 "Outstanding!" | 2009-09-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A22RY8N8CNDF3A |
Remains of the Day is a exquisitely enlightening film of love and hate. It abounds in subtle, muted, deep emotions.
Both Anthony Hopkins as Stevens, a repressed English Butler, and Emma Thompson, Miss Kenton, his spirited housekeeper, do outstanding acting performances. The film is set in the 1930's - just before World War II, on a big English Estate, with many servants. Lord Darlington (James Fox) is the Estate Owner, who has attached himself to the Nazi cause. Stevens is his loyal, unwavering Butler who micro-manages, as well as lives to be a slave to his Lord Darlington. Mr Stevens noted, "A man cannot call himself work contented, until he has done all he can, to be of service to his employer." Mr. Stevens anticipates every need and task. The estate runs flawlessly.
When hiring Miss Kenton as head housekeeper, Stevens emphasizes that he wants no "romantic interests" as it detracts from the service to the well-run estate. He will not stand for that in her or her underlings. She agrees. Despite this, a deep unrequited love, respect and bond develop between her and Stevens. He hires his failing and aging father at the same time. Miss Kenton notes the deterioration of his father over a bit of time and makes Stevens face the facts to avoid any future embarrassment. There is a moment his father falls - and starts to fail rapidly. There is an important political meeting at the estate, so Stevens must oversee. His father is dying upstairs. Miss Kenton attends to his father, and gives him the news his father passed away. She asks if he would like her to shut his eyes, until Stevens can leave his duties to see his father for the last time. She does and takes care of details.
Hugh Grant and Christopher Reeve are also in this movie as voices hoping to open the eyes of Lord Darlington. They want him to see his mistake in being loyal to the Nazis and the risks and problems involved. Stevens does not get involved, his allegiance is to the smooth running of the household. He sees nor hears anything - nor does he repeat anything that would convey disloyalty to his employer.
At one point he has a chance to leave the box he is in. Miss Kenton gives him the opportunity to profess his feelings, but he is unwavering in his duty to the service of the estate. Stevens makes his decision to stay and keep his life as it is, even though he loves her. She leaves and marries another man.
Time passes and they reunite for a few hours. The poignant ending shows deep unfulfilled love. So heartbreaking.
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| "Hopkins and Thompson : An Unbeatable Pair!!!" | 2009-08-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A13706H27ZEVZ |
The Remains of the Day is in my view one of the best films of my lifetime. Anthony Hopkins gives, in my view his best performance (and that's really saying something!). His portrayl of Stevens, the butler of Darlington Hall is just perfect. Of course Emma Thompson's character Miss. Kenton, the unwedded and very available housekeeper make Remains a very interesting watch. The film is really about lost oppertunity, and unfortunately we find that some oppertunities, for love in this case, are truely lost...forever.
The story takes place in 1936,7, and 8 England. Lord darlington, played perfectly by renound british actor James Fox, is part of the group of Englishmen who want to appease Hitler in order to stay out of war. In one scene we see the good lord entertaining PM Nevelle Chamberlin, the head of the appeasement crowd. Darlington also entertains the German ambassator and others to show their support for the new "peaceful" Germany. At one point, there is a international conferance where the reps of the other european countries pledge their support of german rearmiment. The only one there who sees thru the german's smiles and pleasentries is congressman Lewis, played by Christopher Reed. His line"...some prices are too high to pay..." concerning Germany's requests is great.
All the while there is the interaction between Hopkins and Thompson. She practically throws herself at him (in a very suttle English way), and he's too formal and tied up with his work as the butler to take any action in regards to Thompson. There's even a point where she tells him that she is marrying another man and asks for an early release from her job. Here we see Stevens holding back his sorrow as he congratulates Miss. Kenton on her engagement. The viewer knows Stevens wants to tell her he loves her, but he restrains himself and walks away. The viewer also knows that it would take just one word from Stevens and Miss Kenton would run into his arms. Frustrating.
The years go by, Darlington dies a sad, lonely death, and Mr. Lewis buys Darlington Hall and keeps Stevens on as the head butler. We also see Stevens going to the 'west country' to see Miss Kenton (now Mrs. Benn) in answer to a letter he received from her regarding her failed marriage and wanting to return to service. When they meet again Stevens finds that things have changed . Mrs. Benn's daughter is expecting and she wants to stay near her and the baby, dashing any hopes Stevens might have had about her returning to Darlington Hall with him.
