THE REMAINS OF THE DAY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Kazuo Ishiguro | 272 pages | 01 Apr 2010 | FABER & FABER | 9780571258246 | English | London, United Kingdom Remains of the day: dinosaur skeleton fetches three million euros

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View All Videos 8. View All Photos Movie Info. Stevens is so dedicated that he forgoes visiting his father on his deathbed in order to serve, and overlooks Darlington's Nazi sympathies and growing anti-Semitism. Twenty years after his employer's death, Stevens tries to reconnect with Miss Kenton Emma Thompson , Darlington's head housekeeper, and begins to regret his loyalty to his former master. James Ivory. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Apr 16, Anthony Hopkins Stevens. Emma Thompson Miss Kenton. James Fox Lord Darlington. Christopher Reeve Lewis. Peter Vaughan Father. Hugh Grant Cardinal. Tim Pigott-Smith Benn. Patrick Godfrey Spencer. James Ivory Director. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala Screenwriter. Kazuo Ishiguro Writer Novel. John Calley Producer. Ismail Merchant Producer. Mike Nichols Producer. Paul Bradley Executive Producer. Richard Robbins Original Music. Tony Pierce-Roberts Cinematographer. Andrew Marcus Film Editor. November 5, Full Review…. February 11, Full Review…. February 9, Full Review…. May 12, Rating: 4. December 28, Rating: 3. August 14, Full Review…. February 11, Rating: 3. View All Critic Reviews Feb 21, Hopkins' portrayal of the loyal butler who never has his chance to express genuine emotion or expression until later in life is marvelous. Truly touching. John B Super Reviewer. Aug 15, Something not quite as exciting as it sounds, unless, of course, you take into consideration that this is a Merchant Ivory film, in which case, it's about as exciting as you would expect it to be: not terribly. Well, it sure seemed to thrill critics, though it's a shame it had the misfortune of coming out the same year as "Schindler's List", which was even more overlong, slow and old fashion, so much so that it was actually primarily in black-and-white. If you get provocative, slow period pieces and a few dirt-old filmmaking sensibilities, then you're pretty much a shoe in for critical acclaim. Hey, as much as the film stands to be better, it's still pretty undeniably elegant, which of course shows that Hugh Grant can be classy Yeah, sure and that Christopher Reeve was way more than just Superman, which sadly didn't stop him from getting stuck with that title. As for Ben Chaplin, I wouldn't so much say that he was so much succumbing to people's common misconceptions by playing a guy named Charlie as much as he diving in, because lord knows his birthname wasn't Chaplin and that when you're an aspiring English performer lucky enough to have your mother's maiden name be Chaplin, you're not likely to turn down a name change, as that's going to bring in quite a few role offers. Well, he certainly knows how to pick some good ones, or at least potentially good ones, for although this film is enjoyable, it gets to be too elegant for its own good. Okay, now, with all of my going on and on about this film being so slow, to my surprise and relief, the film really isn't terribly slow, yet it does still hit those points quite often, rarely, if ever to point of leaving the film to dull out, but definately to where the film's momentum plummets, and with it, engagement value. Of course, maybe this film would have its slow points if it didn't give them plenty of time to creep their way in, as one of the most prevalent flaws with this film is simply that it is just too blasted long. At nearly fifteen minutes shy of a whopping two-and-a-half hours, the film sounds too long, considering its story, and is exactly that, dragging its feet from one place to another, going padded out by repetition, as well as much filler that distances the film from substance for an extended period of time and leaves you to, with the substance, fall out of the film momentarily, especially during points in which the film, almost in a montage-esque fashion, showcases the unraveling of certain events to obnoxiously gratuitous urgent-seeming score work, an event that's overlong and overbearing the first time, yet returns oh so many times throughout the film. Still, with all of the moments in the film that expel your attention, it's not like your investment is all that firmly locked in, because, as I said, the film gets to be too elegant for its own good, not just to where it slows down here and there and drags on consistently, but to where it takes so much restraint that, all too often, it restrains from bite, and that is just the thing that ruins this potentially fine effort. Don't get me wrong, the film has its fair share of effective moments, yet on the whole, there is a certain degree of emotional distance looming over the film's resonance, diluting conflict, intrigue and impact, thus leaving the film to fall limp, and your attention with it. As I said, the film picks up here and there, yet it gets to those points all too steadily, outstaying its welcome and tossing in the occasional slow spots, made all the worse by hazed emotional resonance, until, after a while, the film finds that it has fallen limp more than picked up, and just enough to finally fall beneath genuinely good. However, the film's collapse is not much more than by a hair, because for every miss, there is a hit, and just enough for the film to ultimately stand as worth watching, and I do mean "watching", as it's not too shabby on the eyes. Now, in total honesty, one of the best pieces of photography pertaining to this film is probably the poster Ooh, shiny Anthony Hopkins , yet there is a ceaseless grace within Tony Pierce-Roberts' cinematography, broken up by occasions of lighting that