Nice review Barry. I am on episode 10, seeing 2 each evening. What a terrific
series. I hear 2 more seasons have been signed. I always admired Spacey but
after this he is near the top of the list. Just an amazing look at politics,
power, greed, the media, ambition, and socio psychopathology
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb wrote:
>
> I haven't seen the original 1990 BBC series that this is a remake of,
> but have heard good things about it. That said, it is difficult for me
> to imagine it being better than this Netflix production helmed by David
> Fincher ("Fight Club," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The
> Social Network," and the remake of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"),
> James Foley ("Glengarry Glen Ross"), and others. It is taut, fascinating
> from Moment One, and presents an incredible look at the dark underbelly
> of politics.
>
> As has been mentioned by critics, much of the credit for this series'
> success can be laid at the feet of the actors. There are almost certain
> Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in the future for Kevin Spacey, Robin
> Wright, and Kate Mara, and a few of the supporting players like Corey
> Stoll and Sandrine Holt may get noticed as well.
>
> Spacey is a force majeure in this series. He plays the Majority Whip of
> Congress, and in the opener gets shafted by the President in his bid to
> become Secretary of State. Bahd idea. He vows vengeance, and the rest of
> the series (so far...I'm on episode 7 of 13) is pretty much about how he
> gets it. He's the kind of psychopath that no one can tell is a
> psychopath, and it's chilling to see how efficiently, soullessly and
> cold-bloodedly he does the things he does. He is incredibly well-matched
> in this by his wife, played by Robin Wright, as a beautiful woman who is
> almost as calculating as he is, who married him originally because he
> promised her a life that would never be boring, and who is with him
> pretty much every step of the way in his machinations. Kate Mara plays a
> young, ambitious reporter whom Spacey's character lures into his web,
> and into his bed. To give you an idea of the dynamics between Spacey and
> his wife Claire (Wright), she knows right from the beginning that he's
> having a fling with her, just as he knows about her occasional lovers,
> and both are fine with this, because it doesn't effect the relationship
> they have with each other in any way.
>
> One of the most effective techniques in the series is found in the
> moments when Kevin Spacey turns and speaks directly to the camera -- to
> us, in the audience. It is used for remarkable effect at times, such as
> the moment when Congressman Frank Underwood (Spacey) is addressing a
> congregation in a church, from the pulpit, hoping to sway them not to
> make a big political mess out of one of his fuckups. He starts talking
> about his father, and how close he was to him, and how angry he was at
> God for taking him. Then, in the middle of this speech, he turns to us
> in the audience and tells us the real story, which is that he hardly
> knew the guy, and didn't miss him at all when he died. Then the "aside"
> ends and he turns back to the congregation and continues his emotional
> propaganda sermon...which works, of course. The "aside" didn't really
> happen for them, but it *does* for us, and lets us into the workings of
> his intelligent and charming -- but psychopathically charming -- mind.
>
> It's a very good series. Kudos to Netflix for taking a chance and
> producing it, and for releasing it all at once, so that binge TV addicts
> like myself can watch it straight through, without having to wait a week
> between episodes.
>
