"Noble House" (1988) TV mini-series

Director:

Gary Nelson

Writers:

Eric Bercovici (writer)
James Clavell (novel)

Release Date:

21 February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Plot:

Ian Struan Dunross is chairman of Struan & Co, the oldest and largest of the British-East Asia trading companies...

Plot Keywords:

Hong Kong | British Colonial | Communist Infiltrator | Spy | TV Mini-Series

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	Ian Dunross
Deborah Raffin	...	Casey Tcholok
Ben Masters	...	Linc Bartlett
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Keith Bonnard	...	Tip Tok-Toh
Tia Carrere	...	Venus Poon
Eric Chen	...	Hotel Consierge
Khigh Dhiegh	...	Four Finger Wu
Richard Durden	...	Paul Havergill
Denholm Elliott	...	Alastair Struan
Brian Fong	...	Goodweather Poon
John Fujioka	...	Baldhead Kin
Helen Funai	...	Mrs. Kwang
David Henry	...	Bruce Johnjohn
John Houseman	...	Sir Geoffrey Allison
George Innes	...	Alexej Travkin
Gordon Jackson	...	Supt. Armstrong
Nancy Kwan	...	Claudia Chen
Burt Kwouk	...	Philip Chen
Harris Laskaway
Steven Vincent Leigh	...	John Chen (as Steven Leigh)
Kay Tong Lim	...	Brian Kwok
Leon Lissek
Lisa Lu	...	Ah Tam
Choy-Ling Man	...	Mary Li
Pip Miller	...	Insp. John Smyth
Julia Nickson	...	Orlanda Ramos (as Julia Nickson-Soul)
Bennett Ohta	...	Richard Kwang
Edward Petherbridge	...	Jason Plumm
Duncan Preston	...	Pugmire
Nicholas Pryor
John Rhys-Davies	...	Quillan Gornt
David Shaughnessy		(as David Shaughnessy)
Michael Siberry	...	Linbar Struan
Dudley Sutton	...	Commissioner Roger Crosse
Damien Thomas	...	Lando Mata
Irene Tsu
John Van Dreelen	...	Jacques DeVille
Vincent Wong	...	Lim Chu
Ping Wu	...	Paul Choy
Ric Young	...	Tsu-Yan
Galen Yuen	...	Smallpox Kin

Also Known As:

James Clavell's Noble House

Runtime:

355 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Hong Kong, China

Company:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Trivia:

Struans was founded in 1841 and celebrates its 150th anniversary - meaning the miniseries takes place in 1991. Since the mini-series was broadcast in 1989, that makes it a 'future history' story and, by the strict definition, qualifies it as a science fiction film!

Quotes:

Ian Dunross: [speaking to Lim Chu, who had disabled Quillan Gornt's brakes] If I want some foreign devil's brakes buggered, I will order it. The Noble House has always maintained its pre-eminence by holding more honor than its competitors.

Movie Connections:

Follows Tai-Pan (1986)

James Clavell . . . clairvoyant ? . . .

Returning to this series by way of the DVD issue, as a Clavell fan, I am struck by its incredible background authenticity. From Victoria Peak to Aberdeen, from the fabled Peninsula Hotel to the Star ferries, and from the glittering highrises to the teeming streets and bobbling junks. The basic plot line, as with "Taipan" AND "Shogun," may be spun out of a rich and creative imagination, but it is the fleshing out and storied detail of ALL the dramatis personae that counts here. I note, with some amusement, the individual responses to the individual portrayals/performances, but, aside from such idiosyncratic reactions, the fact remains that the ensemble is spot-on. Pierce Brosnan herein one-ups his latterday Bondings, much more realistic AND convincing, and, in response to the fellow who found Ben Masters wanting in that he projected nothing but "jerk," isn't that what was the intention? For the rest, not one quibble. And Khigh Diegh probably had his very best effort here, just as the rest of the "Asian" cast, including Lisa Lu's made-up old amah. Clavell has, once again, stormed history to project the then present, the mid-80s?, and, in the process, eerily foreshadowing the future that is today? From the free-wheeling, high-stakes Ponzi schemings of its principals, bar none, to its lowliest "coolies." But why has no one, to date, mined Clavell's "Reap the Whirlwind" insights that are ominously and, again, eerily, applicable to Iran? Oh, well, someone eventually will. Belatedly, of course. Finally, Clavell's prophetic projections of the continuing geopolitical power struggles and power plays continues to be bull's-eye on the mark. Scary, isn't it? Aiyah! And "Eeeee" as well.