are truly breathtaking. The film is a visually striking piece, with fine art direction to compliment the production designs, which are dazzling yet far from overbearing, bringing to life the environment, and by extension, atmosphere of the world found within this story that deserves more than what can be provided by director James Ivory, who keeps his distance and restraint, to the detriment to this film, as many of his directorial efforts fall limp and betray the story's worthiness, of which, there is plenty, and just enough for you to still lock in just fine. Ivory does little to spark essence into this story, yet that's largey why the story does leave something of an impression, for although Ivory neglects to raise the intrigue of the film, he also manages to avoid diluting the film's intrigue with a lot of faulty moves or incompetence, thus making the film's tone more slave to the story than the actual execution, and while all of this slowness and dragging keeps the story from really picking up all that often, when the story does pick up, you feel it, certainly not as much as you would have if James Ivory put some blasted effort into the atmosphere, yet enough so that you can stick with the story, and with it, the film itself. Outside of that, the film owes much of its standing its ground to Anthony Hopkins, who has little to do, yet purposefully so. The James Stevens character is a willing slave to his work, seeking to get the job done and keep things in order while keeping as emotionally distant as he can, which of course leaves his humanity to take severe damage and himself to find much potential in his life squandered, thus making for a character that, in concept, presents quite a bit of material, only to go tainted by screenwriters Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's writing the role to be too broad, with limited depth and layers, and by extension, material for Hopkins to work with. However, come on, this is Anthony Hopkins we're talking about, and although his material is thin to the point of leaving him with little to play up, he stays faithful to the slickness of the James Stevens character with a smooth believability and charisma, and when material does finally present itself, needless to say, Hopkins delivers, providing subtle depth and sharp expressiveness that captures both the distance and humanity within Steven, into whom Hopkins gives us somber insight that defines our lead as a flawed human, noble spirit and compelling lead in a film that very often relies on him. Now, being that its story and subject matter is so minimalist, the film never stood much of a chance being especially upstanding, yet still deserves better than what it is given, though what good things it is given really do strike in a small but far-reaching fashion that gives this film the intrigue and depth that the key filmmakers can't hold together enough for the film to reward, yet the other talents who construct and carry this film can hold together just enough for the film to keep you going through and through. At the end of the day, remains and all, the film has its slow spots, which are bound to be found amidst the film's ceaseless steadiness, spawned largely from considerable looseness that leaves the film to drag on, going plagued by repetition and filler that slows down the film's momentum, though not as much as James Ivory's emotionally distant direction, which leaves resonance to often fall limp and the final product to ever so unfortunately collapse as underwhelming, yet still stand as watchable, boasting fine art direction and sharp production designs that spark certain life into the story, which is strong enough to hold your attention all its own, though not without the help of a perhaps too restrained yet charismatic, occasionally subtly deep and altogether rather compelling lead performance by Anthony Hopkins, who helps in making "The Remains of the Day" the enjoyable and occasionally effective film that it is, even if it should be more than just workmanlike. Cameron J Super Reviewer. Jun 27, Remarkable acting and a compelling story that stays interesting due to Hopkins' performance as a schizoid butler who struggles to continue his work without being hindered by romance or conscience, during the years of British appeasement to the growing Nazi powers that be in Europe. Kyle M Super Reviewer. May 04, 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 message and grandeur of the film was in no way affected, I did take issue with several liberties that changed scenes in the book, raised questions that needn't be, and arguably some choices were simply unavoidably strange. Characters were merged, POVs were changed, and undertones were glaring. But I digress, this film does justice to the text by showing the incomparable Anthony Hopkins in a role that could only belong to him. His instincts as a servant and as a man with "dignity," as he espouses, truly embodied the character of Stevens. He seemed bland, yet affected, kind yet unbothered, and clinical while being personable and repressed. Stevens always maintains that Lord Darlington was a perfect gentleman, and that it is a shame his reputation has been soiled simply because he misunderstood the Nazis' true aims. During the trip Stevens also recounts stories of his contemporaries—butlers in other houses with whom he struck up friendships. Stevens's most notable relationship by far, however, is his long-term working relationship with Miss Kenton. Though Stevens never says so outright, it appears that he harbors repressed romantic feelings for Miss Kenton. Despite the fact that the two frequently disagree over various household affairs when they work together, the disagreements are childish in nature and mainly serve to illustrate the fact that the two care for each other. At the end of the novel, Miss Kenton admits to Stevens that her life may have turned out better if she had married him. After hearing these words, Stevens is extremely upset. However, he does not tell Miss Kenton— whose married name is Mrs. Benn—how he feels. Stevens and Miss Kenton part, and Stevens returns to Darlington Hall, his only new resolve being to perfect the art of bantering to please his new employer. In the totality of his professional commitment, Stevens fails to pursue the one woman with whom he could have had a fulfilling and loving relationship. His prim mask of formality cuts him off from intimacy, companionship, and understanding. Election Day is November 3rd! Make sure your voice is heard. Themes Motifs Symbols Key Facts. Important Quotations Explained. Summary Plot Overview. The Remains of the Day () - Rotten Tomatoes

