (Inger Stevens) is attracted to Reno's stoicism and they become lovers. She also hires him to tutor her eight-year-old son Paul (Barnaby Shaw).
Reno is led to believe Anne's husband was killed in the Algerian conflict and is troubled by Anne's intense fear that Paul will be kidnapped. He then discovers the family has ties to a fascist organization that plans to take over all of Europe. He takes on the shady psychiatrist Morillon (Keith Michell) and mysterious family friend Leschenhaut (Orson Welles), both of whom scare Anne whenever they are around.
Reno is framed for his best friend's murder as he and Anne become the targets of the ambitious and maniacal schemers who wish to rule the entire European continent. Reno and Anne are hunted and chased around France while protecting Paul from being abducted. The chase ends at the Coliseum in Rome, where Reno and the villains engage in a showdown.

Tags: murder

Review:
One night I happened to be channel surfing looking for the next sci-fi, action, horror thriller when I happened upon PBS's broadcast of the BBC's "House of Cards." I put down the remote for a good 4 hours because what I was experiencing was something truly special.
If only American TV had the guts to produce something like "House of Cards" and let it end instead of dragging it on forever like the American version of "Queer as Folk." That aside, Dobbs and Davis have written a nice tidy political thriller which made me hunt down the DVD years after I saw the TV showing and made me recommend the trilogy to all my friends.
He clearly knows the kinds of things that can happen in the highest echelons of power.If one is to choose the single best thing in the serial, it is no doubt the performance by Ian Richardson.
Ian Richardson, playing the intelligent and ruthless Francis Urquhart, immediately draws the viewer into the tale with his wry comments to the camera, discreet confidences just between the two of you, and compels you to accompany him as the tale moves from an amusing political fantasy to something altogether darker.The writing and acting is spot on (I must give kudos to Susannah Harker whose fine performance as Mattie Storin has, I think, been overlooked by many viewers), and the pace of the show doesn't slow until the final, shocking end.I am constantly recommending "House of Cards" to friends, to the point of hosting viewing parties at my place every few months, and I'm not tired of watching it, yet!
House Of Cards is one of the finest examples of the political thriller that you are likely to see anywhere.If there is any single element that makes this miniseries as much of a success as it is, it is lead character, Francis Urquhart as played by actor Ian Richardson.
There's Diane Fletcher as Urquhart's wife who, like Lady Macbeth, pushed her husband and his plans along which makes her a character that is almost as fascinating as her husband.
There's Susannah Harker as the young, attractive reporter Mattie Storin who begins using Urquhart as a source before they start going in a dangerous direction which leads to an incredible finale.
Also, Davies knows how to write fine dialogue especially for Urquhart including the famous line "You may think that, but I couldn't possibly comment." The script never fails to deliver right up to the shocking finale.House Of Cards is a fine example of what the political thriller can be.
From the performance of Ian Richardson as Urquhart, the performances of the supporting cast, good production values and a fantastic script as well.
I found the series at Best Buy (House of Cards, To Play the King and The Final Cut) all packaged together.
"The House of Cards", based on a novel by Michael Dobbs, is a television series that is based upon one character's use, abuse and manipulation of the political system to achieve his own political goals.Ian Richardson's performance as the malevolent Francis Urquaht is outstanding and the standards of acting in this series are upheld by Susannah Harker and Diane Fletcher.This series of political intrigue and deception is an excellent one and I wouldn't recommend missing an episode..
Ian Richardson plays the character of Francis Urquhart for all it's worth, and the rest of the supporting cast is quite stellar.
Paul Seed does a competent job of the direction, and has a good talent for photographing faces.The way the Francis frequently comments (breaking the 3rd wall so to speak) encourages viewer participation, and I found myself agreeing with him, or even yelling at him during the course of the film.If it ever comes on television, do yourself a favor and watch this one.
But most of all, we the public almost never hear the internal thoughts of political operatives.The BBC's "House of Cards" gives us something we probably will never be able to enjoy in real life: the actual thoughts of someone working within the most powerful circles in politics.
Ian Richardson plays Francis Urquhart, the Whip of the British Conservative Party who has taken hold of Parliament and the seat of the Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher.
While outwardly, Urquhart supports all the members of his party, inwardly he tells us his thoughts about all the contenders to leadership, including how he views the present Prime Minister Henry Collingridge.Urquhart desires to influence the highest levels of his political party but seems uninterested in attaining the position of Prime Minister.
Urquhart believes by trusting someone in the press, he can at least have some influence on how the press handles the inner-workings and dealings in Parliament, be they success or failures.Most of the series involves the many behind-the-scenes shenanigans the public rarely sees, let alone knows about.
Things begin to heat up when the journalist learns that private research reveals the Conversative Party is in trouble with the public and must decide if there will be an internal coup d'etat.A thoroughly compelling, excellently acted series which paved the way for the West Wing almost 10 years later.
Heard nothing but great things about 'House of Cards', and 'To Play the King' and 'The Final Cut', and saw it to see how it compared with the US version of the same name.
