The Remains of the Day

Play trailer

The Remains of the Day

PG

1993

2h 15m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

48 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

During the 1930s, James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) serves as a proper English butler to the doltish Lord Darlington (James Fox). 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Smart, elegant, and blessed with impeccable performances from Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, The Remains of the Day is a Merchant-Ivory classic.

Read Critics Reviews

Chris Bennion

The Times (UK)

09/08/2023

Anthony Hopkins is magnificent as Stevens, with his blinkered code of honour, and Emma Thompson his match as the housekeeper.

Go to Full Review

David Hunter

The Hollywood Reporter

11/05/2019

Beautiful to look at and deeply moving in many scenes.

Go to Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

02/11/2008

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

Go to Full Review

Adrian Turner

Radio Times

08/30/2024

5/5

This impeccable adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Booker Prize-winning novel stars Anthony Hopkins as the emotionally repressed butler and Emma Thompson as the housekeeper he possibly loves.

Go to Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

02/04/2024

4/4

...a slow-moving yet increasingly absorbing drama...

Go to Full Review

Farah Cheded

A Good Movie To Watch

08/25/2023

Sublime filmmaking and performances turn Stevens’ every minute choice into a pillar of profound tragedy, giving us a maddeningly heartwrenching life lesson for the ages.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Joy B.

@9mr_0 Dec 20

فيلم جميل جدا و ‏هادىء و انتوني هبكنز وحش مو ممثل حضوره قوي ويطغى على الاخرين حوارت جميله قصه رائعه تصوير و اخراج ممتاز

See more

bob c

Nov 26

Pretty good depiction of UK ruling class and an obedient butler doing their work. Overdoes the appeasement gang and Hitler, but does the story well. American producer, Japanese novelist, Indian screenwriter and Welsh star hardly likely to make the English look good.

See more

Geri H.

@Ghlowe Nov 20

Superb movie. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson have wonderful interactions throughout but are bound by the codes of proper boundaries imposed on them.

See more

Carol P.

@CRSPoole Oct 25

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie . Analyzing the characters is very interesting. Rather sad ending

See more

Meri S.

@mschroeder Aug 18

Well acted and great cast. If you like Downton Abby, this movie would be one you’d like.

See more

Emma S

Jun 1

Amazing work by Hopkins and Thompson. He epitomises the repressed English so much, pretending not to hear what is clearly going on around him whilst the upper class he serves allows WW1 to happen. Thompson's character does well to balance him out, though I think she should have shouted and screamed at him to open up. The ending was too quick and I could see the metaphor they were trying to communicate but it didn't land as it should have, in my opinion.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

James Ivory

Director

Anthony Hopkins

Stevens

Emma Thompson

Miss Kenton

James Fox

Lord Darlington

Christopher Reeve

Lewis

Peter Vaughan

Father

The Remains of the Day: Official Clip - Goodbye

1:52

The Remains of the Day: Official Clip - I'll See To It, Mister Stevens

2:13

The Remains of the Day: Official Clip - Guilty Smile

2:11

The Remains of the Day: Official Clip - Room of Amateurs

2:07

The Remains of the Day: Official Clip - My Warmest Congratulations

2:05

The Remains of the Day: Official Clip - The Rules of the Manor

2:08

The Remains of the Day: Official Clip - No Longer Needed

1:47

The Remains of the Day: Official Clip - A Racy Book

2:13

View more videos

Howards End

94%

81%

Howards End

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Howards End

The Age of Innocence

87%

75%

The Age of Innocence

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Age of Innocence

Shadowlands

100%

89%

Shadowlands

Watchlist

In Custody

67%

62%

In Custody

Watchlist

Lost in Yonkers

71%

77%

Lost in Yonkers

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

During the 1930s, James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) serves as a proper English butler to the doltish Lord Darlington (James Fox). 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.

Director: James Ivory
Producer: John Calley, Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols
Screenwriter: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Kazuo Ishiguro
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Columbia Tristar
Production Co: Merchant Ivory Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 5, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $23.0M
Runtime: 2h 15m
Sound Mix: Surround

Most Popular at Home Now