Sept. 04, 2002 - 3:05 am

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The Remains of the Day (1993)

be sure to hit the "previous" button today. 2 entries this evening.

this film was nominated for every major Academy Award basically. and it was amazing to watch. this was the second Best Picture nominee in a row for director James Ivory, the other being Howards End (1992). i really don't think the two films are very much alike after having seen both of them. although neither film has tons of positive emotions involved. you again get left feeling like nothing really went right. it's rather inexplicable i guess, but i can definitely say that this is a much more enthralling film.

it centers on the housekeeping staff of an English estate in the mid 1930s, with the story being told primarily in flashback form. the head butler is Anthony Hopkins' character and the new head housekeeper is Emma Thompson's character. basically it focuses on the relationship between Mr. Stevens (Hopkins), Miss Kenton (Thompson). it always seems like there could have been something between them, but Mr. Stevens is so entirely devoted to his work that he will never allow himself to express any opinions or emotions. there is also a lot of comparison of the mistakes being made by the lord of the estate in political affairs to the seeming mistakes being made by Mr. Stevens in his relationships with other people (mostly his aging father and Miss Kenton).

this film has just flawless performances from Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins. i feel like their characters were 10 times more well developed than in pretty much anything i've seen them in before. so many layers and so much complexity. and so much of the acting is being done with simple gestures and eye movements. i guess the best was really with Anthony Hopkins. somehow he always manages to tell you just what he's feeling, even though he doesn't speak the words. and to add another layer to that, he's always trying to hide those feelings from the other characters. you just sit there for a minute and think about trying to reveal your emotions to someone without saying anything, but also seem as if you're trying to keep your emotions bottled up. yeah, that's acting.

another possibly promising James Ivory production is underway right now. at one point, Natalie Portman was considering or being considered for a part in it. it's called Le Divorce (2003). she's definitely not going to be in the film at this point, but still i'll keep an eye on the film.