The possibility of romance and his master's cultivation of ties with the Nazi cause challenge his carefully maintained veneer of servitude. Add flawless performances from the all-star cast and the result is almost too perfect. But there is just enough humility to this sad tale of unrequited love to make it completely believable. Anthony Hopkins excels as the impenetrable Mr. Both give wonderfully deep, sensitive portrayals of two complex lonely people who don't realize, until it's too late, that they belong together. Swirling around them is fascinating drama of life upstairs and downstairs and there are as many surprises and sub-plots to the story based on a novel by Kazuo Ishiguro as there are secret passages, nooks, and crannies in "Darlington House. A must see. One poignant note: this was the return to the big screen of actor Christopher Reeve, as American millionaire Congressman Lewis, whose life nicely frames the storyline. Two years later Reeve became paralyzed after being thrown from a horse. Looking for something to watch? Choose an adventure below and discover your next favorite movie or TV show. Visit our What to Watch page. Sign In. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew. Release Dates. Official Sites. Company Credits. Technical Specs. Plot Summary. Plot Keywords. Parents Guide. External Sites. User Reviews. User Ratings. External Reviews. Metacritic Reviews. Photo Gallery. Trailers and Videos. Crazy Credits. Alternate Versions. Rate This. A butler who sacrificed body and soul to service in the years leading up to World War II realizes too late how misguided his loyalty was to his lordly employer. Director: James Ivory. Added to Watchlist. From metacritic. Halloween Movies for the Whole Family. Watched in Ratings - Farraday, but fails to interact well with him socially: Stevens is a circumspect, serious person and is not comfortable joking around in the manner Mr. Farraday prefers. Stevens terms this skill of casual conversation "bantering"; several times throughout the novel Stevens proclaims his desire to improve his bantering skill so that he can better please his current employer. The purpose of Stevens's road trip is to visit Miss Kenton, the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall who left twenty years earlier to get married. Stevens has received a letter from Miss Kenton, and believes that her letter hints that her marriage is failing and that she might like to return to her post as housekeeper. Ever since World War II has ended, it has been difficult to find enough people to staff large manor houses such as Darlington Hall. Much of the narrative is comprised of Stevens's memories of his work as a butler during and just after World War II. He describes the large, elaborate dinner parties and elegant, prominent personages who come to dine and stay at Darlington Hall in those times. It is gradually revealed—largely through other characters' interactions with Stevens, rather than his own admissions—that Lord Darlington, due to his mistaken impression of the German agenda prior to World War II, sympathized with the Nazis. Darlington even arranged and hosted dinner parties between the German and British heads of state to help both sides come to a peaceful understanding. Stevens always maintains that Lord Darlington was a perfect gentleman, and that it is a shame his reputation has been soiled simply because he misunderstood the Nazis' true aims. During the trip Stevens also recounts stories of his contemporaries—butlers in other houses with whom he struck up friendships. Stevens's most notable relationship by far, however, is his long-term working relationship with Miss Kenton. Though Stevens never says so outright, it appears that he harbors repressed romantic feelings for Miss Kenton. Despite the fact that the two frequently disagree over various household affairs when they work together, the disagreements are childish in nature and mainly serve to illustrate the fact that the two care for each other. At the end of the novel, Miss Kenton admits to Stevens that her life may have turned out better if she had married him. After hearing these words, Stevens is extremely upset. The Remains of the Day () - IMDb

