4K Ultra HD Review: THE REMAINS OF THE DAY

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Mar 01, 2023 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

“In my philosophy… 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.”

By the 1980s and 1990s, Merchant Ivory Productions had become synonymous with sweeping dramas and an unmistakable film style. One of this partnership’s most well-known and award-nominated costume dramas was the 1993 film The Remains of the Day, which was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The film opens in 1958, with the passing of Lord Darlington (James Fox). He was an upper-class English gentlemen whose reputation had been ruined by his misguided and naïve support for the Germans during the war. None of Darlington’s heirs want to pay for the upkeep of the stately family home, Darlington Hall, and it looks like the building is going to be torn down and sold off literally brick-by-brick. That is, until former U.S. Congressman Jack Lewis (Christopher Reeve) steps in to purchase the manor. Much of the house staff had left over the course of Darlington’s final years, leaving the property woefully understaffed for its new owner. So it is up to longtime, loyal butler Mr. Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) to take care of this. Auspiciously, Stevens has just received a letter from former housekeeper Miss Kenton (now Mrs. Benn), who had left Darlington Hall 20 years earlier to get married. She now finds herself separated, and Stevens sees this as an opportunity to possibly hire her back. As he sets off towards the West Country to reunite with Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson), we flash back to the 1930s to Miss Kenton’s arrival at Darlington Hall, and the beginning of the downfall of Lord Darlington.

Stevens has worked for Lord Darlington for a long time, and takes his job and position very seriously—almost to a fanatical level. He feels an unwavering trust, devotion and loyalty towards his Lord, putting his employer’s needs and wants ahead of everything else—even his own opinions, relationships, and personal emergencies. As Miss Kenton arrives, there is an instant attraction between her and Stevens, though neither ever acknowledges, admits or pursues it. Their conversations often turn into heated arguments, though both ultimately respect and admire one another. Over the decades Stevens has devoted himself to serving Lord Darlington, never questioning his employer, no matter how the odd request—such as having a talk about the birds and the bees with his adult godson (Hugh Grant). He has always looked at Lord Darlington as a moral and upstanding member of the society. But, as the war approaches, and Hitler rises to power, Lord Darlington and several other members of the British elite, pursue a misguided approach to international affairs, and end up tricked into supporting the Nazis. Stevens turns a blind eye to these things, claiming that he is too busy serving his duties to pay attention to the conversations his employer is having, or the people and conferences he is hosting at the manor. However, Miss Kenton and others start to question some of the horrible things that their employer is supporting, and Miss Kenton often calls Stevens out on his blind loyalty and support.

The film explores how the devout Stevens struggles to accepts the truth about his master—for doing so would mean that all of those years of blind loyalty and service were for naught, and that he had effectively wasted the best years of his life for nothing. Stevens always put his job first, missing out on relationships, and putting his employer’s needs above everything else. Being Lord Darlington’s butler was his identity and purpose in life, and if that was all a lie, what does that mean?! This master who he devoted his life to is ultimately destroyed in the end, and accused of betraying his country. As the truth starts to come out about his employer, it is far too late in life for Stevens to think about starting over and finding a new purpose, so he just sinks himself further into his role and tries to ignore the signs and facts.

Anthony Hopkins gives a stellar performance as this man who is looking back on his life without the rose colored glasses and coming to terms with the facts that he was living a lie, and who must now try to pick up the pieces and soldier on. Emma Thompson has excellent chemistry with Hopkins. Their characters are very different people—Miss Kenton is always willing to speak her mind, while Stevens is more of a reserved, by-the-book rule follower, with everything done the proper way. There is this palpable chemistry between these two characters, and you keep hoping that one of them will act upon it.

In addition to the political/war drama at the core, The Remains of the Day also takes time to delve into these characters and their relationships. The film explores the power dynamic between both Stevens and Lord Darlington as well as Stevens and the rest of the house staff. There is a definite chain of command when it comes to running a manor. The film also has many moments of levity thrown in to lighten the mood, whether it’s the banter and playful interactions between Miss Kenton and Stevens, or the awkward attempts by Stevens to approach the subject of the birds and the bees with Cardinal. Even in such as tiny role, it’s easy to see how this pre-Four Weddings Hugh Grant was already on his way to becoming a star. The film also has many other recognizable guest stars—it was great to see Christopher Reeve, but also sad to think about massive potential he had for more dramatic roles like this.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Remains of the Day, Sony has released the film on 4K UHD for the first time, utilizing a previous 4K restoration of the film with a Dolby Vision/HDR grade approved by director James Ivory, as well as a new Dolby Atmos audio track. The film looks great on this 4K release, sporting a clean picture with a pleasant amount of film grain. A noticeable level of detail is captured in faces and in the textures and textiles that adorn the manor. The color palette captures the beauty of this old house and its green surroundings. This is a dialogue-heavy film, and the Dolby Atmos audio track provides clear conversations as well as a nicely-immersive experience—whether it’s the rumble of dogs running in a hunt, the sound of thunder and rain coming from overhead, the ambiance of a busy pub, or the ringing of service bells filling the hall (and your room). The score sounds beautiful, though it felt a little overly-loud at times. Fortunately, this never drowned out any of the dialogue.

