Ian Richardson in House of Cards
The Chilling Political Drama from the 1990s
Andrew Davies adapted "House of Cards" from Michael Dobb's political novel. Ian Richardson's performance made it into a mesmering and chilling drama.
A Politic Script
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. In fact the novel isn’t a strikingly good one, notable more for its author’s grasp of political mechanics than convincing characterization or impressive prose. In Andrew Davies’ hands, however, it became the material for a perfectly-paced drama, showing off the skills which Davies would later bring to a run of major adaptation, including the famous version of Pride and Prejudice which starred Colin Firth.
Modern Soliloquy
Ian 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.
Along with its political aspect, House of Cards is an extremely atmospheric and at times scary series. Richardson’s measured delivery and icy control produces a slow subtle chill which can invest even the simplest gestures with a shiver-inducing edge. Like many great classical actors, he had the ability to take a single character and find the elements in it which spoke to the audience’s attractions and fears far beyond the immediate situation. Played by Ian Richardson, Francis Urquhart came close to being a Shakespearean role.
