Noble House 

Ian Struan Dunross is chairman of Struan & Company, the oldest and largest of the British-East Asia trading companies. To the Chinese, that also makes him "Tai-Pan" ("supreme leader") of ... See full summary »

Stars:

Pierce Brosnan, Deborah Raffin, Ben Masters

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Pierce Brosnan	...	Ian Dunross 4 episodes, 1988
Deborah Raffin	...	Casey Tcholok 4 episodes, 1988
Ben Masters	...	Linc Bartlett 4 episodes, 1988
John Rhys-Davies	...	Quillan Gornt 4 episodes, 1988
Julia Nickson	...	Orlanda Ramos 4 episodes, 1988
Khigh Dhiegh	...	Four Finger Wu 4 episodes, 1988
Gordon Jackson	...	Supt. Armstrong 4 episodes, 1988
Burt Kwouk	...	Philip Chen 4 episodes, 1988
Nancy Kwan	...	Claudia Chen 4 episodes, 1988
John Van Dreelen	...	Jacques DeVille 4 episodes, 1988
Ping Wu	...	Paul Choy 4 episodes, 1988
Kay Tong Lim	...	Brian Kwok 4 episodes, 1988
Lisa Lu	...	Ah Tam 4 episodes, 1988
Damien Thomas	...	Lando Mata 4 episodes, 1988
Dudley Sutton	...	Commissioner Roger Crosse 4 episodes, 1988
Ric Young	...	Tsu-Yan 4 episodes, 1988
Tia Carrere	...	Venus Poon 4 episodes, 1988
Steven Vincent Leigh	...	John Chen 4 episodes, 1988
John Houseman	...	Sir Geoffrey Allison 4 episodes, 1988
Denholm Elliott	...	Alastair Struan 4 episodes, 1988
Harris Laskawy		4 episodes, 1988
Leon Lissek	...	Christian Toxe 4 episodes, 1988
Keith Bonnard	...	Tip Tok-Toh 4 episodes, 1988
Edward Petherbridge	...	Jason Plumm 4 episodes, 1988
Bennett Ohta	...	Richard Kwang 4 episodes, 1988
Brian Fong	...	Goodweather Poon 4 episodes, 1988
Helen Funai	...	Mrs. Kwang 4 episodes, 1988
Irene Tsu		4 episodes, 1988
David Shaughnessy		4 episodes, 1988
John Fujioka	...	Baldhead Kin 4 episodes, 1988
Richard Durden	...	Havergill 4 episodes, 1988
David Henry	...	Bruce Johnjohn 4 episodes, 1988
George Innes	...	Travkin 4 episodes, 1988
Choy-Ling Man	...	Mary Li 4 episodes, 1988
Pip Miller	...	Inspector Smyth 4 episodes, 1988
Duncan Preston	...	Pugmire 4 episodes, 1988
Michael Siberry	...	Linbar Struan 4 episodes, 1988
Vincent Wong	...	Lim Chu 4 episodes, 1988
Galen Yuen	...	Smallpox Kin 4 episodes, 1988

Storyline

Ian Struan Dunross is chairman of Struan & Company, the oldest and largest of the British-East Asia trading companies. To the Chinese, that also makes him "Tai-Pan" ("supreme leader") of the "Noble House". Unfortunately, with his power, he inherits ancient promises, dark secrets, and deep financial problems on a small island full of people, who want to see Struan fall, so they can become the Noble House. Dunross' worst enemy is the vicious Quillan Gornt, a lesser tai-pan, and he's doing everything in his power to bring the Noble House to ruin. Drawn into the fight between Gornt and Dunross, is an upstart American billionaire, who tries to gain a foothold on the Hong Kong market, and has made a deal to steal something that will give him power, even over the Noble House. Unfortunately, that something has fallen into the hands of a powerful Chinese overlord. "Everybody was watching (and cheating on) everybody." Who will succeed in the end?

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Plot Keywords:

hong kong | broken coin | tv mini series | china | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

In one explosive moment, nothing matters but survival

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Noble House

Filming Locations:

Jumbo Floating Restaurant - Shum Wan Pier Dr, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

355 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Rhys-Davies worked with three James Bonds. Pierce Brosnan in this miniseries, Timothy Dalton in The Living Daylights (1987) and Sir Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

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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.

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Connections

Follows Tai-Pan (1986)

User Reviews

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.