A truly "great butler" does not abandon his profession, and, as such, Stevens feels that such choices are foolish in regard to the life of a butler. Stevens is shown as totally loyal to Lord Darlington, whose friendly approach towards Germany results in close contacts with the Nazi Party and right-wing British extremist organisations, such as the Blackshirts of Sir Oswald Mosley. Due to this, Lord Darlington asks Stevens to fire two Jewish staff members, though Darlington later regrets this. Stevens is quite incapable of believing his master to be wrong in his political attitudes, as Lord Darlington's upbringing and heritage carry a certain type of dignity that is above and beyond Stevens' own. Stevens is arguably aware on some level of Miss Kenton's feelings for him, but he is unable to reciprocate. Miss Kenton's actions often leave Stevens bemused and puzzled, but his recollections of past interactions between the two reveal to the reader certain lost possibilities of their relationship. However, Stevens is never able to acknowledge the complex feelings he possesses for Miss Kenton, insisting only that they shared an "excellent professional relationship". It is not only the constraints of his social situation, but also his own stunted emotional life, that hold him back. During their time at Darlington Hall, Stevens chose to maintain a sense of distance born from his personal understanding of dignity, as opposed to searching and discovering the feelings that existed between himself and Miss Kenton. It is only within their final encounter that Stevens tragically becomes aware of his life's lost potential when thinking about Miss Kenton in a romantic light. As with his other works, Ishiguro uses the structural devices of memory and perspective within this novel. Past events are presented from the viewpoint of the main protagonist, the ageing Stevens; elements of the past are presented as fragments, apparently subconsciously censored by Stevens to present explicitly a description of past occurrences as he would have the reader understand them and implicitly to relay the fact that the information supplied is subjective. Sometimes the narrator acknowledges the inaccuracy of his recollections and this raises the question of his reliability as a narrator. The theme of the decline of the British aristocracy can be linked to the Parliament Act , which reduced their power, and to inheritance tax increases imposed after World War I , which forced the break-up of many estates that had been passed down for generations. The pro-German stance of Lord Darlington has parallels in the warm relations with Germany favoured by some British aristocrats in the early s, such as Lord Londonderry and Oswald Mosley. The Remains of the Day is one of the most highly regarded post-war British novels. In , the novel won the Man Booker Prize , one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the English-speaking world. In , The Observer asked literary writers and critics to vote for the best British, Irish or Commonwealth novel from to ; The Remains of the Day placed joint-eighth. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the novel. For other uses, see The Remains of the Day disambiguation. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Retrieved 12 April Man Booker Prize. Retrieved 15 June Stanford University. Retrieved 29 June The Observer. The Guardian. The Economist. So to come back to your question. I don't exactly know why Miss Kenton fell in love with Mr. But I also believe that Mr. Stevens would not describe any such traits or any chemistry between the two in his memoirs, considering such information irrelevant. See all 14 questions about The Remains of the Day…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of The Remains of the Day. Kazuo Ishiguro writes the anti-haiku: instead of consciousness awakening to the immediacy of the immutable natural world, subjective memory is peeled back layer by layer to expose consciousness; instead of the joyous eruption of awareness, the tension of the gradual decompression of ignorance; instead of a humility that acknowledges the unknowable on its own terms, rambling that tries to fill the chasm of existential angst that has suddenly opened up like a sinkhole in being. Yet what his writin Kazuo Ishiguro writes the anti-haiku: instead of consciousness awakening to the immediacy of the immutable natural world, subjective memory is peeled back layer by layer to expose consciousness; instead of the joyous eruption of awareness, the tension of the gradual decompression of ignorance; instead of a humility that acknowledges the unknowable on its own terms, rambling that tries to fill the chasm of existential angst that has suddenly opened up like a sinkhole in being. Yet what his writing shares with the haiku is the bringing about of enlightenment -- it arrives, tarnished and the worse for wear, in the end. Stevens, a butler, has spent his life defining himself by his occupation. However, after having spent his best years in the service of the Nazi-sympathizing British aristocrat Lord Darlington, he necessarily grows introspective. When his new employer -- a wealthy American that is himself a signifier of the changed order of postwar Europe -- urges him to take a brief vacation, Stevens is forced to face the consequences of his life's decisions. Without his domestic rituals to brace him, his identity unravels. He grasps at the phantom of native British superiority which has proven illusory -- the empire lay in ruins, and the men who comprised its ruling class are a weary and incompetent bunch the likes of his previous employer. He remembers the imposing physicality of his long-dead father but is forced to see the broken man who expired waiting upon others. His threadbare philosophizing over "dignity" and what it means to his bearing and station finally collapses, and he admits his own personal failings with fellow servant Miss Kenton, who represents, fleetingly, a chance at redemption and happiness. View all 45 comments. Aug 02, Adina rated it it was amazing Shelves: mcewan-barnes-coetzee-and-co , british , booker , Every day, for the past week I've encouraged myself to start writing this review. It feelt impossible to find my words to discuss such a literary masterpiece. Who gives me the right to even try? After staring blankly at the screen for some time, I finally remembered a beautiful passage that can perfectly describe what I felt about this novel. So, I will let the author describe his work. Although the quote depicts the magnificent English countryside It can be applied to the novel as well. It is as though the