The afternoon is spent with lunch and a stroll thru the town to the boardwalk along the bay. Here they just talk as friends about their lives and it's disappointments without ever revieling their love for one another. Their parting scene is a tear jerker. It takes place is a downpour, (which I just love), at a bus stop very late in the evening. She thanks him for coming up and seeing her. He turns to her and tells her that they may never meet again, and that she should make these remaining years happy ones for her and her daughter. He also apologizes for his 'forwardness' in his remarks. She smiles and shakes her head 'yes'. The bus comes and he walks her to it. They shake hands as she mounts the open doored bus and she says that it was so nice to see him again. As the bus pulls away their hands part. The camera focuses on this hand shake and we see that Stevens has kept his hand extended after the bus has separated them forever. He tips his hat and tells a crying Emma Thompson 'goodbye'. We see Thompson continuing to look towards Hopkins thru the dark, and still crying as the bus rounds the bend. Hopkins returns to his car and just stares into the night. We know at this point he truely realizes his terrible loss.....and we feel for him. Truely tragic......as in real life.
Hopkins returns to Darlington hall and lives out the remainder of his life there. Do they ever meet again? I think not. That would be too fairy tale. The oppertunity was lost and it was lost forever. This film forces us to examine ourselves and perhaps take the steps NOW so we don't follow Steven's path.
A superb film in every way. Buy it. You won't regret it. |
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| "How to suppress your humanity..." | 2009-07-09 |
| - Reviewed By kdd21 |
I suppose some would say, that the way we handle our emotions is what separates us from animals. And while I don't necessarily disagree with that, I'd have to add that the way we handle our emotions is what separates us from machines. Our emotions are what make us who we are, what make us human. But in some people and/or at some times, those emotions are not to be allowed to exist, tightly controlled for fear of potentially adverse consequences.
That some people would think that it is never appropriate to show emotions is something that surprised me when I first encountered it, but I have and not just in the movies. In "The Remains of the Day," the threat posed by emotions is simply one of a particular inappropriateness in the job environment, but with some people it is seen as always inappropriate because of the negative effects that emotions have perhaps too-often had previously in someone's life. There's no evidence that Hopkins' character is in the latter camp, but he has clearly gotten so wrapped up in his job that he cannot separate it from his personal life.
In this movie, Hopkins amazingly shows us what it might be like to be someone so repressed and out of touch with their emotions that they have become not perhaps, a machine, but certainly a hollow and pathetic creature. The scene with Lord Darlington shortly after Stevens' (Hopkins) father dies is classic, you can see his struggle to keep his emotions from distracting him from his job to the point that the characteristically oblivious Darlington actually begins to notice, but the only character who is really in a position to understand what is happening with Stevens is Emma Thompson's Miss Kenton.
By the end of the movie, the tears coming from Thompson's character seem less from unrequited love than overwhelming pity for the still-unable-to-emote Stevens. Thompson's character has become closer to Hopkins' than anyone else over his entire adult life, and if that isn't the definition of pathetic, I don't know what is. Yet stiff-upper-lip and all that, eh wot?
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| "Remains of the Day" | 2009-04-03 |
| - Reviewed By User: ARL3I77ZYFOMM |
| Very wonderful story with great acting by Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. |
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| "A Class Act" | 2009-02-16 |
| - Reviewed By User: A312AT0V3YUEL1 |
| Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. That alone should clue you in to the type of production you are about to view. The acting between the two is simply exquisite. I do believe that this is Mr. Hopkins finest performance. It seems effortless on his part. The sign of a truly great artist. Ms. Thompson too is one of our best. Christopher Reeve before his devastating accident looks dashing and handsome like Prince Charming. The scenes between Mr Hopkins and his father will break your heart. This is one of the best films I have ever experienced. |
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| "sublime and worth every minute" | 2009-01-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A56HA6T91E9JV |
| This is Merchant Ivory at its best. This taught tense film is filled with moments of such intimate despair and weave history and the Neville Chamberlin Apeasment approach into it answers or at least its telling of the story. |
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