Whether it's a good or faithful adaptation of the source material feels completely insignificant, deviations are numerous and some are major but the spirit and attention to character and mood detail are present.Visually, 'House of Cards' looks wonderful and full of elegance and atmosphere in the design and class and style in the way it's filmed.
It is very easy to overlook the rest of the cast and say they're in the shadow, they may not dominate like Richardson does but they are just as good.Susanna Harker has an affecting charm and Diane Fletcher also impresses in a role that sees a side of her that one wouldn't associate with her.
More than 20 years after its release, House of Cards still manages to thrust a steely rapier under the viewer's skin, its view of the hostile British political maneuverings of Urquhart and his kind both riveting and shocking.
By the end of four hours, Francis Urquhart had ruined several lives, brought down a prime minister and murdered two people.
Ian Richardson's performance, as Parliamentary Chief Whip Francis Urquhart, is delightful: he IS F.U. Anybody else can only pale by comparison (sorry Kevin!).
Urquhart played by Ian is ruthless and immoral, but also a very capable executive, who is right about some important policy questions while his well-meaning rivals and victims are wrong.Do yourself a favor and WATCH the original before watching the American version..
Great performance by Ian Richardson as Urquhart.
Good support by Susannah Harker as Mattie Storin.I much preferred this, the original House of Cards, to the far more famous recent US version.
Another solid British series, with vigorous emphasis on Francis Urquhart's character.
It does not often happen that I watch an original creation after adapted/covered one - but such is the case with House of Cards where the Spacey-Wright tandem captivated me soon after the series was released.
Yes, I enjoyed both Francis Urquhart's character and Ian Richardson's performance at once, but the plot had some minor shortages for me - first, Urquhart obtained the highest post of the Prime Minister at the first stage (vs.
A must- see to all fond of British political crime series and a wide and pleasant record of Ian Richardson's (passed away in 2007) talent..
Waiting in the wings is Chief Whip (the person who informs all the MP's of the party's policy and what vote they should cast on key issues) Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson).
As soon as you start getting into character background, you remove the mystery- hence why at the end of Othello, Shakesspeare chooses to have Iago refuse to say another word (and keep to his promise) once he is confronted about his crimes.House of Cards is a pacy political thriller that feels like a sneaky backstage look into parliament and its workings.
Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart whips up a frenzy of Shakespearian machination: Iago in the scenes where he advises the PM, Macbeth at home with his conspiring wife, Richard III in the halls and secret meetings.It is overall a joy to watch.So, I would recommend it without reservation to anyone interested in a great piece of narrative.
In the film, Urquhart as the narrator manipulates everything except our gaze.So we go from one malicious ploy to the next, Urquhart confides in the camera in the first person, winks, hums, invents, seduces, a wry devil, but none of it is abstract enough to allow us to lose control of reality and co-conspire in the fabrication of missing bits.In this mode, we (the viewer) would be Urquhart's nemesis in the hunt for power over the story, a role which in the film is set aside for the young journalist—Urquhart's Lolita Haze.
Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart is compelling.
This series was original in its time for "breaking the fourth wall" - Urquhart faces camera to confide in the viewer- and certain of his lines have entered the language - "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment" was even used in Parliament!.
The British House of Cards was a great series.
Having watched the American series I kind of knew what would follow and what role certain characters would play such as Mati and Roger.
It stars Ian Richardson, who portrays Francis Urquhart, the Tory Chief Whip under Margaret Thatcher.
Mattie Storin manages to ferret it out, but it was sitting there in the open from the start.People have naturally compared this movie to the U.S. House of Cards TV series.
However, I doubt if any actor could play Urquhart better than Ian Richardson.
I was very surprised to find that House of Cards was made several years (6 in fact) before the brilliant series "Profit".Watching H.o.C. I was sure that it had taken its cues from the cancelled FOX show.
Unlike Spacey, Ian Richardson as the reptilian villain of the piece exudes no sex-appeal whatsoever, so that you get no sense of a physical attraction between him and the young female investigative reporter (Susanne Harker), indeed there are almost no bedroom scenes of the couple to hammer home this point.I also found the plot-lines just too fanciful and unbelievable, Richardson's Francis Urquhart character's stop-at-nothing persona taking the cliché of the utterly selfish and self-deluding politician's ambition a bit too far.
This first series ends up with a bang, literally, but shockingly spectacular as it is, it's too fantastical and doesn't ring true, like lots of other plot-lines in the show.The acting is very good, despite my observations above, Richardson obviously relishing every line, especially the now familiar tag-line "...I couldn't possibly comment".
The UK "House Of Cards" trilogy starring the late Ian Richardson appears to be the basis for the more recent "House Of Cards" (2013 Netflix) USA TV dramatic series starring Kevin Spacey.The "new" "House Of Cards" (2013 NetFlix) is based on a UK mini-series done in the 1990's, starring Ian Richardson.The USA version is set in Washington DC with American characters, and centering on high level USA politicians.The UK show depicted infighting and back-stabbing on the parts of high level politicians trying to get even higher, or trying to keep high places already achieved.The world of behind the scenes politics is nasty at times, and the variety of ways nastiness can happen is what "House Of Cards" (both UK and USA versions) seems to be about.The unsettled, unpleasant, and unstable world of high level politics is not new to the world of movies and dramatic TV shows, and "House Of Cards" (2013) appears to be a recent addition to a long tradition (going back to Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" play and before) well known to the history of dramatic presentations.That the show will be tawdry and unpleasant seems likely.High level politicians, in addition to being powerful and dramatic, are often well educated, cultured, interesting people with varied interests and interesting personalities.The "House Of Cards" (2013 Netflix) show could be better than the UK show if it depicted some of this along with the same old, same old back stabbing, careerism portraits of egotism amongst the rich, famous, and powerful.Whether it will be (though it could be) charming, intelligent, informed, even erudite remains to be seen.
