Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #949 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-10-22
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French, German
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 128 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Remains of the Day is one of Merchant-Ivory's most thought-provoking films. Anthony Hopkins is a model of restraint and propriety as Stevens, the butler who "knows his place"; Emma Thompson is the animated and sympathetic Miss Kenton, the housekeeper whose attraction to Stevens is doomed to disappointment. As Nazi appeaser Lord Darlington, James Fox clings to the notion of a gentleman's agreement in the ruthless political climate before World War Two. Hugh Grant is his journalist nephew all too aware of reality, while Christopher Reeves gives a spirited portrayal of an American senator, whose purchase of Darlington Hall 20 years on sends Stevens on a journey to right the mistake he made out of loyalty. As a period drama with an ever-relevant message, this 1993 film is absorbing viewing all the way.

On the DVD: the letterbox widescreen format reproduces the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with absolute clarity. Subtitles are in French and German, with audio subtitles also in English, Italian and Spanish, and with 28 separate chapter selections. The "making-of" featurette and retrospective documentary complement each other with their "during and after" perspectives, while "Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honour" is an interesting short on the question of appeasement and war. The running commentary from Thompson, Merchant and Ivory is more of a once-only diversion. --Richard Whitehouse

Special Features
2.35 Wide Screen
DVD 9
English
Region 2

Synopsis
James Ivory directed this quietly moving film set just prior to World War II. On the large English estate of Lord Darlington (James Fox), a disciplined butler, Stevens (Anthony Hopkins), devotes himself to his duties with rigorous dedication. Like his father (Peter Vaughan) before him, Stevens lives to serve--to bring order and certainty to the estate's minutiae. Though Stevens has the opportunity to break free of this mold in the form of a romance with the spirited housekeeper, Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson), he chooses to remain within the safe structure of the household, even one that has misguided loyalties to Nazi Germany. Christopher Reeve and Hugh Grant costar as men hoping to show Lord Darlington the danger of his allegiances. THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is Merchant-Ivory's follow-up to HOWARDS END, which also starred Hopkins and Thompson; both actors were nominated for Academy Awards for their roles as dutiful servants in the later film.

Customer Reviews

Mesmerizing, Intelligent Look at Star-Crossed Love from Merchant & Ivory
"Remains of the Day" will be regarded as one of the great film masterpieces of the Merchant-Ivory team, now tragically ended with the untimely death, earlier this year, of Ismail Merchant from cancer. Their films were the quintessential cinematic epics respectful of both the settings and characters adapted from both period and contemporary novels, blessed frequently with elegant scripts from their literary partner Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and of course superb acting from their casts. "Remains of the Day" excels in all of these categories, as a spellbinding, faithful adaptation of the Kazuo Ishiguro novel, with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson as the star-crossed would-be lovers and servants of the pacifist Nazi sympathizer Lord Darlington (James Fox). Along with elegant acting from both Hopkins and Thompson in two of their finest roles, there is splendid acting too from the likes of James Fox, Christopher Reeve, Ben Chaplin, and a young Hugh Grant as Lord Darlington's godson.

James Ivory's masterful direction takes the audience to and fro between the mid 1930s and the early 1960s, focusing our attention on the chief butler Mr. Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) and the housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson), who gradually realize that they are attracted to each other. But alas Stevens, like his master, Lord Darlington, puts his mistaken notions of duty and honor before passion, making a decision he will find himself regretting, albeit for a brief while, years later, when he seeks out Ms. Kenton in a brief, bittersweet reunion for both. Ivory's film is a beautifully realized meditation on unrequited love, which will appeal to fans of Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, and of course Merchant-Ivory films.

Time and Tide Wait for No Man
In this excellently made, finely-acted Merchant Ivory production, Anthony Hopkins is the emotionally repressed and complex butler to Lord Darlington, who is also a complex type in his way, far more so than the Amazon synopsis ("...a Nazi appeaser") would have us believe. Lord Darlington fought in WW1 and, like many others of his time (1936 onwards) wishes to avoid WW2. He also considers, quite rightly in my opinion, that the Versailles Treaty was both kicking down a defeated enemy and a seed of future conflict.

Darlington attempts to link those in authority in Germany with those in authority or with influence in the UK in order to avert the catastrophe. His son, an idiotic person (played by Hugh Grant), whose main interest is fishing, eventually becomes the tool of the "war party" led by Churchill, although that aspect (and especially the filial disloyalty involved) is but lightly touched on in the film. He attempts to spy on his own father using the butler, who, however, resists the ploy.

