Rating: 
Summary: Remains Merchant/Ivory 's finest !!!
Review: Arguably Remains of the Day is the finest Mechant/Ivory film ever made. Anthony Hopkins delivers perhaps his finest performance with an excellent ensemble cast that includes co-star Emma Thompson and James Fox. You'll also see Christopher Reeve and newcomer Hugh Grant on board.Merchant/Ivory films are often too precious and too tastefully presented to get overly excited about. Despite how beautiful they may look, I often find myself restless and then unsatisfied with their films that are often too stuffy and airless to ever experience more than once. Remains of the Day is a little masterpiece of a film -- A wonderful character study and period drama worth repeat viewings. The story is wonderfully framed in the present day of the 1950's, which sets the mood to enjoy the film's exquisite earlier period details. The film's stuffiness is natural because the story centers around the James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) a butler who has takes great pride in being in complete servitude to his employer Lord Darlington (James Fox) and the large English country home he attends to. Most of the film concerns itself with the late 1930's and early 1940's during World War 2 and Stevens' recollections are centered around his very proper relationship with Sally Kenton (Emma Thompson) who worked as a domestic in the home along with him for many years. Perhaps he can convince the new present day owners of the manor and to let Sally Kenton again work with him once again. Kenton and Stevens' made a great Domestic team, Stevens' recalls. In flashback we see Steven's life working as a butler for Lord Darlington and watching some of the influential politicians, Lords and ladies pass through the manor hallways. Hopkins' performance is one to savor and study. His every inflection, glance, and expression carries several meanings. The longing he feels for Sally must be suppressed to perform his tasks to the utmost of perfection and Sally's personal feelings for Stevens must like-wise be held in check because they are first and foremost devoted to their duties. They share a perfectionism and devotion to their work that nothing is allowed interfere with. If the film sounds dull and stiff, let me assure you that this is a film of such grace, beauty and near perfection that it will haunt you for several years. You will focus on the smallest of details in the film and be richly rewarded for taking the time to do so. The film is rich in period details (the cinematographer was Tony Pierce-Roberts) and offers an impeccable production design by Luciana Arrighi ("Anna and the King"), set decoration by Ian Whittaker (Anna and the King) and wonderfully re-created period costumes by Jenny Beavan and John Bright. You won't forget the performances of Anthony Hopkins or Emma Thompson in Remains of the Day. DVD STUFF "Remains of the Day" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. A few minutes worth of minor print flaws and very occasional visible edge enhancements are the only minor drawbacks of this high quality presentation of the film. The picture is sharp and crisp, black levels are strong and colors are rich. The soundtrack of the film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 though most of the audio is front and center. The score is allowed to breathe around the room a bit but there is very little in the way of ambient noises of sound effects present which could have taken advantage of the the surround sound possibilities. No hisses or pops of noticeable distraction are present. DVD EXTRAS: Plentiful extras include an exclusive 29 minute short documentary: The Remains of the Day: A Filmakers journey. Crew and cast members along with novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, producers Ismail Merchant and John Calley, director James Ivory and composer Richard Robbins disucss the making of the film. Stars featured include Hopkins, Thompson, Fox, and Reeve who offer some criticism of their performances and high praise for the work of their fellow cast members and the director. It's a love-fest but one that has some restraint and gives some interesting behind the scenes details of interest particularly in how the period details were recreated so beautifully. There's a 15 minute featurette which examines the issue of appeasement and how the attitude was partially responsible for allowing Hitler and Germany to become so powerful. The 28 and a half minute HBO behind the scenes special from 1993 is more promotional in nature but of interest which features scenes for the film, behind the scenes footage and interviews. 3 deleted scenes can be viewed with or without optional commentary. They are presented in the open matte style which means viewers can see things like the boom mikes which are normally cropped out of the picture. Many will find this particularly interesting which is why James Ivory wanted to show the deleted scenes in this manner.
The commentary track on Remains of the Day is better than most. There are some long pauses in the commentary and some of it duplicates the information that is discussed on the documentaries. There are also many minutes over the course of commentary devoted to participants complimenting each other and those involved in the production. Emma Thompson is at times very funny, and livens things up when they get a little too slow and dry. Mechant, Ivory and Thompson provide an informative detailed and worthwhile feature length commentary to the film. Remains of the Day is beautiful little masterpiece which features some incredible acting. The film is rich with details and the DVD is packed with worthwhile extras which makes this a Special Edition DVD very much worth adding to your collection. . Christopher Jarmick, is the author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder a critically acclaimed, steamy suspense thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Merchant & Ivory's Best
Review: This is subtle and sad stuff, spanning quite a lot of time, but focusing on Sir Anthony's relationship (or lack thereof) with Emma Thompson. He is the Butler in an English manor, she is the head Maid. This really could be Hopkin's best, most skilled performance. Contrast this with his performance in Lambs, and you can see just what this guy is capable of. Emma Thompson is wonderful, matching and contrasting Hopkins at every turn. Theirs is the most heartbreaking story of unrequited love I have ever seen. Kenneth Branagh suffered a great loss when he let her get away. Don't do it Anthony! Don't let her go!
