《紙牌屋》第二季熱播 融入中國元素

The popular US drama series "House of Cards," which has already started its second season, features Chinese elements in its storyline.

Traditional heroes are no longer sought after anymore. Today, it's unconventional protagonists like Francis J. Underwood from "House of Cards" who are winning audiences' hearts.

The political drama, which airs on the Internet streaming service Netflix, has won the applauses of viewers around the world since its debut on February 1, 2013. At the same time, it has caught the attention of real politicians, including US President Barack Obama.

Dark political villain

Kevin Spacey is infamous for his portrayal of villains including his roles in blockbuster hits such as "LA Confidential," "Seven" and " Usual Suspects."

In "House," directed by David Fincher, Spacey plays Francis J. Underwood, a cold-blooded Democrat who moves his way up the political ladder by any means necessary. He often positions himself in the grey zone and uses his under-exposure in media to carry out misdeeds that will later benefit him.

The revenge theme plays a heavy role throughout the storyline. Underwood, who had high hopes for an appointment as Secretary of State in the first season, was betrayed by the US President and his former colleagues. He and his wife then concocted a plan of revenge and swore to unseat those who turned their backs against him one by one. Through their plan, Underwood's own hunger for power grew and empowered him to eliminate whoever stood in his way.

A new way of delivering messages

One of the most eye-catching points of "House" is the collaboration between Fincher, who's most known for shooting films with criminal themes, and Spacey, an acclaimed actor best known for his portrayal of big screen villains.

In the series, there are shots where Spacey looks directly into the camera and seemingly 'looks' and 'talks' to the audience. The aim, "to simplify and clarify and deliver the essence of politics directly to the fans."

Spacey delivers on this aim.

It's hard to separate Spacey from Underwood in "House." The insidious and ruthless character of Underwood seems tailor-made for him. What's more, though Underwood is labeled cruel, clever and cold-hearted, Spacey's meticulous acting makes it hard to dislike the character he plays.

President Obama is a fan

The release of the trailer of the second season excited millions of viewers around the world, including US President Barack Obama, who has been a loyal fan since the series debuted.

During a meeting with CEOs from the technology industries at the White House in December 2013, Obama asked Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings if he brought advance copies of the second season.

He has also expressed his admiration for Underwood.

"This guy's getting a lot of stuff done," said Obama. "I wish things were that ruthlessly efficient."

Although the President is anxious to watch the story unfold, he'd like to do it at his own pace.

After the release of the second season on February 14, Obama sent wrote on his Twitter account, "Tomorrow: @HouseOfCards. No spoilers, please."

Chinese elements

The second season has promised to be darker, with more unexpected turnouts, and is to include more Chinese elements.

"Perhaps the team, including myself, has realized that in the next decade, Asia will be an extensively important region, and China will play an active role in its transition and change," says Spacey.流行美劇《紙牌屋》第二季已經開播，中國元素出現在故事情節中。

傳統英雄已不再受歡迎。如今，像電視劇《紙牌屋》裏的弗朗西斯·安德伍德這樣的非傳統主角才能俘獲觀衆的心。

這部在網絡電視公司Netflix上映的政治劇在2013年2月1日初次上映時就贏得了觀衆的掌聲。同時還吸引了真正的政治家們的眼球，包括美國總統奧巴馬。

黑暗的政治惡棍

凱文·斯貝西以其對壞人的出色演繹而聞名於世，如《洛城機密》、《七宗罪》和《非常嫌疑犯》。

在大衛·芬奇導演的《紙牌屋》中，斯貝西扮演弗朗西斯·安德伍德一角。安德伍德是位冷血的民主黨人，他用盡一切手段攀爬政治階梯。他總是將自己至於灰色地帶，用其在媒體前的低曝光率幹爲己謀利的壞事。

復仇主題在整個故事情節中扮演重要角色。安德伍德在第一季很有希望成爲國務卿，但卻遭到美國總統和他以前同僚的背叛。安德伍德和妻子制定了復仇計劃，發誓要一步一步把那些背叛過他的人拉下馬。通過計劃，他自己對權力的慾望慢慢膨脹，並且手中擁有的權力也助他掃除了前進道路上的一切障礙。

傳遞信息新方法

《紙牌屋》最吸引人眼球的是芬奇與斯貝西的合作。芬奇以拍攝犯罪題材的電影出名，而斯貝西以演繹熒幕壞蛋聞名於世。

在劇中，有一些斯貝西直接面對攝像機的鏡頭，彷彿他正在與觀衆“說話”。目的在於“直接向觀衆簡化、闡明、傳達政治的本質。”

斯貝西不負所望，成功傳達了劇情目的。

《紙牌屋》中，斯貝西和安德伍德難捨難分。陰險無情的安德伍德一角似乎是爲他量身打造一般。然而，儘管安德伍德被貼上了殘忍、聰明、冷血的標誌，但是斯貝西細膩的演技使觀衆很難討厭這個角色。

奧巴馬也追劇

第二季的預告片使全世界數百萬的觀衆爲之興奮，這其中包括美國總統奧巴馬，他也是這部劇的鐵桿粉絲。

2013年12月，奧巴馬與多位科技領域的首席執行官們在白宮開會，他曾問Netflix公司的首席執行官裏德·哈斯廷斯是否可以提前拿到第二季的片子。

奧巴馬還表示了對安德伍德的崇拜。

“這個傢伙可以完成很多東西。”奧巴馬說，“我希望事情真的可以那樣無情的有效。”

儘管總統很想知道接下來的劇情演變，但他還是會以自己的速度追劇。

2014年2月14日第二季開播以來，奧巴馬在其推特上寫道，“明天：@紙牌屋，請不要劇透。”

中國元素

第二季劇情更加黑暗，有更多意想不到的轉折，並且融入了更多中國元素。

“我們的團隊，包括我在內都意識到在未來十年，亞洲將會是個十分重要的區域，而中國在這個過度和轉變中將扮演重要角色。”斯貝西說。