Remains of the Day

This book was suprisingly interesting and easy-to-read. It did not translate to the screen well. It is obvious Emma Thompson loves Anthony Hopkins, and that he does not know what to do with this. It is not as obvious that Mr Stevens is now struggling with his dedication to his long-time "lord". This becomes a gradual realization in the book, with Stevens initially defending Lord Darlington vehemently. In the final pages, he admits something to the effect of "I was wrong to believe in him, but it is water under the bridge."

The movie follows the plot of the book pretty closely, but the reserved emotions of Mr Stevens just do not seem to shine through. It was nice to see Miss Kenton actually on a date (added to the movie), and the trapped bird at the end of the movie must represent something... (maybe Stevens finally freeing himself of the demons of the past?)

Overall, I did not enjoy the movie. But I wonder if such a boring storyline could have been translated to the screen any better.