The Remains of the Day

melly

In Ishiguro's book, the revelation that Stevens is a unreliable narrator--that is, he has lied to himself and the reader about his true feelings--at the end is heartbreaking. That literary moment has remained with me all these years later. Similarly, the scene in this apaption where Stevens & Ms Kenton part for the last time was an excellent stand-in for the above-mentioned book scene. What a marvelous film adaption!

msmichel

Kazuo Ishiguro's richly detailed and emotionally rich novel was masterfully adapted by scripter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and produced with intricate detail by the Merchant/Ivory house and stands as one of their most significant achievements. Casting was key and Hopkins and Thompson were at their very best in this world of checked emotions and things left unsaid. Set design and cinematography were near perfection.

Owen Sound

Anthony Hopkins will be forever known in cinematic history for his iconic role in The Silence of the Lambs but the emotional depth he brings to his character in The Remains of the Day will always be his finest hour.

Stefan Drees

Another great literary adaption by James Ivory. Like "A Room with a View" it's based on an incredible good script, but casting Hopkins and Thompson has been the real coup - and a wise choice: Their intense representation of the two main characters is utterly admirable. I never feel bored by watching this rather sad but also complex film once again.

Richmond Hill

Probably the most satisfying Merchant Ivory production shedding the usual (distracting) trappings for a taut and gripping two-hander. It's magnificently performed by Thompson and Hopkins who scale the repressed emotions with exquisite aplomb. In this respect a 90-degree cousin of Brief Encounter, although a double bill of these two would be crushing in tender sadness.

Jaspar Lamar Crabb

A brilliant movie that exposes so much more than class differences, peeling back the facade of stifling 1930s class structure that existed within the underbelly of the manor's staff. A stupendous performance by Anthony Hopkins

Christopher M. Jones

reminds me of this Antlers lyric for some reason: "the choir's gonna sing and this thing is gonna kill you"

Ashley Spendlove

The repressed longing is captured perfectly by the leads. The entire piece is beautifully structured and filmed with Ivory's characteristic good taste and feel for the period detail - the contrasts and transitions in the social world of the 1930s and 1950s are especially well achieved. The subtlety and restraint are its strengths, even if part of me yearned for more anger and catharsis (my problem, not the film's).