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Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, James Fox, Christopher Reeve, Peter Vaughan ... see more see more... , Hugh Grant , Michel Lonsdale , Tim Pigott-Smith , Patrick Godfrey , Peter Cellier , Paul Copley , Peter Eyre , Lena Headey , Brigitte Kahn , Ian Redford , Pip Torrens , Rupert Vansittart , Terence Bayler , Peter Halliday , Caroline Hunt , Paula Jacobs , Wolf Kahler , Jo Kendall , John Savident , Jeffry Wickham , Tony Aitken , Christopher Brown , Emma Lewis , Frank Shelley , Celestia Fox , Abigail Harrison , Ben Chaplin , Joanna Joseph , Roger McKern

Filmed with the usual meticulous attention to period and detail of films from Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, The Remains of the Day is based on a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. Anthony Hopkins plays Steve... read more read more...ns, the "perfect" butler to a prosperous British household of the 1930s. He is so unswervingly devoted to serving his master, a well-meaning but callow British lord (James Fox), that he shuts himself off from all emotions and familial relationships. New housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) tries to warm him up and awaken his humanity. But when duty calls, Stevens won't even attend his own dying father's last moments on earth. The butler also refuses to acknowledge the fact that his master is showing signs of pro-Nazi sentiments. Disillusioned by Hitler's duplicity, the master dies an embittered man, and only then does Stevens come to realize how his own silence has helped bring about this sad situation. Years later, regretting his lost opportunities in life, he tries once more to make contact with Miss Kenton, the only person who'd ever cared enough to seek out the human being inside the butler's cold veneer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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97% liked it

38 critics

PG, 2 hr. 14 min.

Directed by: James Ivory

Release Date: November 5, 1993

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DVD Release Date: November 6, 2001

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Stats: 1,212 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,212)

  • FrizzDrop
    May 5, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    A beautifully wrought piece about the dangers of living through the affairs of aristocracy, this film is the embodiment of the Merchant-Ivory set of films while also being a fairly faithful adaptation of the book by Kazuo Ishiguro. Though the book is well represented and the over... read moreall message and grandeur of the film was in no way affected, I did take issue with several liberties that changed scenes in the book, raised questions that needn't be, and arguably some choices were simply unavoidably strange. Characters were merged, POVs were changed, and undertones were glaring. But I digress, this film does justice to the text by showing the incomparable Anthony Hopkins in a role that could only belong to him. His instincts as a servant and as a man with "dignity," as he espouses, truly embodied the character of Stevens. He seemed bland, yet affected, kind yet unbothered, and clinical while being personable and repressed. Oh, was he repressed. So enters Emma Thompson as Miss. Kenton, the housekeeper who keeps Stevens on his toes and challenges his pre-conceived notions. Their relationship really is the entire film, while also being about loyalty to someone who is blindly being led astray themselves in a long train of unforgiving ignorance. Stevens though, is a character whose psyche just goes deeper and deeper, a well of misgivings and fraudulent narration, unreliable in his own emotions and the way the facts of the film are presented. You want him to rendezvous with the one he longs for, but he is tethered by the belief that he has a grand purpose, and if he doesn't see it through than his entire life has been wasted. Next to Random Harvest this is the saddest film I have ever seen, because it rallies around an idea as old as time, and then doesn't see it to fruition. It's about longing, love, manipulation, and the callous reality that a life worth living is not expected to always be great. I find this film, and the book it is based off of, to be beautiful and poignant in its tender recognition of humanity. Though I don't agree with some decisions by the screenwriter and director, I do agree that this was a film that was difficult to put together, as there was first person narration in the book and none here. It really was a film that achieved on a level unexpected, and stayed heart warming throughout.
  • imrealgod
    June 4, 2011
    imrealgod
    While the movie was full of excellent performances, the story itself didn't leave an impression strong enough on me (yeah, again expectations were high, thanks to IMDb ratings). Besides, the execution wasn't effective enough to keep me glued to the movie. If anything was done qui... read morete right, it was the casting of the movie. That's what made this 2+ hours journey tolerable for me.
  • jennifxu
    April 29, 2011
    jennifxu
    I am a sucker for starched-collar, buttoned-down romance, and this movie is pretty much the definition of that. Also, it has old people. I LOVE old people love stories. Ishiguro I'm not too crazy about, but I can forgive him.
  • fb619846742
    July 13, 2010
    fb619846742
    A masterfully acted, well told story featuring an unassuming butler (Anthony Hopkins) who remembers back to the time when he began to discover disturbing new things about the master (James Fox) he had served for many, many years. Although admittedly slow-paced, this film is large... read morely fascinating due to the main plot concerning Nazi sympathizers. The movie also adeptly explores an important trait in loyalty - all with a magnetic and versatile actor in Anthony Hopkins leading the way. Both Hopkins and Emma Thompson (as another worker at the house who finds Hopkins' both attractive and infuriating) give outstanding turns, and the movie also ends on a satisfying note. What I love most about this film is that it never betrays us with the way it covers its characters, they stay true to form and never feel artificial for one moment.
  • CloudStrife84
    February 17, 2009
    CloudStrife84
    A movie that can turn something as eventless and boring as the working life of domestic servants (no offence to any butlers or housekeepers who may read this), into an engaging and compelling drama, certainly deserves a round of applause. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson are bot... read moreh at their very best here, and this film wouldn't be half as good as it was without their fantastic performances. Maybe not the kind of movie I'd want to see more than once, but good and quite memorable nonetheless.
  • Gx7
    November 20, 2008
    Gx7
    "A man cannot call himself work contented, until he has done all he can, to be of service to his employer." ~Mr. Stevens

    Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins reunite in this movie after Howards End. Mr. Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) is a butler and an institution by himself at Darlingt... read moreon Hall. See how he goes by his life day by day amist whats going on inside the Manor, and get to know the other characters perspective of the dear ol' butler.

    I thought this was a powerful, thought provoking film. Theres too much "essence" in this film that Ill just have to decline in even trying to tackle the things in it.

    I think this movie is quite close to home for some of those people that serve their life as a house help and for those who do have the knowledge and priviledge of what its like to have highly devoted and excelent help. This movie reminds me of my beloved nanny Leizel.

    *Yeah ok its not a proper review - cant be arsed to write anything properly these days. I still say go ahead and watch it, then tell me what you thought of it.
  • thmtsang
    June 14, 2008
    thmtsang
    Movie about an English country home just prior to World War II and it's occupants. Great cast.
  • Deano78
    June 24, 2007
    Deano78
    A very slow, rather boring period drama. Where not a lot happens in a country house in the period leading up to the war.
  • ceWEBrity
    June 23, 2007
    ceWEBrity
    Flawless performances by Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson amidst a plot that is both personal and political. This is an important movie if ever there was one.

    The broken narrative is not the directorial choice I would have made, but it doesn't really have much of an effect on t... read morehe rest of the movie. Powerful, turbulent and effective, Remains of the Day is an A-class drama.
  • newvogueravyn
    April 15, 2007
    newvogueravyn
    Well, what can I say about this? I love the novel, and when I heard that there was a film too, my immediate reaction was much like that for the Perfume film: "Oh yay!!...but how the hell are they going to film it when it's so subtle in places?
    So, of course, I was inevitably dis... read moreappointed when I watched this. It looks absolutely beautiful and very authentic, but I didn't like the changes made, no matter how small they were (some were even out of keeping with the characters). I wondered at first whether Hopkins was a good choice for Stevens, but the longer you see him in the role the more natural and acceptable it becomes.
    Like his performance, once you get in to the film you begin to warm up to it, or it begins to improve. I liked that quotes from Stevens' first person narration were put into the dialogue, and all actors do suprisingly well once you get over the initial 'shock' of seeing them in the role ( 'It's Hugh Grant', was all I could think of for a while after his first appearance...)

    In truth, this was a very difficult book to film faithfully, so I don't know whether to be impressed at what they managed to achieve, or disappointed, thinking that it could've been done even better.

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Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum
February 11, 2008
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

The actors keep this interesting, but as a story it drifts and rambles. Full Review

Todd McCarthy
February 11, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety

All the meticulousness, intelligence, taste and superior acting that one expects from Merchant Ivory productions have been brought to bear. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Here's a film for adults. It's also about time to recognize that Mr. Ivory is one of our finest directors, something that critics tend to overlook because most of his films have been literary adaptati... Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

What do you call filmmakers who make literary entertainment box office in the age of Beavis and Butt-bead? Try miracle workers.

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Put Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and James Fox together and you can expect sterling performances. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A subtle, thoughtful movie. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

There is not a false note in the movie. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Tragic love stories often hit with the hardest impact, and few are better-crafted and more intelligently presented than that of Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton. Full Review

Michael Dequina
December 28, 2008
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

Moves rather slowly, but the actors and their understated chemistry keep the film riveting, building to a climax that is absolutely heartrending. Full Review

February 11, 2008
Film4

Merchant-Ivory's best film by a mile. Full Review

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    • Stevens: In my philosophy, Mr. Benn, a man cannot call himself well-contented until he has done all he can to be of service to his employer. Of course, this assumes that one's employer is a superior person, not only in rank, or wealth, but in moral stature.
    • Stevens: If two members of staff have to fall in love and decide to get married, there's nothing one can say. But what I do find a major irritation are those persons who are simply going from post to post looking for romance.
    • Stevens: 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.
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The Remains of the Day Trivia

  • Which movie was NOT inspired by Akira Kurosawa's 'The Seven Samurai.'  Answer »
  • Which Merchant Ivory film adorns a lunchbox owned by Corky St. Clair at the end of Waiting for Guffman?  Answer »
  • The Remains Of The Day is based on a novel by which Japanese writer?  Answer »
  • I starred opposite Emma Thompson in both 'Howard's End' and 'Remains of the Day'... who am I?  Answer »
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