James Ivory immediately sets the tone for his film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Remains of the Day. In late 1950’s England, Stevens (Anthony Hopkins), head butler of over 30 years for the once thriving Darlington Hall, wanders down or peers into hallways that are populated with ghostly images of past staff members who slowly fade from view. As he his exiting a dining room, having served breakfast to Darlington Hall’s new American owner, Stevens himself seems to disappear as the film cross fades into the next scene. A living ghost, Stevens has perfected the art of being a Gentlemen’s gentleman, but has never bothered catering to his own needs, and is now of an age where he may lack the spark to do so. A holiday trek to meet former head housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) may provide him with a nudge, while also giving Stevens a chance to reflect on a past filled with missed opportunities at happiness beyond his loyalty to his profession and his past employer, a man whose own lenient attitudes towards the growing menace in pre-war Germany Stevens now questions. — John Drew
- Directed by: James Ivory
- Produced by:
- Written by: Kazuo Ishiguro Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
- Music by: Richard Robbins
- Cinematography by: Tony Pierce-Roberts
- Editing by: Andrew Marcus
- Release Date: 1993
- Running Time: 134
- Language: English
Arts & Faith Lists:
2015 Top 25 Films on Memory — #24
2019 Top 25 Films on Growing Older — #24