Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Remains of the Day Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 19, 2015

James Ivory's "The Remains of the Day" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures UK. The bonus content on the disc includes three archival featurettes and a gallery of deleted scenes with optional commentary by the American director. In English, with optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Mr. Stevens

The film begins in the present, but the bulk of the story it tells actually takes place in the past. There are a few episodes where the past and present quickly overlap, but it is very easy to follow the chronology of the events and the progression of the relationships between the main characters.

Anthony Hopkins is perfectly cast as Mr. Stevens, an aging butler who has spent most of his life working for the wealthy Lord Darlington (James Fox, The Servant). Now Stevens is the most important man in Darlington Hall -- in addition to overseeing a large team of servants, he makes sure that life has a consistent rhythm there, the type that Lord Darlington prefers.

But when Lord Darlington hires a new housekeeper, Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility, Mr. Stevens suddenly discovers that he is not immune to romantic attraction. Initially the discovery annoys Mr. Stevens, but later on it forces him to slowly begin reevaluating his seemingly perfectly organized life.

Meanwhile, sensing that Mr. Stevens is struggling to hide his feelings behind the mask he has been wearing for years, Miss Kenton attempts to get closer to him. But her kindness is misinterpreted and then promptly rejected with a personal warning.

Around the same time, Darlington Hall welcomes high-ranking local and foreign political leaders and they begin debating the future of Europe. Some vow to support Germany’s efforts to rebuild its economy and reclaim its spot amongst the traditional European powers, while others warn that Hitler and his party are not to be trusted.

Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, The Remains of the Day is one of the finest period films to be produced by the Merchant-Ivory team. As far as this reviewer is concerned, it is also the most powerful one from the team’s terrific roster. It was directed by James Ivory, written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and produced by Ismail Merchant.

The film tells two different stories. The first is about the aging butler who discovers true love but instead of embracing it allows it to slip away. In the process he undergoes a massive character transformation, but it is many years later that he finally comes to terms with the fact that he has made a terrible mistake. The story may sound familiar, but it is infused with a very unique quiet intensity that actually produces all sorts of different surprises.

The second story is slightly less effective. A few years before WWII, the old-fashioned Lord Darlington becomes involved in a complicated political game which also forces him to reevaluate his life. Unlike the butler, however, he never recovers from his terrible mistake.

There is classic British eloquence and elegance in this film that nowadays seem completely lost. Bold producers still finance period films, but the sincerity and wit that define the Merchant-Ivory productions have not been recreated. It takes a team of visionaries to do it, and since Ivory, Jhabvala and Merchant, at best there have been only a few decent imitators.

Hopkins is incredible as the aging butler. In fact, he is so good that it is impossible to imagine that the film would have been even remotely as effective as it is without him. Thompson is wonderful as the object of his affection. Fox also does not disappoint as the overly ambitious Lord Darlington. There are memorable cameos by Ben Chaplin, Hugh Grant, and the late Christopher Reeve.

The film was lensed by cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts, who earned two Oscar nominations for his contribution to two other Merchant-Ivory productions, A Room with a View and Howards End.

The Remains of the Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, James Ivory's The Remains of the Day arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures UK.

Remastered in 4K, the film looks quite wonderful in high-definition. Indeed, excluding some extremely light sharpening, depth and clarity are consistently very pleasing (examples of the sharpening can be seen in screencaptures #3 and 8). Depth is impressive as well, though depending on how light is captured by the camera occasionally minor fluctuations can be spotted. Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Colors are stable, well saturated and natural. Overall image stability is excellent. Finally, it is easy to tell that debris, cuts, damage marks, scratches, and stains have been carefully removed. To sum it all, there is room for some minor improvements, but the current technical presentation of Remains of the Day should please fans of the film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The Remains of the Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are five standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit), French Dolby Digital 2.0, German Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Sony Pictures UK have included optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track should impress viewers that appreciate strong and intelligent mixing. To be perfectly clear, the lossless track is unlikely to test the muscles of your audio system, but it has a wonderful range of nuanced dynamics and reproduces seemingly casual sounds and noises with striking clarity. The dialog is stable and clean, but some of the accents are a bit thick and at times some exchanges are not easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

The Remains of the Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scenes - a collection of deleted scenes with optional commentary commentary by director James Ivory. In English, with optional English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish subtitles (12 min).
  
  1. Photo Opportunity
  2. Argument
  3. A Message
  4. "Democracy is Finished"
  5. A Different Life
  6. On the Pier

• Love and Loyalty: The Making of The Remains of the Day - in this archival featurette, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, James, Ivory, and producer Ismail Merchant discuss the production history of The Remains of the Day, its period atmosphere, the fascinating relationship between Miss Kenton and James Stevens, etc. Also included are clips from archival interviews with other cast and crew members. In English, with optional English, Dutch, German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and Italian subtitles. (29 min).

• The Remains of the Day: The Filmmakers' Journey - in this archival featurette, novelist Kazuo Ishiguro discusses the original story that inspired the film while James Ivory explains precisely how it was adapted. Also included are clips from interviews with producers Ismail Merchant and John Calley, Anthony Hopkins, and Emma Thompson, amongst others. In English, with optional English, Dutch, German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and Italian subtitles. (30 min).

• Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honor: England's Fatal Flaw - this archival featurette focuses on the political overtones in the film. Included in it are clips from interviews with novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, and James Ivory, amongst others. In English, with optional English, Dutch, German, French, Japanese, Spanish, and Italian subtitles. (15 min).

The Remains of the Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Anthony Hopkins will always be remembered for his excellent performance in Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs, but he is at his very best in James Ivory's The Remains of the Day. Indeed, he is so good that it is impossible to imagine that The Remains of the Day would have been even remotely as effective as it is without him. The film has been remastered in 4K and looks quite wonderful on Blu-ray. If you do not yet have it on your collections, consider picking up Sony Pictures' release. It is Region-Free and very attractively priced. RECOMMENDED.