While this 4K release doesn’t include any new bonus material, it does port over all of the material from Sony’s previous DVD & Blu-ray releases to the new 4K disc. This includes a fun audio commentary with director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant & star Emma Thompson, over 70 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and filmmakers, 7 deleted scenes with optional director’s commentary, and two trailers.

The release includes a single 4K disc packed in a standard 4K keep case with a glossy carboard slipcover. An insert provides instructions on how to redeem a 4K Movies Anywhere-compatible digital copy of the film.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:14:15)

2160p / Widescreen 2.40:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, Italian Dolby Surround, Korean 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Surround, Spanish (Castilian) Dolby Surround, Spanish (Latin American) 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Arabic, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish

Digital (Limited time offer):

4K digital copy, redeemable via Movies Anywhere or Vudu

Extras:
There is no new bonus material for this release, but all material from Sony’s 2019 Blu-ray have been carried over. Twilight Time had also released this on Blu-ray with an isolated score track, but that is not included here.

Audio Commentary with Director James Ivory, Producer Ismail Merchant, and Actress Emma Thompson (2:14:15)
Originally recorded in 2001, star Emma Thompson, producer Ismail Merchant, and director James Ivory provide a fun and informative commentary throughout the film. They share a lot of behind-the-scenes stories about the production, and make each other laugh.
Love and Loyalty: The Making of The Remains of the Day (28:36)
In this 1993 HBO Making Of special, the cast and filmmakers discuss the premise of the film, the characters, the chemistry between Emma and Anthony, the evolution of the script, the origins of the longstanding Merchant Ivory collaboration, the themes of the film, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, author Kazou Ishiguro, producer Mike Nichols, producer John Calley, and stars Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins & Christopher Reeve. Presented in full frame format.
The Remains of the Day: The Filmmakers Journey (29:52)
In this 2001 feature, the cast and filmmakers discuss the evolution of the production, casting the film, working with the director, the filming locations, the costumes, the score, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with novelist Kazou Ishiguro, director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, producer John Calley, production designer Luciana Arrighi, costume designers Jenny Beavan & John Bright, composer Richard Robbins, and stars Anthony Hopkins (“Stevens”), Emma Thompson (“Miss Kenton”), Christopher Reeve (“Lewis”) & James Fox (“Lord Darlington”). Presented in full frame format.
Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honor: England’s Fatal Flaw (14:51)
In this 2001 feature, the cast and filmmakers discuss the Appeasement era, the misplaced idealism and naïveté of English gentlemen, the rise of Hitler, and how these events play out in the film from the eyes of this blindly loyal butler. Includes clips, archival news footage, and interviews with novelist Kazou Ishiguro, director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and stars Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Christopher Reeve & James Fox . Presented in full frame format.
Deleted Scenes (14:27)
Collection of 7 deleted scenes presented in raw, uncropped Full Frame format—due to this, boom mics are visible in some scenes. In the optional director’s commentary, James ivory talks about each scene and why it was ultimately cut. Play All or select from:
- Photo Opportunity (1:44)
  Stevens talks with Mr. Lewis and poses for a photo before heading out to meet Mrs. Benn.
- Argument (1:20)
  Miss Kenton insists that Mr. Stevens communicate with her via a messenger.
- A Message (2:03)
  Stevens tries to talk to his Lord’s godson about the birds and the bees.
- “Democracy is Finished” (1:43)
  While getting a shave, Lord Darlington explains to Stevens how democracy no longer works.
- A Different Life (1:04)
  Mrs. Benn talks to Mr. Stevens about what might have been, and the different life she might have had.
- On the Pier (4:03)
  Stevens breaks down while talking with a retired butler on the pier.
- Stevens’ Father (3:07)
  Mr. Stevens Sr deals with some unruly drunk Hooray Henrys in his car.
Theatrical Trailer (2:23)
International Theatrical Trailer (2:24)

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

The Remains of the Day is a solid period/costume drama that holds up remarkably well 30 years later, thanks in large part to the stellar performances by the leads, and the beautiful cinematography. Sony’s new 4K release looks and sounds great, and while there’s no new bonus material produced for this release, all of the material from the previous Blu-ray has been ported over to the 4K disc. This is an easy recommendation for fans of the cast, the film, of Merchant Ivory’s classic and iconic style., or of period dramas in general.