THE HIDDEN: THE REMAINS OF THE DAY
When it comes to love stories, it often seems as there are two kinds of fans. One likes stories of love acted out, whether through "romance" (I put that in quotes because I don't really know what that means), or through full passion. The other likes unrequited love stories, or stories of hidden or repressed love. Each can be powerful in its own way, and one of the better examples of the latter is James Ivory's THE REMAINS OF THE DAY.
Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, upon which the movie is based, tells the story of a butler in 1930's England, and you got the feeling throughout that you were right there, so meticulous was his creation of the atmosphere. However, he didn't neglect the story, and one of the dangers one comes to expect from movies by Ivory, Ishmail Merchant (producer) and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (writer) is they're more concerned with the trappings than with the story. Happily, that's not the case here.
We open on 1950's England, as Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) is the butler of what was formerly Darlington Hall, now run by Lewis (Christopher Reeve), a former American congressman. Though Stevens is doing his best, he feels he's a bit shorthanded, and therefore is relieved to get a letter from Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson), his former housekeeper, asking for a meeting. Deciding to take a few days off, he sets out on a drive to meet Miss Kenton. During this trip, he recalls his time in the 30's when he was head butler at Darlington Hall when Lord Darlington (James Fox) himself was living there.
As the butler, Stevens prided himself on providing the utmost service to his employer, and of being servant to a man of utmost character. He uses an example his father (Peter Vaughan) gives him of perfect service; a butler acting with perfect decorum even when a tiger happens into a room. While Stevens may suffer the occasional embarrassment in serving Darlington - as when he awkwardly tries to explain the facts of life to Darlington's godson Cardinal (Hugh Grant) when it's likely Cardinal knows more than Stevens does - he is more than happy to provide perfect service. This perfect service blinds him to two realities around him, however. One is that his employer may not only be an appeaser of the Nazis but also a collaborator with them (as when Darlington tells Stevens to dismiss two Jewish employees). The other is that Miss Kenton, though frustrated and amused by him at first, is silently in love with him. So when she's writing him, does she want to come back just to work, or for something else?
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