House of Cards [DVD] [1990]

I have to say that this highly original, intelligent and well crafted drama series has to be one of the best things I have ever seen on TV. It tells the story of Francis Urquhart, loyal member of the Conservative Party and chief whip. In the first series he appears as a loyal party man. He is motivated purely by what he perceives to be the good of the party and the good of the country. It just so happens that what he thinks would be best for party and country is him as Prime Minster, and we are treated to an exceptional tale as we are told of all the machinations he must go through to achieve his aim. In the second series, Urquhart's grip on power, and the policies he sees as essential for the country, are threatened by the open opposition of the new King, and Urquhart plays a desperate game in order to cling to power. In the final series aspects of Urquhart's past come back to haunt him, as he faces the challenges of any long serving prime minister in fighting off the young upstarts who want his place.It is the telling of the story that is unique and makes this special. Ian Richardson, in what was one of his best ever performances, draws us into the tale and the mind of Urquhart with a series of knowing asides to the camera that makes the viewer feel an intimate, almost a part of the proceedings. Because of this the viewer feels as though they are being treated with some respect by the writer, and even though the machinations are necessarily complex and Machiavellian it is easy to follow. Richardson's carefully nuanced performance, each syllable perfectly stressed and delivered whilst all the time he acts as much with body language as speech, is a masterclass, and you could really believe that Urquhart is a real person and not the construct of the actor and writer. His character is a complex one, and the facets of it are brought forth wonderfully. He is a man of great charm, and at the end of each series, at the make or break point, you are really rooting for him, even though by this point you know what he is capable of, and the acts that he has committed to get to, and stay at, the top. Also of note is Michael Kitchen as the King, in a performance of equal charm that delivers the naive yet idealistic stance of the man who is the only serious threat to Urquhart. Colin Jeavons shines as the loyal Stamper, Urquhart's almost indispensable aide.The three series are presented on three double sided discs in a fold out card case the size of a normal DVD case. The picture and sound are pretty good, though I suspect there has been little or no cleaning up. All episodes appear to be complete with no cuts that I can detect. In all it's a decent presentation with no obvious flaws, and no unnecessary fripperies.A thoroughly adsorbing and worthwhile piece of TV. Almost as good as Alec Guinness in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which, coincidentally, also starred Ian Richardson.

Ian Richardson - a perfect peformance and a wonderful character encapsulation binding excellent writing and acting into one of the best dramas of recent times. If, by 'recent' you can accept I mean nearly twenty years ago when the original "House Of Cards" and "FU" (an astoundingly newspaper-friendly name there) drifted into my television sphere and cast its subtle spell, drawing me in willingly with a knowing grin fixed from ear to ear as he took us into his conience, piece by piece. The more I immersed into his less-than-perfect world over the four episodes, the more it took me over, even the increasingly less-glamourous-to-seedy operations and tactics FU employed kept me increasingly hooked to the screen, in the growing expectation of what turned out to be a truly shocking final denouement in episode four (despite it's deviation from the original finale from book it was based on).What with some sour events in the UK political sphere in the years since, the original series can be viewed as a fictional, alternative glimpse of a UK political scene many suspect was not far from the reality, and whose modern political mechanisms may yet be still. "To Play The King" is a worthy follow-up with FU pitted against a visionary, revolutionaly, yet ultimately naiive monarch. Each side indulges in politely-delivered acidic fencing, whose core arguments ever deepen to the point where only one resolution is possible, to ultimately play their political hands out in front of the public. And of course there can be only one winner. "The Final Cut" of the cards sees FU deal the trump cards to himself so as to secure a handsome pension, courtesey of the Commonwealth's coffers. Or so he and his equally-manipulating wife thinks, for the events of his past catch up with both him and his wife, though not in the way the viewer might be expecting. This last outing is the weaker of the three, but in its own right stands up well enough against other notable drama series.Whatever, just buy it and indulge yourself in the most darkest political machinations you could hope to see this side of the enlightening "Yes Minister". Maybe not the best comparisom in the world, nevertheless; if you liked the latter's comically frank play on political beaurucracy you'll enjoy the sly asides to camera interwined with an excellent dramatic edge the twelve episodes the "House Of Cards" trilogy has to offer.

Laughter this TV series when it was first shown so happy now to have it on DVD.