Monday, September 2, 2013

House Of Cards Trilogy - 4 DVD Set

House Of Cards Trilogy - 4 DVD Set
Antonio G. Pereira © 2013 Antonio G. Pereira
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        Francis Urquhart, known as F.U. to his (friends?) and opponents in this powerful and shocking Political Thriller, is truly the face of evil; as played in an astonishing performance by British actor Ian Richardson, (with actress Diane Fletcher playing his wife Elizabeth, who is also his chief adviser). 'House Of Cards Trilogy', the original UK series done for the BBC, is a well written masterpiece that was aired on PBS in the U.S. more than two decades ago. The complete series is now on DVD as a 4 disk set {The 4th disk, Bonus Features, contains a very colourful and lively studio discussion with Andrew Davies, who was the screenwriter for the series. There is also a documentary in which Tony Benn MP {Member of Parliament}, gives us a highly informative and historical Tour of Parliament, during which he makes some eyebrow raising observations. Firstly while viewing an ancient painting of The Crusades, he mentions that the Fall of Communism will eventually lead to a defining confrontation between The West and Islam, and secondly stating that it is only 'the people' themselves who can control what kind of government they will have.} The main character in 'House Of Cards', Francis Urquhart, Chief Whip of the Conservative Tory Party is a very ambitious man, and has his eye on much greater things. As the story begins, it is Post-Thatcher, with the Tories still holding firmly onto power in Parliament, but with growing discontent all over the U.K. with regard to their policies, and Urquhart has secret plans for a different leadership of his party. HIMSELF. As this whole story unfolds, within each intricate layer of detail, Francis' arrogant maneuvering for more power within the Conservative Party and underhanded dirty tricks and manipulation to try to keep the opposing Liberal Party from gaining any ground, we get a riveting 'through the looking glass' intimate view of British Political Power Struggle and Intrigue; Francis Urquhart sharing his most private thoughts with us, at important junctures in each chapter of this three part saga. We watch him move from Whip to Prime Minister, someone who will stop at nothing in his personal vision of what Britain and it's relation to the rest of Europe and indeed 'the world' should be. This is a very disturbing look at Thirst for Power, Deep Corruption, and Moral Bankruptcy, that will keep you glued to your seat until the very end. And in turn, when we listen to the views and thinking of a Francis Urquhart, we recognize a chilling similarity to the thinking of what now controls what we see and hear in our own informational media of print, television and radio {with some notable though constantly financially struggling exceptions like PBS and NPR}; leaving 'ironically', one outlet still open for Free Thought, the very Internet we are now using. http://www.amazon.com/House-Cards-Original-Remastered/dp/B009Z59ZNE

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