The Remains of the Day, a period film

Director James Ivory and screenwriter Ruth Prawer have created an exquisite and moving period drama in this adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel.

Anthony Hopkins gives the best performance of his career as the stuffy butler Stevens, devoted to service but silently longing for the life beyond his reach.

Emma Thompson is his perfect match as the free-spirited housekeeper who reveals repressed depths.

With fleeting gestures and flashes, Ivory masterfully unpacks the lonely regrets and lingering romance of these characters.

He gives the interwar English mansion as much presence as the people who walk its corridors.

Cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts bathes the mansion in a melancholy golden glow to match the characters' nostalgia for roads not taken.

Though the plot moves at a tailored pace, Ivory ensures that not a single line or scene is superfluous in unearthing profound wisdom about duty versus desire, missed connections and the slippery nature of history.

What Remains of the Day will stand the test of time for its elegant storytelling and poignant dissection of hidden lives. A sublime achievement from the great British Zen creative masters. Ivory, Hopkins and their team can be deservedly proud.

In 1993, The Remains of the Day was critically acclaimed and received numerous awards:

8 Oscar nominations, winning Best Adapted Screenplay. A well-deserved tribute to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's exquisite translation of Ishiguro's moving story to the screen.

2 Golden Globes for best dramatic film and best actor for Anthony Hopkins. The masterful performances were justly noted.

The National Board of Review also named it best film and Hopkins best actor of the year. It was a big hit at the major US industry awards.

Commercially, this witty period drama found a sizeable arthouse audience, grossing $21 million worldwide on a budget of $12 million.