Lists
- ranked 64 in BFI 100
- ranked 767 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (August 2005)
- ranked 850 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (March 2006)
- ranked 904 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (December 2006)
- one of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions Nominees
- one of The New York Times Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made
It's a common lament in the modern era that right-wing populists have politically captured many low- and working-class people, despite actively working against their best interests by opposing universal healthcare, universal education and anything else which might serve to reduce inequality.
James Ivory's The Remains of the Day, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, takes us back to a different era but a similar lie: that it is noble to live in service of one's social betters, whose character as well as means set them above the lower classes.
It's a measured character study of Stevens (Anthony Hopkins), butler to the distinguished Lord Darlington (James Fox), who comes to face that his master is both a fascist sympathiser and key supporter of Nazi appeasement. It's a wonderful script, unfolding with a bitter inevitability, and performances are excellent.