House of Cards (TV Mini Series)

Chapter Two (1990)

Ian Richardson: Francis Urquhart

Photos 

Quotes 

• Elizabeth Urquhart : You trust her?

  Francis Urquhart : Yes. Up to a point.

  Elizabeth Urquhart : If you wanted to be quite certain of her loyalty, perhaps one night when you're in town and I'm here in the country... Well, I should quite understand, Francis. I'll leave that up to you entirely.

• Francis Urquhart : A party conference can be many things: a show of confidence, an agonising reappraisal, or, as in this cases, a series of auditions by pretenders to the throne while the lost leader withers before our very eyes.

• Francis Urquhart : Do you know, Elizabeth, I believe our leader is starting to worry.

• Francis Urquhart : So, the party's over. It's a quiet night, our fortunes prosper well. The Foreign Secretary finds succour from the harsh affairs of state in the soft fragrance of a daughter of the game.

  [glances at tape recorder] 

  Francis Urquhart : One for the archives, if he did but know it. And all the while, Landless's armies are labouring for me through the darkness towards dawn, telling the story. A leader out of touch. A man of straw clutching at straws, his future closing in front of him like a fist. Who would be a leader in this wicked world?

• [last lines] 

  Mattie Storin : You mustn't underestimate your abilities. Really. You know you could go much further than you have done, don't you?

  Francis Urquhart : Do you think so?

  Mattie Storin : If you put your mind to it, I think you could achieve anything you wanted.

  Francis Urquhart : You might think that, Mattie. I'm afraid I couldn't possibly comment.

• Francis Urquhart : [commenting on the party conference speakers]  Michael Samuels - environment. Intelligent, sensitive, caring - all in the same sentence, I bet you.

  Michael Samuels : ...that doesn't mean a return to subsistence farming. What it does mean is *sensitive exploitation* of natural resources, *intelligent* self-interest to motivate long-term gains in a *caring* capitalist concept.

  Francis Urquhart : Told you.

• Mattie Storin : Do you think he tipped his brother off about those shares?

  Francis Urquhart : I find it impossible to believe that Henry Collingridge could do a thing like that. I've always considered him a totally honourable man.

  Mattie Storin : But...?

  Francis Urquhart : But, Mattie?

  Mattie Storin : Not quite up to his job.

  Francis Urquhart : Mattie, you might very well think that, you know I couldn't possibly comment.

• Mattie Storin : I think you underestimate yourself and that's a shame.

  Francis Urquhart : Underestimate myself? In what way?

  Mattie Storin : You underestimate your ability and your capacity for power, I think. And I think you underestimate your personal attractiveness.

  Francis Urquhart : Now that is absurd, Mattie. You can't expect me to fall for that. I'm old enough to be your father.

  Mattie Storin : Perhaps that's something to do with it.

• Francis Urquhart : [aside]  After the silly season comes the conference season. Opposition did rather well this year. Abandoned their usual tactic of squabbling in public and shooting themselves in the foot and had a go at us, in particular the Prime Minister, very unsporting of them.

• Francis Urquhart : [aside]  A party conference can be many things. A show of confidence, an agonizing reappraisal, or, as in this case, a series of auditions by pretenders to the throne, while the lost leader withers before our eyes.