land knows of its own beauty, its own greatness, and feels no need to shout it. The hard reality is, surely, that for the likes of you and I, there is little choice other than to leave our fate, ultimately, in the hands of those great gentlemen at the hub of this world who employ our services. Surely it is enough that the likes of you and I at least try to make our small contribution count for something true and worthy. And if some of us are prepared to sacrifice much in life in order to pursue such aspirations, surely that is in itself, whatever the outcome, cause for pride and contentment. After the war and the death of its owner the manor changes its ownership but the reduced staff remains with the new employer, an American known as Mr. When the new owner returns to the States for a few weeks he proposes to Stevens to borrow his car and enjoy a drive in the countryside. Although reluctant at first, the butler decides to take on the offer after he receives a letter from a former housekeeper of the Hall, Miss Kenton to who it seems that he holds some affection. He decides to visit her in order to suggest to return to work at the Hall. One could presumably drive oneself to distraction in this way. In any case, while it is all very well to talk of 'turning points', one can surely only recognize such moments in retrospect. Naturally, when one looks back to such instances today, they may indeed take the appearance of being crucial, precious moments in one's life; but of course, at the time, this was not the impression one had. Rather, it was as though one had available a never-ending number of days, months, years in which to sort out the vagaries of one's relationship with Miss Kenton; an infinite number of further opportunities in which to remedy the effect of this or that misunderstanding. There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable. It is the voice of the butler who writes in the restrained, formal manner suitable for his job. Really - one has to ask oneself - what dignity is there in that? View all comments. This is one of the most beautifully mannered, subtle books I've read in a long, long time. Ishiguro's command of prose is perfect; there was never a point where I felt that this book wasn't written by a consummate English gentleman's gentleman. Stevens' voice is always clear and distinct, and always used to frame the narrative in such a way that the reader is able to see things and guess things which the prot This is one of the most beautifully mannered, subtle books I've read in a long, long time. Stevens' voice is always clear and distinct, and always used to frame the narrative in such a way that the reader is able to see things and guess things which the protagonist cannot. For all that Stevens himself agonises over 'banter' and 'wit' and how to be amusing, this book is very funny itself in some places; it's a fine example of a comedy of manners. The subtlety of it all, and Stevens often painful obliviousness to social cues really lends itself well to that. Highly, highly recommended. View all 12 comments. Aug 21, Kecia rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: readers who appreciate subtly. Shelves: topshelf , booker-prize , books , england. It's not what happens in this story that's important, it's what doesn't happen. It's not what is said, but what is not said. I almost feel like Stevens in a real person and not a fictional character. He tried so hard to do what he thought to be the right thing and in the end it all turned out to the wrong thing I cried for at least a half hour after I finished the final page. It was a bittersweet moment when he admitted to h It's not what happens in this story that's important, it's what doesn't happen. It was a bittersweet moment when he admitted to his heart breaking I hurt so badly for him but for the first time he acknowledge his emotions and so I was happy for me. This story reminds me of why it is important to LIVE your life. I do hope Stevens uses the remains of his day to learn to banter and create friendships for himself. I think perhaps he will. View all 20 comments. So Ishiguro has won the noble prize for literature Ishiguro is good, and this book is very good. It totally deserved the man booker prize, but did Ishiguro really deserve the noble prize for literature? Food for thought. Ishiguro has such a developed way of exploring consciousness, the power of repression, self-serving denial and the destructive consequences of regret. The narrator of this is a stiffly rigid and rather dry old butler. He has given everything over to his profession; he has left little room for his own personality to develop. So, there is very little left of the individual left on the surface. He is simply is professional butler modelled round his current employers own characteristics. What he so desperately needed was an awakening: he so desperately needed to come out of himself and remember exactly who he is under the false layers of pomp and sophisticated etiquette. But, that would be impossible in its entirety. It takes Stevenson a long time even remember who he is. But, he must delve even deeper into the past to fully remember himself. He must see deeper into the regretful decisions he has made, though he can never fully acknowledge such regret because to do so would be to destroy himself, rendering an entire life meaningless, worthless and wasted. He has spent his entire professional life behind a mask. He has no real friends, and his relationship with his farther is strained, to say the least. There are a few moments when the veil slips; however, they are not really visible to other characters. I think at times, this has gone so far that, Stevenson actually forgets who he is. The mask takes over and controls his behaviour; there is little room for sentiment or friendship: it pushes people