Cinematography:
Florian HoffmeisterComposer:
Samuel SimCast:
Igal Naor, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Philip Arditti, Mounir Margoum, Makram Khoury, Agni Scott, Amr Waked, Uri Gavriel, Christine Stephen-Daly, Saïd Amadis (more)VOD (3)
Episodes(4)
Plots(1)
Over the course of 27 years, Saddam (Igal Naor) rose from peasant origins to the highest office in Iraq, consolidating his power by executing those who posed real or imagined threats, and surrounding himself with family members, ultimately his notorious sons Uday and Qusay. Along the way, Saddam pushed aside his wife Sajida (Shohreh Aghdashloo) for a young mistress, orchestrated the death of Sajidas brother Adnan (his closest confidante), and forced two cousins of high rank who had married his daughters to divorce their wives before meeting a grisly end. In the end, House of Saddam reveals its title character as a man of undeniable vision ultimately brought down by his own flaws especially an unquenchable thirst for power, attained at all costs, including the sacrifice of those who were closest to him. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
A four-part HBO miniseries from the era when the network was building its reputation for quality storytelling. It’s fascinating to watch Saddam Hussein coldly issue orders for endless executions, only to then go fishing with his inner circle somewhere in Iraq like it’s no big deal. The performances are spot-on, which is what you'd expect from HBO. The show is very straightforward, no frills—just the facts. Four one-hour episodes feel like the right amount of time to get a closer look at Saddam, beyond just seeing him as a dictator.
()