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IMDbPro

Noble House

  • TV Mini Series
  • 1988
  • TV-14
  • 5h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Noble House (1988)
ActionAdventureDrama

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... Read allIan 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,... Read allIan 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... Read all

  • Stars
    • Pierce Brosnan
    • Deborah Raffin
    • Ben Masters
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Pierce Brosnan
      • Deborah Raffin
      • Ben Masters
    • 30User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 nominations total

    Episodes4

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 Season1988

    Photos18

    Pierce Brosnan in Noble House (1988)
    Ben Masters and Julia Nickson in Noble House (1988)
    Deborah Raffin in Noble House (1988)
    Pierce Brosnan in Noble House (1988)
    Noble House (1988)
    Noble House (1988)
    Noble House (1988)
    Noble House (1988)
    Noble House (1988)
    Pierce Brosnan and Deborah Raffin in Noble House (1988)
    Noble House
    Noble House

    Top cast

    Edit
    Pierce Brosnan
    Pierce Brosnan
    • Ian Dunross
    Deborah Raffin
    Deborah Raffin
    • Casey Tcholok
    Ben Masters
    Ben Masters
    • Linc Bartlett
    John Rhys-Davies
    John Rhys-Davies
    • Quillan Gornt
    Julia Nickson
    Julia Nickson
    • Orlanda Ramos
    Khigh Dhiegh
    Khigh Dhiegh
    • Four Finger Wu
    Gordon Jackson
    Gordon Jackson
    • Supt. Armstrong
    Burt Kwouk
    Burt Kwouk
    • Philip Chen
    Nancy Kwan
    Nancy Kwan
    • Claudia Chen
    John Van Dreelen
    John Van Dreelen
    • Jacques DeVille
    Ping Wu
    Ping Wu
    • Paul Choy
    Kay Tong Lim
    • Brian Kwok
    Lisa Lu
    Lisa Lu
    • Ah Tam
    Damien Thomas
    Damien Thomas
    • Lando Mata
    Dudley Sutton
    Dudley Sutton
    • Commissioner Roger Crosse
    Ric Young
    Ric Young
    • Tsu-Yan
    Tia Carrere
    Tia Carrere
    • Venus Poon
    Steven Vincent Leigh
    • John Chen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Struan & Company was modelled after Hong Kong-based trading company Jardine-Matheson. The exterior shots of the Struan & Company building are actually Jardine House.
    • Quotes

      Ian Dunross: [reading from the legacy of company founder, Dirk Struan, in the family Bible] "To whomsoever gives me the other half of any of these coins, I will grant one favor."

    • Connections
      Follows Tai-Pan (1986)

    User reviews30

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Clavell's finest novel works on TV
    They say you've never been to Hong Kong if you haven't read James Clavell's classic page turner Noble House, and this reviewer tends to agree.

    Often derided for its bombastic plot and over the topness, Noble House remains none the less a gripping read and true statement of love for the city and culture comprising Hong Kong, even though ask most locals and they won't know what you're talking about. Indeed, Noble House is more for those transplanting to the city, but not for those reading from afar – most of the nuances and cool factor are lost on people who don't actually live there.

    Now, Noble House was made into a TV mini series twenty years ago, and that one has recently appeared on DVD, and at long last, we say. The short and quick of it is that if you have any feelings about Hong Kong and any degree of familiarity with the place, you'll enjoy this version. However, if you've never been and don't really care, it'll probably be wasted on you.

    Clavell's work, which includes likewise grandiose Shogun and Tai Pan (all occur in the same universe), is always a joy to behold, whether in writing or on the screen, and Noble House is no exception. The main draw here is the sheer addictive nature of the man's writing – it's like Dynasty or Dallas only with a good dollop of mostly credible history thrown in. Well, at least credible in the sense that it fits in very well with the multitude of characters and story arcs.

    This was more of a mean feat, of course, in the huge novel – Noble House came in at over 1000 pages and was action packed to the hilt. In that respect, the Gary Nelson-led TV production deserves respect, since they succeeded in cramming most of that into just six hours.

    They also did something interesting with the setting. While Clavell's original story was set in early 60's HK, the show takes place in the late 80's, and does a good job with the update. Characters frequently refer to the looming 1997 handover, ponder its consequences and make predictions. A complete subplot involving Soviet spies was taken out, I guess because they decided it was no longer relevant – although disappointing from a cold war nostalgia standpoint, it was a clever choice.

    But above all else, anyone who's read the book will be impressed at how the locales look like what you imagined before – no doubt helped by the fact that they shot almost everything on the ground in HK. And the effects are pretty impressive, this must have been a big deal on TV back then, but honestly I can't remember! Just behold the floating restaurant scene – very well done! What's the story about? Got a few hours? Well, you get Pierce Brosnan back in his Remington Steel days as tai pan Ian Dunross of House Struan, or the titular Noble House (Jardines in real life). He's struggling to keep the company ahead of the ravenous HK pack against the usual backdrop of intrigue, conniving and greed. Besetting him is rival Quinlan Gornt (John Rhys-Davies) of Rothwell-Gornt (aka Swire), who's trying to depose the Noble House and take over. This character is infinitely nastier on TV than he was in the book, one alteration we don't really understand. Two Americans also enter the fray, upstart tycoon Linc Bartlett (Ben Masters) and his VP Casey Tcholok (Deborah Raffin). Both are in town scouting for opportunity, but there's a lot more than meets the eye.

    A whole range of supporting characters are on hand, including police, triads, bankers and a couple of lovelies like a very young Tia Carrere and Suzie Wong - OK, Nancy Kwan. Most do an adequate job, but Pierce Brosnan is just too stiff and appears lacking in range. Additionally, for something so obviously set in Hong Kong, the production has a surprisingly small number of local talent on show – actually, I'd say none. Maybe they were trying to send a message? They also toned down the very prominent theme of racism that was readily found in the novel, likely to appease primetime TV censors. There's almost no swearing, several characters from the book didn't make it or were drastically altered, and the backstory was indeed trimmed down.

    But if you've read the novel, you must watch this and I guarantee you'll at least like it. It's one of those enjoyable romps you won't easily put down, and being familiar makes it even easier since it doesn't feel as goofy. Plus, anyone living in HK owes it to themselves to indulge in Noble House – Nelson and crew did good capturing both the feel of the place and the mood of the period. This really does feel and act like what I imagine Hong Kong to have been like in the 80's.

    Don't listen to the doubter and haters – Clavell, who personally supervised the production's screen writing, was a scribbling machine and did the writing profession proud, outrageously cheesy names or not. It's too bad he passed away young – I'm sure today's Hong Kong would have provided him with ample inspiration.

    If you can forgive the occasional soap opera super-tack assault and the awkward soundtrack, Noble House is a pretty enjoyable marathon, the main drawbacks being the DVD edition's mediocre appearance and dearth of special features.
    helpful•7
    4
    • Adorable
    • Jun 13, 2008

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 21, 1988 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Otmjena kuca iz Hong-Konga
    • Filming locations
      • Jardine House - Connaught Pl., Central, Hong Kong, China(Struan & Co. "Noble House" HQ)
    • Production company
      • De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      5 hours 55 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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