This excellent film is probably best described as subtle elegance. Framed in the present, the movie deals with the lives inside an English country home just prior to World War II. Reunited with the filmmakers from Howards End are Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton, the head housekeeper, and Anthony Hopkins as Stevens, the impeccable butler.
The bittersweet story centers on Stevens and his dedication to his master, Lord Darlington (a suitably officious and slyly pompous James Fox). Stevens summarizes: “I don’t believe a man can consider himself fully content until he has done all he can to be of service to his employer.”
Enveloping Stevens’s world are the pending war with Germany, Darlington’s horribly misguided interests in said war, and, most effectively, his relationship with Miss Kenton. Stevens is the very essence of repression, but as played by Hopkins he is neither piteous nor self-righteous.
Like his master, Stevens becomes misguided in his loyalties, although his is an emotional deprivation, possibly condemning him to lifelong regret. There’s so much going on in this film, and yet the action is skillfully depicted through
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(out of 129 reviews)
List Price: $ 14.94
Price: $ 6.87
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 02/26/2008 Run time: 134 minutes Rating: Pg
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