Original interpretation — not a still from the production
A lifetime of impeccable service, and the one conversation he never had.
The Continental Verdict
Essential
Merchant Ivory's finest hour, and the most painful film in the canon. Hopkins's Stevens has organised his entire existence around dignity, which he has confused with silence. The house runs perfectly. The man does not.
It is also the best depiction of how a great English house actually functioned — the below-stairs choreography, the silver polished to a standard nobody upstairs will notice, the politics conducted over port by men who were catastrophically wrong.
Why Watch It
The Gentleman Factor
Every lesson in service and self-command, plus one enormous warning.
Look Out For
- The silver-polishing sequence
- The book Miss Kenton takes from his hands
- The bus stop
The Locations
Dyrham Park, Powderham Castle, Badminton House and Corsham Court.
More from the travel pages →The Cars
A Daimler on wet Devon lanes.
More from motoring →The Wardrobe
Butler's tailcoat and the tweeds of a man borrowing another man's status for an afternoon.
More on style →The Soundtrack
Richard Robbins's restrained, aching score.
Into the music room →Watch Next
Where to Watch
Prime Video; the Sony 4K restoration.
For the Collection
Also in Power & Money
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