Review of The Remains of the Day (1993) by Ivo P — 20 Nov 2008

For the most part this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel is a moving, well-paced drama. Anthony Hopkins is superb as Stevens, a butler who performs his duties so impeccably as to repress his own feelings and deny himself happiness.

Emma Thompson is perfectly cast as Miss Kenton, the object of Stevens' affections, but the pair are kept apart by a series of events which seemingly conspire against them. That Stevens and Miss Kenton end proceedings apart is not the film's Achilles' heel, but the way it is executed is.

The final meeting between the pair, the denouement the film has steadily been building towards is over in seconds and leaves you empty and unsatisfied. Up until that point the film is on an even emotional keel, but at the vital moment it goes significantly over the top in an attempt to convey emotion, succeeding only in trivialising it.

This is a shame, as The Remains of the Day is a broadly excellent period drama that provides plenty of interest and insight, but which is let down by an abrupt and overly sentimental ending.