James Clavell's Noble House

Buy This Item James Clavell's Noble House by Lions Gate  Available from Amazon  $13.99  on 9-23-2008     I was born and raised in Hong Kong until I was 16 years old. I didn't read the book by James Clavell but the mini-series certainly brought back nostalgia from my formative years. The distinction rating given to this series is based on the accurate and uncompromising portray of Hong Kong during the last few years prior to 1997 -- the repatriation to China from being a British colony. There is a write-up on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_House that detailed the story behind Noble House. It is based on Jardine Matheson who founded the Jardine Matheson Trading Company which conducted trades between India, China, and the U.K.. As an amateur history enthusiast, I really appreciate how Clavell captures the sentiment of the natives as well as the foreign counterparts greed to financial gains under those convoluted political systems. <br />To most people who grew up in the West, Noble House gives you a realistic snapshot of the history of Hong Kong during the 1980s. The entire production was shot in Hong Kong, Macau (Macao), and part of China. My only regret is that the producer did not spend the time to teach the actors the proper Chinese dialect (Cantonese) which resulted in utter nonsense to those who spoke the language. This particular lack of details has always been overlooked in most American film productions in which I deem very disrespectful. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this mini-saga to those who would enjoy an intriguing suspenseful drama situated in the Orient in the late 20th century. <br /> <br />Thank you. Reader Reviews Had this title on VHS for years now, and have 'not so patiently' been waiting for it to come out on DVD. A 'super great' mini-series that once you begin to watch, you'll have a hard time walking away from it. When ever I go back to watch this over again, I'm there for the duration, all 6+ hours of it! Although stating a 'widescreen' version in the description, I seriously hope that's not another 'typo' from amazon! One has to wonder, since this was originally a made for television mini-series, some years ago. It doesn't appear that any effort was made to remaster the sound, as the description only lists, 'English'. And not seeing any special features listed either, which would have been great! Either way, it's still worth buying, even just to replace my VHS 4 tape collection, (which I will still keep anyway). It's just a really great movie, that's listed among my favorites. And if you're going to get this great mini-series, for sure get Tai Pan as well! Although just a movie and not a series, it is actually the real beginning of Noble House. Tai Pan by itself is another great movie listing among my favorites! I've got 'two' copies on order, and am anxious to find out if there really is a widescreen version available on the DVD's, if 'any' of the sound had been enhanced, or if it's in mono, then if 'any kind' of features were added. Guess I'll have to wait until I actually get them in my hand to find out.

James Clavell's Noble House Available from Amazon Price: $13.99 Updated on 9-23-2008.

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