The Remains of the Day
by James Ivory
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Anthony Hopkins, Caroline Hunt, Christopher Reeve, Emma Thompson, John HaycraftDirector: James Ivory
Producer: Donald Rosenfeld
Producer: Ismail Merchant
Producer: John Calley
Producer: Mike Nichols
Producer: Paul Bradley
Writer: Kazuo Ishiguro
Writer: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
DVD: Region Code 2
Audio: Spanish (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Italian (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); Bulgarian (Subtitled); Danish (Subtitled); Finnish (Subtitled); Greek (Subtitled); Hebrew (Subtitled); Hindi (Subtitled); Hungarian (Subtitled); Icelandic (Subtitled); Dutch (Subtitled); Norwegian (Subtitled); Polish (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Swedish (Subtitled); Czech (Subtitled); Turkish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; German (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: PAL
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 134 minutes
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Movie Reviews of The Remains of the Day
Movie Review: Marvelous acting and staging, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
It looks fantastic. Hopkins and Thompson give marvelously controlled and thoughtful performances.
But...after the film is over, I was left thinking..."Huh? Is that all there is?"
So there is a butler (or head of staff, or whatever his title was) who is so devoted to his job and whatever employer (who must be high-minded and a gentleman to earn such devotion), that he is never able to develope normal human interaction with women, his father, and strangers that he meets. Why is that worth two hours of dialogue?
And someone tell me why we are to believe that Mr. Lewis buys the estate, and uses his wealth to restore it? I kept waiting for some interesting revelation, but it never came. Surely his one visit thirty years earlier wasn't the only reason? I understand that wasn't even in the book. Stupid to put it in and not explain any reason, or involve it in the plot in some way, other than to show Stevens will now be devoted to a new estate owner.
Now, I'm sure the many fans of this movie will tag my review as Not Helpful, simply because they like the movie. Easy way out, folks. Why not try answering my criticisms instead.
Summary of The Remains of the Day
This excellent film is probably best described as subtle elegance. Framed in the present, the movie deals with the lives inside an English country home just prior to World War II. Reunited with the filmmakers from Howards End are Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton, the head housekeeper, and Anthony Hopkins as Stevens, the impeccable butler. The bittersweet story centers on Stevens and his dedication to his master, Lord Darlington (a suitably officious and slyly pompous James Fox). Stevens summarizes: "I don't believe a man can consider himself fully content until he has done all he can to be of service to his employer." Enveloping Stevens's world are the pending war with Germany, Darlington's horribly misguided interests in said war, and, most effectively, his relationship with Miss Kenton. Stevens is the very essence of repression, but as played by Hopkins he is neither piteous nor self-righteous. Like his master, Stevens becomes misguided in his loyalties, although his is an emotional deprivation, possibly condemning him to lifelong regret. There's so much going on in this film, and yet the action is skillfully depicted through understanding and knowing glances, through emotions expressed only through eye contact. Like other Merchant-Ivory-Ruth Prawer Jhabvala collaborations, this film is sumptuous to look at, capturing the period effectively and affectingly. Jhabvala respectfully adapts from the Kazuo Ishiguro novel. Excellent in supporting roles are Christopher Reeve, Ben Chaplin, and Hugh Grant. --N.F. MendozaSimilar DVD Movies
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