Product Details

• Actors: Ian Richardson, Susannah Harker, Miles Anderson, Alphonsia Emmanuel, Malcolm Tierney
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: BBC Warner
• VHS Release Date: July 19, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004WGAF
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,662 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Michael Dobbs, ex-Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, wrote the novel upon which House of Cards was based, but it was Andrew Davies' skillful adaptation which brought it to the attention of Ian Richardson. A classical actor who had never worked in TV before, Richardson was hooked as soon as he read the script, and went on to give a mesmerizing performance as the manipulative politician Francis Urquhart. Richardson's interpretation of the role drew noticeably on classical roles such as Richard III, and the relationship between Urquhart and his wife has obvious touches of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, particularly in the opening episodes. Richardson's practice of turning to the camera to deliver asides and soliloquies is intensely involving - an extremely effective way of bringing the classical technique to television. Superb supporting performances came from Susannah Harker as the young journalist Mattie Storin and Diane Fletcher as Elizabeth Urquhart. Colin Jeavons was memorably loathsome as the Deputy Party Whip Tim Stamper, lurking ambiguously in Urquhart's shadow. The series was extremely popular on its release in 1990 - the show began with the premise that Margaret Thatcher's career as the leader of the Conservative Party had just ended, which seemed a remote contingency when the novel was written, and the adaptation filmed, but which occurred almost simultaneously with the show's release. It instantly acquired cachet as an "insider political drama", and even members of the Cabinet later admitted that they had watched it eagerly. Francis Urquhart's phrase "You might choose to think that, but I couldn't possibly comment", which appears repeatedly in the script, became a permanent fixture in the vocabulary of British politics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PBS at its best, October 29, 1999

By 

Hofman (Winnetka, IL United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: House of Cards [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The trilogy, House of Cards, To Play the King, and The Final Cut is so good it made me change my mind about throwing my television in the dumpster. Ian Richardson is remarkable, the casting is supurb and the story is engrossing. This is a must see production if contemporary British political intrigue is up your street.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellently Acted, Clever And Humorous Political Thriller, July 8, 2001

By 

Peter Fennessy (Bloomfield Hills, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: House of Cards Trilogy, Vol. 1 - House of Cards [VHS] (VHS Tape)

House of Cards is the first of three BBC productions based on the writings of Michael Dobb's. It introduces the character of Francis Urquhart, a party whip in the House of Parliament who, spurned by the newly elected PM and under the influence of his Lady Macbeth of a wife, aspires to greater things -- a person whose cleverness and urbanity are only outdone by his villainy. Ian Richardson plays the part to perfection, probably his greatest theatrical triumph, which alone makes this show and the whole trilogy worth seeing. In the manner of a Shakespearean villain Richardson speaks asides to the audience, and the charm of his manner draws the viewers into his confidence and onto his side. Even without speaking his slight glances and facial expressions made for our benefit alone make us his accomplices. Only toward the end of the film when we see the extremes to which his ambition has taken him do we begin to want to disassociate ourselves from him, but by that time we are too far gone. It is an excellent production with a good cast of supporting actors and a fine story line. The motif of the ever present rat is perhaps a tad overdone, but this is a fine bit of British drama. Do see it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FU, The Greatest Villain in Television History, April 10, 2001

By 

Mike (Bound Brook, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Cards [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Because an exceedingly verbose (not to mention obtuse) review of this show has already been written, I'll cut to the chase: Francis Urquhart (referred to as "FU" by friend and foe alike in the show), brilliantly portrayed by Ian Richardson, is the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) bad guy to ever grace the small screen. Never in your life will you loathe a character so much as FU. Never will you cringe as much as you will when FU turns to the camera and explains to you exactly what his dastardly plans are and exactly how he intends to carry them out. Never will you be more horrified as when you see FU's every plot and subplot come to fruition, despite being always on the verge of exposure. And never will you be happier to have witnessed such brilliant performances all the way across the board set within a complex, intriguing storyline. Buy this movie -- it will be the best money you spend for a long, long time.