And he's been messing with our media world, too.What I want to know is whether Rebekah Brooks viewed Mattie Storin as a role model in her ruthless quest for power, or whether David Cameron even saw that there was anything wrong with the actions of Francis Urquhart?Speak up!
I've never seen anything quite like this, really...it gives you a completely realistic perspective on corruption and/or corrupted politics, and each scheme set by FU is itself worth watching.
Altho scheming and malevolent, Francis Urquhart (FU) rightly sees that the new programs of compassionate-conservatism that his new Tory Prime Minister is themeing his government on is doomed to plunge the British nation back into the bad old days, with large doses of cradle-to-grave State Nannyism and Labor Unions controlling the direction of the economy, to the assured detriment of all that is productive.
(Some spoilers).With many a nod and wink to Shakespeare's MACBETH, we are introduced to the dark manipulations of Francis Urquhart of the British House of Commons.
HOUSE OF CARDS is superior to its two sequels in that actual political issues play almost no role in the doings of the politicians; it's all about personal reputation and trading of favors and influence, and the two parties appear virtually identical.
In contrast, TO PLAY THE KING and THE FINAL CUT are both savage, and not very effective, attacks on the ideology of Britain's Conservative party, suffering from the same difficulty American Republicans have had in convincing the voters that things are going badly for people under Clinton's administration; thus, unlike HOUSE OF CARDS, both sequels are limited in relevance to a particular time and place.
I've been hearing for years how great the House of Cards BBC series is but like a lot of other things in life, watching the series was something I always meant to do but never got round to it.
Nothing can beat it.Ian Richardson plays a show-stealing performance as Francis Urquhart, the government Chief Whip, who lies, cheats and tramples his way to Downing Street, leaving bodies, wannabe leaders, and carnage in his wake.
The first in the series "House of Cards" sees Urquhart being snubbed and passed over for promotion by the Prime Minister Henry Collingridge (who I'm convinced is an imitation of John Major!).
The ending to part one is something which is constantly brought up in parts 2 & 3.The next in the series, "To Play the King" is I think the best of the three.
Again, the ending to part two is shocking and brutal as Urquhart decides to silence those who are plotting against him.The last in the series, "The Final Cut" shows Urquhart in his 11th year as Prime Minister.
I of course binge watched the equally excellent Netflix 'House of Cards' and felt I should give this series a view.
The brilliant ending of this first piece of the series has Urquhart leaving the audience with one final address.
Richardson like his character's mastery of deception and charm make Urquhart an all too real master villain who has the audacity to back stab the very audience..
When I first watched the U.S. Series of House of Cards, i was surprised to learn that not only was it based off a book, but also another BBC Miniseries.
Thanks to clever writing and a powerful performance from Ian Richardson, this is one of the best.After Margaret Thatcher's departure as Prime Minister of England, Chief Majority Whip Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson) seeks a higher office after years of learning the deepest secrets and ins and outs of politics.
Francis ('I'm just a backroom boy') Urquhart, as played by the ever-smiling Ian Richardson) is an engaging old Scottish Tory monster, and we can't help but admire his scramble to the top from the unlikely office of Chief Whip, even if he does leave a couple of dead bodies in his wake.
It's not as long or as good as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and not as deep but interesting and intriguing in getting me thinking of past political parallels, or of possible seedy reasons why Patrick McGoohan resigned.A grandfatherly looking member of the government Francis Urquhart who can't help occasionally looking and talking to us also has his eyes fixed firmly on the top of the Greasy Pole and is determined to become the next British Prime Minister by crook or by crook.
It's a totally fascinating series and well worth watching (even if I didn't like the ending), especially now it's set in the past..
(Possibly some spoilers)'House of Cards' - more so than its sequels - in absolutely outstanding and brimming to the top with political intrigue in the quest for power.
It's excellent for any political enthusiasts - and does not lack on the usual crowd pleasers of sex, drugs and violence - and perhaps any budding meglomaniacs out there.I find very few quibbles in the series though I did consider the very ending - where Ian Richardson speaks into the camera - not to be very good, unless you want a spouting of self-justification.
Soon after I watched House of Cards all those years ago, I got my hands on the book on which it was based.
After all, you have to have a sequel!"House of Cards" gives new meaning to the old saw, "Old age and cunning will win out over youth and enthusiasm."  Ian Richardson's Francis Urquhart is the epitome of gleefully ruthless, Machiavellian, ice water-in-the-veins political opportunist.
Great performances all the way around, but Richardson is the delightful centerpiece from beginning to end and makes this series a classic.