Rating: 
Summary: DVD Release a Technical Disappointment
Review: Remains of the Day is probably my favorite film of all time. We favor movies that we can identify with. I think author Kazuo Ishiguro's comment was dead on when he said "I think we all can identify with Stevens in one way or another". However, this is not a review of the film. Enough has been said about that. This is, instead, a technical review of the long awaited distribution of the film in DVD format. My expectation was that when I was able to view the film on DVD in its original wide screen format, all that extra screen space that normally gets cut away to modify the picture for television would be viewable again. I was mistaken. I popped my VHS tape in the VCR and my new DVD in its player and set the TV to show both VHS and DVD side by side (I'd been wanting to do this for years). What I saw surprised me. The VHS version does indeed remove some of the picture from the sides. What I didn't expect is that it has additional picture on the top and bottom that the wide screen release on DVD does NOT. The important issue here is that the additional picture provided in the wide screen film provides LESS usable information toward the visual translation of the film than the 4:3 aspect for VHS/TV which provides more real estate top and bottom. Case and point: Probably the most important scene in the film is "The Book". Miss Kenton corners Mr. Stephens in his office and pries a book from his hands. This is the most intimate moment for the couple. In the VHS version the struggle with the book in picture can clearly be watched. In the DVD version the bottom of the frame impedes this subject matter; the book and her hands struggling with his. There are many other scenes where either props or architecture in the top and bottom of the frame better serve the nuance of the scene than what can be seen on either side of the frame. Specifically, desktops. There are many scenes were the actor is sitting behind or near a desk or table with many informative objects on it. The DVD version masks much of this information in most scenes, while the VHS version provides that extra bit at the bottom to show you what's on that desk, the cup of cocoa Miss Kenton is holding or the array of paperwork strewn on Lord Darlington's bed. In the final scene the painting, purchased at the beginning of the film, is hung in Mr. Lewis's new home. He says, "Watch the chandelier!" to the movers. In the VHS version you catch a glimpse of the chandelier. In the DVD version it goes unseen. Sadly, the DVD release doesn't provide a choice of wide screen 2.35:1 or TV 4:3 in its menu options. You get wide screen and that's it. What you will get on DVD is better picture definition, better color, and some pretty good documentary featurettes. Emma Thompson, James Ivory, and producer Ishmail Merchant also dub over the film for interesting optional commentary. So, for a more complete story visually, watch Remains of the Day on VHS tape. For better picture and sound quality, check out the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Finally on DVD and with a Lot of Special Features!
Review: One of my all time favorite films is THE REMAINS OF THE DAY. It is the perfect love story in which two individuals are not able to truly express their feelings for each other and both end up frustrated and haunted by what could have been.
The DVD is full of special features. One of these features was three deleted scenes. Although the scenes were good, I would have liked to have seen more. I suppose this desire is based on some sort of hope that some alternate ending scenes were filmed that show the two characters expressing their emotions and acting on what they really feel.
In addition to the deleted scenes are some wonderful "behind the scenes featurettes" or "making of documentaries" in which many of the principal people involved in the film discuss the filming and the story. These include those behind the camera as well as the actors and writer of the book on which the film was based.
One great part of the DVD is the commentary provided by the Merchant Ivory team of two who made the film as well as Emma Thompson who starred as the female lead, Miss Kenton. They talk throughtout the film and are very interesting in their comments. One person who is missed in a big way on the commentary is Anthony Hopkins who starred as the male lead, Mr. Stephens.
One interesting comment was made on the commentary about a Columbia executive who saw the film before its release. When he saw the ending of the film and realized that the two would not be confessing and acting on their love, he commented about the millions of dollars that would be lost in the theaters.
I have to say that I agree. Although the movie is wonderful and is about missed opportunity and consequences of the wrong choices in life, the film would have been a wonderful love story had the two characters realized and acted on their emotions. What a love story that would have been. It is too bad no alternate ending was ever available.
One interesting thing mentioned by Emma Thompson on the commentary was that she kept a diary during the filming. Wouldn't that be an interesting read? Its publication would have made a wonderful companion piece to the DVD.
Hopefully, we will see Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson work together again in the future. It has been a long time since their collaboration on HOWARD'S END and THE REMAINS OF THE DAY.