away with its austere act of singular professionalism. You knew how upset I was when the girls were dismissed. Do you realize how much it would have helped me? Why, Mr Stevens, why, why, why do you always have to pretend? Indeed, he becomes like his farther. He is stuck in this perpetual state. His brief holiday sends all his memories crashing back; he sees the different paths he could have taken had he been more open to his own desires. There are degrees of regret within his story, but he cannot full let go; he cannot fully admit that he wishes he had lived his own life. He has gone too far to simply change his ways. If he changed now, his life would have been a waste. He must continue on this road, one that will not allow him to enjoy the remains of his days. This is a sad novel; it depicts a character that is so unbelievably stubborn that he prevents himself from receiving any regeneration or redemption. He cannot change, and this is his doom. He is frustrating and stoic. He is a nonchalant man who simply refuses to acknowledge his own feelings. As a character he is superbly written, but on an individual level I found him somewhat pitiable. This is part of the wonder of the story, though. Stevens is his role; he will never transgress it. I just felt so sorry for him because he really has had a wasted life; yes, he has had a successful career; yes, he has met some prestigious political figures and foreign dignitaries; yes, he believes he is accomplished and successful, but, at the route of things, he is undeniably woeful and lonely. These are simply the excuses he tells himself. He has missed out on friendship and love: he has only experienced solitude and isolation. In this, Ishiguro delivers an awe inspiringly powerful statement in regards to the dangers of a life of pretending. This was moving, compelling and excellent. Facebook Twitter Insta Academia View all 13 comments. Shelves: human-emotions , social-awkwardness , morality , quintessentially-english. When work is a duty, life is slavery. I bought this novel in tandem with Never Let Me Go , a book so tedious that I abandoned it, preferring to watch paint dry. Nevertheless, I was prepared to give Ishiguro the benefit of the doubt, wipe the slate clean and start afresh. This might just be one of those very rare occasions where seeing the movie first actually enhances the reading experience. Having already viewed it on the big screen, I could easily imagine Sir Anthony Hopkins's narration, almost as if this were an audiobook. To his credit, Ishiguro perfectly captures the stiff-upper-lipped dialogue expected of an English country house butler. Here, the author takes Wodehouse's cartoonish idea and gives it a harsh reality check. Stevens' adorned, almost pompous elocution is on point, but I half expected the Anthony Hopkins in my head to begin shouting, "Mr Christian! Damn your hide, sir! I shall eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti! For me, the most interesting side to his character is that he doesn't bear any snobbishness towards his 'new money' employer, and treats him just the same as he would a lord or a prince. Amusingly, he is maladaptively unaccustomed to banter or tomfoolery, unlike his jovial boss. However, in this respect he is very much like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory and so guilelessly has a bash at banter, whereupon awkward silences and a scurry of tumbleweed ensues. Stevens is deserving of our pity; love is resolutely not on his radar and a visit by interested housekeeper, Miss Kenton, to his pantry with a vase of cheery flowers, causes his dangly bits to retract into his sexless body. However, dear smutseekers, I later thought I'd spotted a saucy Ishiguro euphemism and I quote : "Mr Stevens happened to encounter Miss Kenton in the back corridor. Although I doubt I shall ever be a true Ishiguro fan, he has redeemed himself with this body of work, and there is a telling poignancy to the reflective ending, which prompted me to bump my score up to a respectful five stars. Most becoming! I shall pass on your kind comments to the staff. Will that be all, sir? The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and England, a past that takes in fascism, two world wars, and an unrealized love between the butler and his housekeeper. View all 3 comments. Jan 29, Nataliya rated it it was amazing Shelves: favorites , reads , excellent-reads. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it. Because if it was all in vain, why even try? With The Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro created a masterpiece, mesmerizing, evocative, subtle, elegant and perfectly crafted, with precise mastery of language, setting and characters. At its heart, it's a story of searching for something irrevocably lost in life, a story of memory and its elusive unreliability. It's beautiful and haunting, with initial rose-tinged glow of nostalgia slowly and subtly morphing into quiet gentle regret, managing to coexist with dry humor and bits of satire. It's a book of uncommon quality, one that's impossible to forget, one that deserves every ounce of praise that's it's been showered with. What is dignity? What is greatness? How do you define your purpose? These are questions Stevens - a quintessential English butler at the twilight of his life not surprisingly coinciding with the twilight of the British Empire - ponders during his drive through the countryside in the search of an old friend, a former housekeeper who, Stevens thinks, would make a great addition to the dwindled staff of a once-great manor now owned by a rich American after the death of its former aristocratic owner, the Lord in whose employ Stevens had faithfully spent several decades. To Stevens, the answers are initially clear - the purpose and satisfaction, the all-elusive dignity