A barrel of laughs
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Remains of the Day
evst-1 — 16 years ago(November 08, 2009 04:41 PM)
So, my sister and I just re-watched this movie together for the first time in a while. We both have memories of taking this movie seriously and liking it. But not five minutes into the movie, we started cracking up. Is Mr. Stevens supposed to be a likeable, admirable character? He is a JOKE. And speaking of jokes, Steven Sr. provided more than a couple! Why do these 2 have such an absurd devotion to "service," i.e. a$$-kissing (Nazis at that)? Maybe we're just extraordinarily mean-spirited, but we were giggling like fools at all the best and funniest parts, like Stevens Sr. "me mops, me brooms," and when he was seen practicing his tray service delivery post-fall.
Other funny stuff includes: the CHINAMAN banter, Stevens Jr. telling a brokenhearted, crying Emma Thompson that something or other needs dusting STAT, and just motoring around the countryside, in general.
PROPS to Christopher Reeve, he set everybody straight. Otherwise the roster of characters was full of a bunch of losers! -
The_White_Hotel — 16 years ago(November 11, 2009 09:50 AM)
"Is Mr. Stevens supposed to be a likeable, admirable character?"
Err, no. That's kind of the entire point of the film. Stevens is a sad and mistaken man who devotes his life to service and his morally questionable master at the expense of his personal happiness. He is certainly not meant to be an admirable character and his likability comes more from condescension and sympathy towards his haplessness than from his positive qualities.
"Why do these 2 have such an absurd devotion to "service," i.e. a$$-kissing (Nazis at that)?"
Because the film is about the British class system, which encouraged people to "know their place" and revere their supposed superiors. Stevens believes his master is of superior moral fibre and therefore knows better than him what is right and wrong so Stevens is always willing to defer to him. Part of Stevens' delusion and tragedy is that he cannot see that Lord Darlington is a man out of time and out of his depth, continually trying to play gentleman's diplomacy with the aggressive and expansionist Germany of Hitler and the Nazi party. If Stevens was a better man he would not have colluded (in whatever minor way he did) with Lord Darlington's policies, but because of the crushing oppression of the aforementioned class system he is devoted to the idea that master knows best. This movie is in part about how people allow the rules of their society to affect and influence their personal lives, even when those societal rules are outdated and politically dubious.
"Maybe we're just extraordinarily mean-spirited, but we were giggling like fools at all the best and funniest parts, like Stevens Sr. "me mops, me brooms," and when he was seen practicing his tray service delivery post-fall."
You're not mean spirited, but my appraisal is that you're slightly dense given that these moments are intentional jokes and the film is set up for you to laugh at them. One of the great things about this film is that it starts off as a comedy of manners and slowly develops into something much more substantial.
"Reality is the new fiction they say, truth is truer these days, truth is man-made" -
choatelodge — 16 years ago(November 25, 2009 08:20 AM)
Sounds like you and your sister really are capable of deeper appreciation of plots, story lines and characters in a period drama, but in each others company you readily devolve into the more shallow and puerile disassociated mockery you both enjoyed as children.
You no longer identify with the characters but laugh at them from the lofty position of isolated outsiders.
It's not unique behavior by any means. Just consider, the movie that each of you remember as serious and good, didn't change at all! -
Gothbag — 9 years ago(September 17, 2016 09:30 AM)
Sounds like you and your sister really are capable of deeper appreciation of plots, story lines and characters in a period drama, but in each others company you readily devolve into the more shallow and puerile disassociated mockery you both enjoyed as children.
You no longer identify with the characters but laugh at them from the lofty position of isolated outsiders.
Yeah, I don't understand how OP could want to make such a fool of himself. -
richardr-1 — 16 years ago(December 27, 2009 05:00 PM)
This film is not at all hard to understand and if you have to ask, well, you may be surprised to know that you just aren't very bright. It is a tragedy set in a time which, judging from your immature post, you know nothing about. You must be about 13 years old I judge. Although these days, people are so ignorant, you may be 35.
-
szisoman — 16 years ago(January 05, 2010 04:03 PM)
I read your post & the whole joke as i see it is you.
You failed to understand what films are about. Throwing in "likeable & admirable character" cannot but reveal your ignorance.
For your info, not all characters have to be liked or admired, you might have heard of anti-hero character.
I'm guessing you're american, because some of the remarks are awfully ignorant, the film is about an english butler who is very dedicated, as they used to be in those days (its set in the late 30's) especially when in the service of a lord, who took his job with more dedication believing it was his duty to suppress his own emotions & personal life for that of serving his master, so you're in a way to sympathise with him, not admire him or like him, & maybe learn something from his own suffering.
As for the silly remark of me mops, me brooms, its an english accent if you hadn't noticed, but i suspect you could ever do.
Now, the only thing i didn't like in the film is christopher reeve. why? because its the late 30's, pre WW2 & we see a yank who is wise & long sighted to see the dangers of appeasing the germans & more, he lectures european politicians & calls them amateurs! well well, if i recall, none of the americans had that wisdom back at the time, & when america was enjoying its isolationism & refusing to take part in the war when it first started, i think its insulting to depict an american telling european they were amateurs, when its a known fact it was the americans who were amateurs.Other than that, the film is excellent & well acted by everyone. so in conclusion, i think the only loser is you.
" I am talking about..ethics " -
covenant12 — 16 years ago(February 08, 2010 02:08 PM)
"I'm guessing you're american"
The same tired (and lazy) reproach used in almost every argument at some point, regardless of the context, here on IMDb. Somebody doesn't like something, doesn't understand something, has a different opinion than you, then they must be American, because Americans have few if any positive attributes. Amirite?
Keep wearing it out.
You saw Dingleberries? -
NovaIncognito — 12 years ago(May 23, 2013 04:57 AM)
Actually, you are the ingnorant one. Upon second viewings, I still cried at some of the sadder parts, but I also did get a little bit of a laugh at the way he was (and I believe it was on purpose, and your intellect or rather, lack of doesn't comprehend this) repeating what Mr. Stevens was telling him "I got me mops and me brooms." He also went on to say something like "If I find any dust, I'll give them a good going over with me mop here." It was rather humorous on second or multiple viewings (as you can see, I am a fan of the movie, having watched it countless times), so you not having a sense of humor is your problem.
Also, you are clearly British and ignorant in your understanding of history. Lord Darlington is based upon quite a few of the upper class in Britain at the time, specificaly Lord Halifax and Neville Chamberline and their appeasement policy towards Nazi Germany. The only silly part is the fact that this movie actually tries to make excuses for these ignorant AMATEUR appeasers, and that they did it out of their own ignorance and good intentions, but that is exactly what Christopher Reeve's character was saying in the film, that they were amateurs who were living in the past. He even said "do you realize the place the world is becoming around you? The day you could act out of your noble instincts is over" and he was correct. And perhaps that is what people like Halifax and Chamberline were trying to do, if we want to make excuses for them rather than call them traiterous dogs that helped assist hitler'sGgermany and are therefore indirectly responsible for the death of millions of people, many of them British. So, I suggest you learn a little bit more about your history before you start attacking not only one of the better parts of this movie and one of the more historically accurate parts of it, but one that tried to be understanding about the British appeasement policy towards hitler's Germany.
And calling the Americans amateurs, well, that is based on nothing, and the fact that the United States didn't have to get involved in the European side of WWII (remember, this was a world war, not a european war) but did anyway, saving countless European lives, many of them British, makes your comments about "the Americans" very immature and just demonstrates more of that ignorance.
The entire fact that you were actually calling someone else ignorant is a joke!!
Sorry, no animals in the discussion hall. You have to dismount your high horse to participate.