The film discusses a lot of things: lost love, the "dignity" that the footman takes as a standard, the solidification of human nature, politics. What is enviable is that these things blend together without any gaps, such as flesh and blood intertwined and fused together.
Stevenson is pitiful, dedicating himself to his master as his life-long creed makes him miss too many of the most precious things in life.
The most superficial loss is the lost love. The film tells this feeling with very beautiful shots and dialogues. Miss Kenton carefully picked the flowers that were sent to Stevenson's room, what a low-key and beautiful tenderness; and when Stevenson was chatting with Ben, the phrase "I will be lost without her" was even more heart-wrenching. —although he immediately explained that Darlington Manor could not be without Miss Kenton, and tried to dispel all ambiguity in praising her professional skills.
The scene where Kenton insists on knowing the book Stevenson is reading is a twist. Kenton asked, he refused, Kenton reached for it, he got up to dodge, and finally the woman pushed Stevenson against the wall, she had the courage to break his fingers one by one because she felt There was some kind of proof that he probably loved her.
Kenton's eyes overflowed with tenderness and joy - it was not a pornographic novel, but a touching love story. She looked at him, expecting him to say something or hold her hand, but Stevenson was calm, his struggle was hidden in the dark gray pupils, and he said, now you can go Is it there, Miss Kenton?
Kenton's heart was collapsing, stones fell with sand, and she fled.
Her love is lost, no doubt about it.
Then Kenton goes to Ben—with a little bit of an attempt to provoke a crush. But who would have thought, Ben proposed to her.
Kenton's going on a date failed to irritate Stevenson every time, at least on the surface. She became more and more unwilling, and finally she made a desperate attempt to tell him about the proposal, and Stevenson's gray eyes hesitated for a moment, and he said calmly, oh, congratulations.
What she didn't know was that the red wine he brought to the master in the wine cellar was dropped by him absentmindedly, and he scolded someone angrily.
At that moment, Stevenson's honest heart showed a corner, but almost immediately, he properly covered it again.
Dignity and solidification of humanity can be said together. Stevenson has always valued "dignity," or the professional dignity of the chief footman. Be proud of your profession, respect, maintain, and obey your master unconditionally, and refrain from talking about sensitive topics, especially politics, that your master and his guests talk about.
The more excellent the servant, the more like a pair of transparent hands, making everything look natural and orderly.
His sense of dignity comes from his father. The old man came to Darlington as his son's deputy by virtue of his son's decency and the professionalism of his own youth. It can be seen that he loves the job and is proud of it, but he is really too old.
There are sons to remedy the small mistakes before, but there is no foolproof. After tripping over a stone at the door with refreshments and falling, the father was finally persuaded to take a more relaxed job. But before that, he's defending over and over again, and we can still follow Stevenson's gaze to see him sneaking back and forth to practice where he tripped, and I think the audience can think of their own father. , Old but dissatisfied with the old father, let our eyes moist.
The guests of the Duke's banquet, Stevenson was too busy to touch the ground, and the old man had been sick in bed before. The father and son met that morning and said some insignificant things, but just when Stevenson was at his busiest, the news came that his father was not good, Stevenson tensed his body tightly, and let himself concentrate on the scene in front of him. In the end, he finally failed to see his father for the last time.
But he was very sure that his father understood him to do it, and it was the dignity of the valet that they both cherished. Dignity again.
The banquet is still lively, and in that atmosphere, you will feel how bland and inconspicuous that people's lives come and go.
Stevenson lost some of his human activity. Dignity and etiquette make human beings elegant, peaceful and noble, but excessive "ceremony" makes people wither.
Love will ruin the careers of the servants and servants, that's good, then the buds of love will be ruthlessly cut off; the servants must obey the instructions of the master, then the master will expel the Jewish maid who has taken refuge, regardless of his inner voice; servants can't talk about sensitive politics, then don’t think about anything, right or wrong, black and white, it doesn’t matter.
Mr. Stevenson, his business prowess is respectable, but as a human being, I deplore his strangled humanity.
On the third side, politics is implicit in the plot, and as a background, there is a lot of chill.
You can see a little bit from a lot of details, but people who don't know this history may be a little confused or even bored in some places. But fortunately, the main plot is very clear, and people who watch emotions will not be disappointed.
After World War I, before World War II. As a victorious country in Britain, some people in the upper class were spontaneously proud and self-confident, completely ignoring the huge amount of energy consumed by the Empire in the war. And Lord Darlington was one of them. The Germans asked him to run for the international treatment of their country, and he, as a generous gentleman in England, readily agreed.
Darlington Manor has repeatedly entertained important guests, the hypocrites who started World War II. In Stevenson's last memory, the gate of the manor was crumbling, and the master was lying on the sofa with a blanket on, looking very desolate.
Darlington was no longer as lively and glorious as it used to be, until finally, the master died and the manor changed hands. American politicians bought the manor, and Stevenson also slowly grew old in his memory. At the end of the film, Miss Kenton still failed to divorce Ben, and he returned to the manor with the same melancholy eyes as when he was young.
In the end, a pigeon flew into the house, he and the American master let it fly, he looked at the pigeons flying higher and higher outside the window, I think he would also feel that this life is too worthless, without self, Empty is a polite empty shell, and the dove symbolizes his finally awakened heart. I wish him his old age: it is himself.
View more about The Remains of the Day reviews
