Seen: May 13th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 7
I like period films. I like Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. But there's something here that really strikes me. It's something that's hidden right in front of us. It's always present, but we try to ignore it, try to brush it off. And by us I mean Americans.
Britain is a foreign country.
And by foreign I mean alien in character. The world that these characters inhabit is not an ancient one. The film takes place in the thirties and I have no problem imagining it set in modern times. Yet there is an attitude, a demeanor that I, as an American, cannot truly fathom.
I like to believe that I am a conscientious person. I believe that I have a good work ethic, that I am generally honorable and steadfast. I can hold no candle to Mr. Stevens.
His sense of his place in the world is as solid and immovable as bedrock. His pride in his Service is quiet and internal, though he holds it very dear and judges others in Service against his own ideals. His Service is his foundation, it is his core and everything he believes and does stems from it.
I admire this a great deal.
But ultimately it is this devotion to this ideal that will undo him. We're shown quite plainly that death after a life of Service may be dignified, but is hardly fulfilling. We're shown also the man who steps outside of Service, and what befalls him as well.
Through Stevens, we wonder what would have been if had stepped out of his place, if he had done things less according to the letter and more according to the heart or conscience that he so rarely dusts off and uses. This aspect strikes me as very American, the idea of stepping out of your place and telling the Truth instead of living inside the lie. Britain too has had periods of stark internal rebellion in this fashion.
This dichotomy drives the film. It tries to take no stance, to be objective and generally does well in that regard. I'll say that it fails in some respects, but that would have to be my interpretation. Someone whose values differ might fall on the other side of the line.
The film itself is paced very slowly. The pace is that of the household and Stevens' life. It moves from moment to moment deliberately, like the staff moving room to room in their duties.
Hopkins is at his understated best here. His nuance of performance is excellent. I love Emma Thompson's work and she's wonderful here, repressed, dedicated, fearful and quietly frustrated.
The technical aspects of the film are transparent. While there are some interesting moves and angles they serve the story and are very unobtrusive.
See this film if you appreciate quiet drama and internal struggle. See it if you're thinking of making a change in your own life.
The Good: Performances and Pace
The Bad: A lifetime of denial
The Ugly: Working yourself to Death
