The Remains of the Day (1993)

• Year: 1993
• Released: 19 Nov 1993
• Country: United States, United Kingdom
• Adwords: Nominated for 8 Oscars. 17 wins & 41 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107943/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/The_Remains_of_the_Day
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-remains-of-the-day
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, French, German
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• Runtime: 134 min
• Writer: Kazuo Ishiguro, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
• Director: James Ivory
• Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, John Haycraft
• Keywords: nazi, 1950s, 1930s, newspaper, told in flashback,

	7.8/10
	86/100

The Remains of the Day Storyline

Approximately a quarter century in the lives of James Stevens (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and Sarah Benn née Kenton (Dame Emma Thompson), called Sally in the most casual of circumstances, is presented. The bulk of their story takes place in the first few years after their meeting in the 1930s when Mr. Stevens, who has worked this entire period as the butler at Darlington Hall in Oxfordshire, hires Miss Kenton as the new housekeeper for Lord Darlington’s (James Fox’s) stable of servants. The story focuses on their relationship as co-worker servants, with Mr. Stevens’ position as head of the manor servant staff. An epilogue of sorts is also presented in the 1950s after a twenty year separation and a seven year period of non-correspondence, where Mr. Stevens, still at Darlington Hall working as butler for its new owner, retired American Representative Jack Lewis (Christopher Reeve), goes to visit now separated Mrs. Benn where she now lives in Clevedon in the west country to ask her to return to service at Darlington Hall. Representative Lewis bought the manor following Lord Darlington’s death, his life, which eventually was mired in scandal regarding his geopolitical work before, during, and after the war. That relationship between Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton is dictated largely by Mr. Stevens’ priority on what he sees as proper decorum in their work, which results in him largely hiding his emotions from everyone, while Miss Kenton, who still does her job as good as any housekeeper, wants Mr. Stevens to come out from that decorum which may make him an even better butler. As feelings start to develop between the two, that wall of decorum that Mr. Stevens has built may prevent anything from happening, especially fraternization between staff has largely been frowned upon by both of them as a disruption to the household.

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The Remains of the Day Movie Reviews

Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and unrequited love equals a truly wondrous film

I saw “The Remains of the Day” for the first time in two years. I loved it then, I love it even better now. If you want an impeccably acted, beautifully filmed and an altogether poignant study on unrequited love, watch “The Remains of the Day”. It is not only poignant, but surprisingly intelligent and somewhat thought provoking. Not to mention it is so beautiful to watch.

Visually, “The Remains of the Day” is absolutely splendid. The insides of the Darlington mansion were beautifully furnished, the period settings were wonderful and the outside scenery was gorgeous. All captured seamlessly by the fluid cinematography. Then the music is stunning, beautiful mostly, but haunting in others. Then there is the quality of the script, part of the reason why the film is so intelligent, so well interwoven and really makes you think.

The story is a lovely, if melancholic one. One of the strong points of this film is the depiction of unrequited love, so effectively done. There are also some interesting and complex themes introduced such as dignity, pride and loyalty(shown here as misguided). People may be put off by this film, it is very nuanced and not exactly fast paced, but is riveting thanks to the impeccable performances, sensitive direction and the perfect balance of genuine good humour and tragedy, shown in a really poignant way in this film.

The direction was sensitive and as one review I read(not on IMDb) said alive to every nuance, that I agree with wholeheartedly. What made this already superb film was the acting. James Fox, Christopher Reeve, Tim Piggott-Smith and Peter Vaughan all turn in solid supporting performances, but the lead performances were superb, and that’s putting it mildly. Anthony Hopkins is simply mesmerising as Stevens, the emotionally repressed butler with an unwavering sense of duty who embarks on an intense relationship with the housekeeper Miss Kenton. I loved him in “The Elephant Man” and “Shadowlands”(both of them fantastic films) but his performance here was so good it is by far away in the top 5 of his best performances. As Miss Kenton, Emma Thompson is riveting and really attractive, her delivery is so convincing as are her facial expressions she was so compelling to watch. The look on her face at the bus stop is not only sad, it is truly haunting and it never fails to make me tear up. it stays with you forever, it really shows what a wonderful actress Thompson is.

Overall, a wondrous film, and a must see! 10/10 Bethany Cox

impeccable

The movie starts in 1950s England. Darlington Hall is being sold after Lord Darlington (James Fox) died in disgrace as a Nazi sympathizer. American Trent Lewis (Christopher Reeve) is the new owner and he keeps Mr. Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) as the butler. The movie flashes back to the 1936 when Darlington invites an international group including Lewis who was a Congressman at the time to discuss helping Germany. His godson Reginald Cardinal(Hugh Grant) tries to caution him. Lewis is the only one who opposes. Stevens holds his views very private. Miss Sally Kenton (Emma Thompson) is the new head housekeeper. Stevens gets his elderly father work with Darlington despite his failing mental and physical health. Over the years, Darlington continues to help the Germans.

At the start, I would have preferred the movie to be more explicit. It would be great to spend a little time showing how low Darlington had fallen. Also I would like to have the date shown. They’re very little things that eases the audience into the movie. The other minor problem is that I didn’t root for Stevens and Miss Kenton. I kept hoping she forget him and quickly. However there is no telling about love. The acting is impeccable. There are a few sections that could be cut short to quicken the pace. It’s a great movie but just a bit of a downer.

To the Manor Born

This is an outstanding film. It is the apotheosis of understatement. The character of Mr. Stevens is about as beautifully crafted as any character I’ve had the pleasure to watch. Emma Thompson’s Miss Kenton is his equal. The unfortunate thing is that each was born into a situation where they must never expose their emotions. What these incredible actors do with their faces is awe inspiring. MIxed in with this is the loyalty to a naive master who is trying to capitulate with German aristocrats just after the Treaty of Versailles. Hopkins is able to maintain his self imposed dignity during goings on that he know are wrong, because he trust and respects his master. This movie is ultimately about how the world of the two does not allow them the freedom to express a thought. Everything is about service; everything is about sacrifice. There is a gut wrenching scene where a pompous English lord is discussing how the common people of Europe are asking to have a voice in the political being of the country. The man asks Stevens a series of very specific questions which would have required incredible expertise to answer, forcing him to reply that he cannot converse on the subject. He is made a humiliated sight, but must go on with dignity though publicly ridiculed. The man then talks about him as if her were a child. In reality, he would have been able to converse on any of those subjects.

The undercurrents of the second world war are there all the time and they contribute to the tension. This is a masterpiece and should be seen. The book was the equal of the movie as well.