If you want to see Anthony Hopkins in a love story with a like theme, check out SHADOWLANDS. It also stars Debra Winger and is a great story of repressed love and emotions. Only in that film, feelings are expressed and realized and the film is based on a true story.
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get much better than this!
Review: This is a must-see for those seeking a well-written story line performed by cream-of-the-crop actors. This period drama is very bitter sweet, and you can't help but be drawn into a web of conflicting emotions. Anthony Hopkins/Emma Thompson fans should not miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest film of all time, no doubt about it!
Review: If unconventional stories and characters is your cup of tea, then this is for you.
First of all, the actors. Anthony Hopkins gives a performance that is just so unbelievably real that you completely connect with his character from the beginning, even though you're simply yelling at him the whole time. Emma Thompson, not only the most gorgeous actress alive (save Jennifer Love Hewitt), but her subtle gestures and soft yet strong tone intrigues the viewer into falling in love with her character. This film would have failed miserably had it not been for these two. The supporting cast also does a terrific job: Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant, James Fox, and Peter Vaughn are all marvelous as their extremely subtle characters. That's what this entire film is about--subtlety! That leads us to the director James Ivory. Either critically praised to the highest extreme or lambasted as an amateur and a slave to old-fashioned techniques, Ivory has a long and respectable trend of films made with his production partner Ismail Merchant. In this particular film, Ivory is sure to keep everything minimal. There are long passages with no dialogue and sometimes even no score. Everything is hidden from the viewer; from the character's feelings to the workings of Lord Darlington, nothing is fully revealed to us. That is where this film's beauty lies--within the viewer. It so strongly urges the viewer to participate and to contemplate and to search and to ask. Perhaps it's only for those who have experienced torturous relationships, and that's why I like it so much. All I know is that this film is FLAWLESS. The music (dark), the acting (beyond realistic), the cinematography (gloomy), the script (compelling), the direction (suspenseful), the production values (absolutely gorgeous scenery and sets); every aspect of this film contributes to an overall MASTERPIECE, that may someday get the credit it deserves.
Rating: 
Summary: SOCIAL PLACE AND REPRESSION
Review: Although this film moved at a snail's pace, the tension between Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson and the love they obviously so deeply shared for one another in this torturously 'proper' scenario made me ache. The fact that Hopkins' character, the faithful butler, never oversteps his boundaries or levels or propriety, is astounding, as he undoubtedly cares for Thompson's character. Thompson is more forthcoming, but she too is limited in what she can do. And, as always happens in these sorts of pictures, they never discover the extent of one another's feelings and part, only to run into each other many years later, living separate lives. The angst of their lingering feelings and regret about never having the courage to do anything about those feelings hangs heavy. The film is also notable because Christopher Reeve stars as the American man who buys the estate where Hopkins is the ever faithful butler. It is a bittersweet performance, too, as it was one of the few before his accident.
Rating:
Summary: Movies Like This Create Anxiety for Me
Review: I recognize that "The Remains of the Day" is a beautifully executed movie, with great acting and ambience, but it's the story line that upsets me. Unrequited love that really STAYS unrequited distresses me. I just wanted to bonk Anthony Hopkins over the head! Suppose it comes too close for home for me. I guess if you're made of stronger stuff than I, then you'll enjoy "The Remains of the Day" fully.
Rating:
Summary: kept me entralled throughout
Review: Whenever I watch a movie for the first time, no matter how good it is, my mind wanders. My mind did not wander a second through this enchanting movie. I loved the performances especially by Hopkins as a man too into his work. The side story with the nazi's is also great.
Rating:
Summary: A SUBTLE LOVE STORY
Review: This film is a wonderfully imagined adaptation of an equally beautiful book that, with a few changes, lives up to its source material. There's not much to complain about here; from the acting, sets, camera work, script, we're treated to a subtle love story from an unlikely pair. What is also fantastic is the story behind the love story --- some of England's royal elites actually promoted Hitler's hideous policies because they were threatened by the rise of the lower classes in their own country and felt only the smart, rich set should be allowed to lead. Although Stevens' mind is a blank on politics, he blindly follows his master because it's what he was trained to do. Sort of like the German people between the World Wars. This is a nice bit of history that may not be appreciated by many viewers but there are very few instances of intelligent political history in films today (amid an avalanche of simplistic, obvious revisions of 20th century events) and it is refreshing to see it without being clobbered by it. This is one of Merchant-Ivory's best films to date and an intelligent rendering of an intelligent book. Some have quibbled that it's not exactly like the book but then I think the filmmakers have improved on it for the sake of the viewer. I hope this is coming out on DVD soon.
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