itself lies in the unquestionable loyalty and devotion to the great ones of this world, by association with whom you matter, too. But as the miles roll by, the pull of Darlington Hall seems to lessen and bit by bit, flashback by flashback in a surprisingly formal stream of consciousness the glimpses of the truth begin to appear, and how unsettling they are! Bit by bit, mostly not through what he tells us but instead precisely through what he does not tell we come to see that poor Stevens is perhaps the most unreliable narrator there ever was. Starting from a formal, stiff but still confident narration at the beginning of Stevens' journey, we end up eventually on a bench on a pier, glimpsing into his very private pain and heartbreak as he contemplates the remains of his life at the titular remains of the day. Bit by bit, through at times reluctant, limited and yet unfailingly honest narration we get to experience the story of a man who put loyalty and faithful service above all, pursuing the coveted dignity, clinging to the well-defined class roles and rigid expectations, denying his own self in attempts to live up to the duty, the quintessential Englishness that already in his time is becoming obsolete. I will hereafter devote myself to serving him. It's what's left unsaid that paints the real picture - the disappointments, the loss, the lonely empty existence intentionally devoid of love and warmth. And how can he? After all, he has based his entire self-worth, his entire sense of being on devotedly serving a supposedly great and noble man, feeling that in some little way he, Stevens, had something to do with shaping the fate of the world. Openly admitting that Lord Darlington's made huge mistakes would shatter Stevens' entire self, making everything useless - missing his father's death, going along with bigotry and prejudice, and giving up a chance at love, warmth and human companionship. I gave him the very best I had to give, and now - well - I find I do not have a great deal more left to give. He wasn't a bad man at all. And at least he had the privilege of being able to say at the end of his life that he made his own mistakes. His lordship was a courageous man. He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at least. As for myself, I cannot even claim that. You see, I trusted. I trusted in his lordship's wisdom. All those years I served him, I trusted I was doing something worthwhile. I can't even say I made my own mistakes. View all 23 comments. Firmly in My Top 3 Ever. Overwhelmingly Profound. Regret came shivering through my veins, And bound my tongue in iron chains; My soul in prison seem'd to be, And ever must if torn from thee. Ishiguro's novel whisks the human memory - its capacity, reliability, fallib Firmly in My Top 3 Ever. Ishiguro's novel whisks the human memory - its capacity, reliability, fallibility and combustibility. As the story moves forward, he drops clues to the murkiness of the manservant narrator Stevens' recollections of decades in service at Darlington Hall and his relationship with the head maid, Ms. Rather, it was as though one had available a never-ending number of days, months, years in which to sort out the vagaries of one's relationship[s] Today or as soon as practicably possible. I recall a quote I saw years ago in school: "[i]n the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you. View all 34 comments. Jan 16, Annet rated it really liked it Shelves: literature-pure , have-to-read-again , brilliant , booker-pulitzer-nobel-material , favorite-author , age-ing , history , beautiful-poetic , very-british. Beautiful, beautiful book, wonderful writing, great story. I am now officially a fan of Ishiguro, a book so different from Never let me go, which was also an incredible story to me. This story however is very different but equally high quality, which in my opinion indicates the quality of the writer, able to put down totally different stories, both intriguing in their own way. It is beautiful in language, heartbreaking in storyline, gives a view of life in England in between wars and how politic Beautiful, beautiful book, wonderful writing, great story. It is beautiful in language, heartbreaking in storyline, gives a view of life in England in between wars and how politics also reaches an English grand house, and also gives you food for thought on what is important in your life View all 32 comments. The Remains of the Day is a wonderful book to close my reading year in This book was first published in and since then, there have been countless professional reviews on it that everything I said here—although they are my honest opinion—would most likely be just something similar to any of those reviews. There, I visited Kinokuniya bookstore and I saw this gorgeous looking Kinokuniya exclusive commemorative edition of this book. With absolutely no knowledge on what this book was about, I was left very satisfied with my purchase by the end of my read. This is truly a beautiful book about regret, dignity, repression, decisions, acceptance, and most of all, memories. There are a lot of messages that can be taken from this book but in my opinion, the most dominant one is to never dwell on the past. But reading this now, there are tons of passages I can relate to. This book is a piece of literature that came out of nowhere into my life and somehow, ended up becoming a book that I know I will always remember. View all 31 comments. Jul 03, Fabian rated it it was amazing. Mood, atmosphere, character. So much is held within the pages of this marvelous book, the account of one of the last butlers to work at a large manor in England. What is Dignity? The love story is heart wrenchi Mood, atmosphere, character. The love story is heart wrenching; the level of repression is palpable. Kazuo Ishiguro is a literary man's Man. View all 