Ismail Merchant and James Ivory were one of the most successful producing teams of all time, with a series of acclaimed adaptations of British and Indian drama in the likes of SHAKESPEARE WALLAH, HEAT AND DUST, A ROOM WITH A VIEW and HOWARD’S END.
In 1993, they adapted Kazuo Ishiguro’s Booker Prize-winning novel, THE REMAINS OF THE DAY into one of the most accessible adaptations, with a star-studded cast and one which reflected on specific attitudes.
Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) runs Darlington Hall, which at one point was the estate of Lord Darlington during the Second World War when the political world was very stormy. Stevens is a simple-minded man who has no real understanding of what his master represents in the world.
Time has passed and the estate is now owned by US congressman Jack Lewis (Christopher Reeve in one of his last able roles before his tragic riding accident in 1994) who suggest to Stevens, after he receives a letter from a work colleague, Miss Kenton. Lewis offers Stevens the chance to take a specific car out of the estate and ‘a chance to see the world’.
The journey offers Stevens time to reflect on his past – and the past of his past master Lord Darlington…
A charming and very accessible film to watch, with great lead performances from Hopkins and Thompson, both of whom had just won Academy Awards, Hopkins as Lecter in THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Thompson as Margaret Schlegel in HOWARD’S END. The score by Richard Robbins is a beautiful bonus of the film.