90 Days of Oscar Nominees #76 – The Remains of the Day (1993)

In my attempt to have a more prolific repertoire of Oscar Nominated Films, I have taken it upon myself to watch 90 new Best Picture Nominees that I’ve never seen before between 5 Dec 2017 and The 90th Annual Oscars on 4 Mar 2018.

Here is my 76th review of the 90 chosen Films…

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“In my philosophy, Mr. Benn, a man cannot call himself well-contented until he has done all he can to be of service to his employer. Of course, this assumes that one’s employer is a superior person, not only in rank, or wealth, but in moral stature.” – Stevens

Number of Times Seen – 2 (11 Mar 2012 and 18 Feb 2018)

Brief Synopsis – A lifelong butler reflects on his years of service while trying to figure out of he made the right decisions or not.

My Take on it – One would think that a film about a butler and housekeeper would be quite boring to watch but in actuality it is done so fascinating here.

We get a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ perspective of monumental events along with inconsequential ones yet we always get to see that the”fly” (in this case the servants) never really show their true feelings or emotions since they have been trained that their service and duty comes above all else.

We get to see how some of the political discussions of the 1930’s were carried out in secret and with the ability to see things in hindsight, we know what was right and wrong even though the characters themselves do not at the time.

It’s amazing the way that they show how the main character sees his duty and service above all else and keeps his opinions to himself and this is quite exemplary.

Only when he is able to reflect on these scenes years alter can he really contemplate whether he made the correct decisions or not.

The ability to have his honor, duty and service above even his own desires, wishes and opinions is seen to him as a way of life which works really well here.

The cast is superb.

Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson are both perfect for these roles and are quite convincing here.

They are helped along with an equally amazing supporting cast that includes Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant and James Fox.

Bottom Line – Gives a great perspective on the life of politicians during the 30’s. The fly on the wall aspect of this story gives us so much to ponder. The way that the main character serves his employer and his profession is exemplary yet we get to see that later in life, he might regrets many of his choices since he held duty above all, even his own desires, opinions and wishes. Hopkins and Thompson are both superb here in the leads and they are helped along by an equally amazing supporting cast. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The part of Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) is one of only three movie roles for which Meryl Streep has ever been turned down. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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