15 comments. It includes themes like European history, politics and social structures in the 20th century, self-deception, lost love and the human dignity. Kazuo Ishiguro gives the protagonist Stevens a virtuously formulated narrative voice which represents the duty and the self-denial of the protagonist perfectly. Moreover my personal opinion is that the protagonist Mr. Stevens seems to be very cold and unemotional. But on the other side he appears very graceful. In addition the author creates a beautiful tension even though the time after World War Two was different and very hard to progress. Stevens terms this skill of casual conversation "bantering"; several times throughout the novel Stevens proclaims his desire to improve his bantering skill so that he can better please his current employer. The purpose of Stevens's road trip is to visit Miss Kenton, the former housekeeper of Darlington Hall who left twenty years earlier to get married. Stevens has received a letter from Miss Kenton, and believes that her letter hints that her marriage is failing and that she might like to return to her post as housekeeper. Ever since World War II has ended, it has been difficult to find enough people to staff large manor houses such as Darlington Hall. Much of the narrative is comprised of Stevens's memories of his work as a butler during and just after World War II. He describes the large, elaborate dinner parties and elegant, prominent personages who come to dine and stay at Darlington Hall in those times. It is gradually revealed— largely through other characters' interactions with Stevens, rather than his own admissions—that Lord Darlington, due to his mistaken impression of the German agenda prior to World War II, sympathized with the Nazis. Darlington even arranged and hosted dinner parties between the German and British heads of state to help both sides come to a peaceful understanding. Stevens always maintains that Lord Darlington was a perfect gentleman, and that it is a shame his reputation has been soiled simply because he misunderstood the Nazis' true aims. During the trip Stevens also recounts stories of his contemporaries—butlers in other houses with whom he struck up friendships. Stevens's most notable relationship by far, however, is his long-term working relationship with Miss Kenton.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

In , the novel won the Man Booker Prize , one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the English-speaking world. In , The Observer asked literary writers and critics to vote for the best British, Irish or Commonwealth novel from to ; The Remains of the Day placed joint-eighth. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article is about the novel. For other uses, see The Remains of the Day disambiguation. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Retrieved 12 April Man Booker Prize. Retrieved 15 June Stanford University. Retrieved 29 June The Observer. The Guardian. The Economist. BBC News. The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature. Liverpool John Moores University. Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on 10 January Works by Kazuo Ishiguro. Nocturnes Recipients of the Booker Prize. Farrell Troubles V. Coetzee Disgrace. Literature portal Books portal. Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from May All articles needing additional references Use British English from October Use dmy dates from December Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. External Sites. User Reviews. User Ratings. External Reviews. Metacritic Reviews. Photo Gallery. Trailers and Videos. Crazy Credits. Alternate Versions. Rate This. A butler who sacrificed body and soul to service in the years leading up to World War II realizes too late how misguided his loyalty was to his lordly employer. Director: James Ivory. Added to Watchlist. From metacritic. Halloween Movies for the Whole Family. Watched in Ratings - Stuff to watch - Nirvana. Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Nominated for 8 Oscars. Edit Cast Cast overview, first billed only: John Haycraft Auctioneer Christopher Reeve Lewis Anthony Hopkins Stevens Emma Thompson Miss Kenton Caroline Hunt Much of the narrative is comprised of Stevens's memories of his work as a butler during and just after World War II. He describes the large, elaborate dinner parties and elegant, prominent personages who come to dine and stay at Darlington Hall in those times. It is gradually revealed—largely through other characters' interactions with Stevens, rather than his own admissions—that Lord Darlington, due to his mistaken impression of the German agenda prior to World War II, sympathized with the Nazis. Darlington even arranged and hosted dinner parties between the German and British heads of state to help both sides come to a peaceful understanding. Stevens always maintains that Lord Darlington was a perfect gentleman, and that it is a shame his reputation has been soiled simply because he misunderstood the Nazis' true aims. During the trip Stevens also recounts stories of his contemporaries—butlers in other houses with whom he struck up friendships. Stevens's most notable relationship by far, however, is his long-term working relationship with Miss Kenton. Though Stevens never says so outright, it appears that he harbors repressed romantic feelings for Miss Kenton. Despite the fact that the two frequently disagree over various household affairs when they work together, the disagreements are childish in nature and mainly serve to illustrate the fact that the two care for each other. At the end of the novel, Miss Kenton admits to Stevens that her life may have turned out better if she had married him. After hearing these words, Stevens is extremely upset.

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