THE REMAINS OF THE DAY

Peter Josyph via ZOOM

Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro won the Booker Prize for fiction in 1989 for this story of a butler, Stevens, whose pride in his work and loyalty to his employer, Lord Darlington, blind him to the consequences of Darlington’s German sympathies prior to WWII, and stifle his relations with a housekeeper, Miss Kenton, who has the potential to become the love of Stevens’ life. James Ivory’s 1993 film adaptation, written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala with assistance from Harold Pinter, won 15 awards and 8 Oscar nominations. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, James Fox, Cristopher Reeve, and Hugh Grant, the film, like the novel, is one of the most highly regarded in UK history. In the first session we will discuss the novel, its relation to Ishiguro’s first novel, Artist of the Floating World, which is set in Japan with a similar theme and story, and the challenges involved in adapting a great novel for the screen. The second session will be a lively discussion of the film, which is available on DVD and for streaming through Amazon Prime on your own during the week between the two classes.

 [A Zoom link will be sent to you prior to each session, typically on the day before your class and the morning of your class.  If you have any questions or need help getting online, feel free to call us at 516-480-5733 and we’ll get right back to you with assistance.]