The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day (1993)

  • 97% of critics liked it
    (38 reviews)

  • 86% of users liked it
    (22,205 ratings)

Filmed with the usual meticulous attention to period and detail of films from Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, The Remains of the Day is based on a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. Anthony Hopkins plays Stevens, the "perfect" butler to a prosperous British household of the 1930s. He is so unswervingly… More

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PG, 2 hr. 14 min.
Directed By
James Ivory
Genres
Drama, Romance
In Theaters
Nov 5, 1993 Wide
On DVD
Nov 6, 2001
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    The actors keep this interesting, but as a story it drifts and rambles.

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    All the meticulousness, intelligence, taste and superior acting that one expects from Merchant Ivory productions have been brought to bear.

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    Here's a film for adults. It's also about time to recognize that Mr. Ivory is one of our finest directors, something that critics tend to overlook because most of his films have been literary adaptations.

  • Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

    What do you call filmmakers who make literary entertainment box office in the age of Beavis and Butt-bead? Try miracle workers.

  • Desson Thomson, Washington Post

    Put Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and James Fox together and you can expect sterling performances.

Read all 16 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

  • Spencer S


    A beautifully wrought piece about the dangers of living through the affairs of aristocracy, this film is the embodiment of the Merchant-Ivory set of films while also being a fairly faithful adaptation of the book by Kazuo Ishiguro. Though the book is well represented and the overall… More

  • familiar s


    While the movie was full of excellent performances, the story itself didn't leave an impression strong enough on me (yeah, again expectations were high, thanks to IMDb ratings). Besides, the execution wasn't effective enough to keep me glued to the movie. If anything was… More

  • Jennifer X


    I am a sucker for starched-collar, buttoned-down romance, and this movie is pretty much the definition of that. Also, it has old people. I LOVE old people love stories. Ishiguro I'm not too crazy about, but I can forgive him.

  • Dan S


    A masterfully acted, well told story featuring an unassuming butler (Anthony Hopkins) who remembers back to the time when he began to discover disturbing new things about the master (James Fox) he had served for many, many years. Although admittedly slow-paced, this film is largely… More

  • Mike S


    A movie that can turn something as eventless and boring as the working life of domestic servants (no offence to any butlers or housekeepers who may read this), into an engaging and compelling drama, certainly deserves a round of applause. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson are both at… More

Read all 17 featured audience ratings

Cast

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