The Remains of the Day (1993)

	Directed by: James Ivory	COUNTRY United Kingdom USA GENRE Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Resten av dagen RUNNING TIME 134 minutes
	Produced by: Ismail Merchant Mike Nichols John Calley
	Written by (based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro): Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Harold Pinter

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Mr James Stevens	Anthony Hopkins	½
Miss Sarah "Sally" Kenton	Emma Thompson	½
Earl of Darlington	James Fox
Congressman Jack Lewis	Christopher Reeve	½
Mr William Stevens	Peter Vaughan
Reginald Cardinal	Hugh Grant
Mr Tom Benn	Tim Pigott-Smith	½
Dupont d'Ivry	Michael Lonsdale
Baroness	Brigitte Kahn
Viscount Bigge	Jeffry Wickham	-
Mrs Mortimer	Paula Jacobs	-
Charlie	Ben Chaplin	½
Sir Geoffrey Wren	Rupert Vansittart	-
Spencer	Patrick Godfrey	-
Canon Tufnell	Peter Halliday	-
Sir Leonard Bax	Peter Cellier	-
Lizzie	Lena Headey	½

Review

Merchant/Ivory reunite their two stars from the successful Howards End the year before and move thirty years ahead to the 1930s, where Anthony Hopkins plays the butler Mr Stevens and Emma Thompson the housekeeper Miss Kenton at Darlington Hall, the estate of the Earl of Darlington (James Fox) during the interwar years. Hopkins is perfectly cast as the emotionally restrained, high-principled butler whose unflinching loyalty to his lord comes at the expense of everything from family ties and romantic connections to national security. Elevated by what was arguably Richard Robbins' strongest musical score, The Remains of the Day is a stirring examination of the repercussions of the traditional English class system, but at the same time also an uplifting tribute to work ethic, devotion, and honour. There is an undeniable, bittersweet duality to the character of Mr Stevens, made all the more powerful by how the filmmakers anchor their character study to the contemporary political situation. The film boasts strong supporting performances by James Fox as the Earl, Peter Vaughan as the under-butler Stevens Sr., and Hugh Grant as the Earl's impertinent young nephew. This may just be Merchant/Ivory's finest hour – and the inclusion of Mike Nichols as co-producer may or may not have something to do with it.