The only really weak scene of the film is when a German delegation come to stay and move around the house saying, in German with subtitles, things like "ah Jawohl, we note these valuable paintings for later, ha ha!", as if to say "when we loot them after we occupy the UK". Pretty poor and very propagandistic. Apart from the value judgment about "looting" (the American and certainly the Soviet forces certainly did more than the Germans ever did in WW2 and even Goering usually paid for his artworks, often paying Jewish dealers -- like Daniel Wildenstein--in Paris or Amsterdam well over the market value!), the fact is that very few in Germany wished to occupy the UK, Hitler wanted an alliance with the British Empire and people (of which he was in fact a fervent admirer in many ways) and Operation Sealion was never more than a contingency plan and, possibly, deception operation (to divert attention from the planned upcoming assault on the Soviet Union). That scene weakens the film a bit.

Another scene which is a bit overplayed is the bit where the British Fascist leader (VERY closely but crudely modelled on the PERCEPTION of Mosley in his more bombastic moments, as parodied in P.J. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster books and the British TV productions of them) sounds off at dinner about doing down the unions. Mosley, though, was not anti-union as such and, after flying service in WW1, had been an M.P. for the LABOUR Party, before becoming disillusioned with its lack of results and founding, first, the New Party, then the British Union of Fascists. The portrayal in this film just copies the idea that those who wished for peace with Germany were all both wealthy and wishing to tread on the workers. Not so.

Christopher Reeve, in pre-Superman days, plays a youngish American politician who makes an undiplomatic and insolently rude fuss about the idea of giving the Germans an even break. The German Valkyrie delegate looks frostily away. Presumably the financial backers of this film (and I think we can make an educated guess about what kind of Americans they were...!) insisted on this scene. In fact, State Department policy, despite Roosevelt, was largely neutralist at the time and ambiguous thereafter (Vichy France maintained a Washington embassy until mid-1943...).

Later, the film moves on to a time about ? ten years after the war. A scene in a pub and afterwards shows a range of opinions, from a local doctor who is totally in the Churchillian propaganda mentality, to an intoxicated bar-room arguer who calls Churchill " a warmonger", which surely even his admirers will admit he was. But the butler admits to the doctor that Lord Darlington eventually knew he had been mistaken. That's a pity, because to my way of thinking those who tried to avoid war before 1939 and who tried (some of them) to help broker an armistice after Dunkirk in 1940, were right in their thoughts and actions, looking at the devastation and misery not only during that conflict but right up to today (the fallout in Asia and Africa of the destruction of the European empires).

Emma Thompson plays the more emotional and more pôlitically opposed (to Darlington) housekeeper. She eventually decamps, though I should not wish to spoil the plot by saying too much.

Quite Magnificent Peerless Acting by all especially by Hopkins.
Quite simply one of the most breathtaking performances by any British actor for many years.Though i am a welshman like Mr Hopkins his portrayal of the totally loyal butler Mr Stevens must rank alongside Olivier and Alec Guiness as one of the finest acting performances by any British actor.

Set throughout the war years in a typical large country estate known as Darlington Hall Hopkins rules the downstairs staff with his quiet dominance.Nobody questions his authority and whilst James Fox conducts high level talks with the then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and German officials in total secrecy to appease Hitler, he maintains his dignity throughout.

Emma Thompson lends a perfect supporting role as Miss Kenton the assistant house keeper whose obvious love for Hopkins goes unreturned.It is obvious there is a deep admiration between them but his loyalty to his Lordship is unquestionable.

The scene where Miss Kenton confronts Stevens over a book he is reading is perfection.Note the beautiful shadows surrounding both actors to conjour up a mood of love but restraint.

On his Lords death twenty years later the new Lord played sadly in possibly his last role before his life changing accident by Christopher Reeve relies completely on Stevens to ensure a safe transfer of duties.

Other appearences to ensure that this is a timeless classic are made by
Richard E Grant(before his star rating appearence of Four Weddings) who adds realism to this superb drama.He enquires what is going on down in the library whilst the Prime Minister and German officials are conducting talks.Stevens in his calm manner replies that nothing atall is going on, and really it is nothing to concern him.

In much later years whilst Stevens revisits Miss Kenton now married in Brighton the love and admiration lying underneath is magnificently played by both.On their final parting in driving rain their parting moments are magnificent,acting of the highest quality.

This is without doubt Hopkins finest hour,on par with his CS Lewis character in "Shadowlands" and Emma Thompson and Richard E Grant are magnificent bringing real depth to this slow moving magnificent drama.

Now if it wasn't for that huge film Schindlers List carrying away vertually every Oscar during the 93 ceremony then Remains of the Day surely would have received atleast one of the eight nominations it recieved,but sadly it got no just reward. Im sure had it been a different year the film would have recieved its due recognition.

The fact that it was given a massive eight nominations showed the accademy had realised the film was something special but Schindlers List was too great a triumph to be denied its glory.

I cannot think of many British films of any era to equal the acting presence that Remains of the Day offers.Yes Hopkins in "Shadowlands" runs it a very close second but still he was on Oscar winning form,a far better performance than Hanibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs but comparing both films is impossible both are so different.

It really is a masterpiece that those who admire great acting must watch atleast once in their lives.

Move over Burton Mr Hopkins has become Wale's greatest actor.