MovieChat Forums > The Remains of the Day (1993) Discussion > Mr. and Mrs. Benn

Mr. and Mrs. Benn

posted 17 years ago by darkeyez
14 replies | jump to latest

I just watched this movie for the first time. Maybe I missed something, but... in the scene near the end of the movie, it showed Mr. Benn visiting Mrs. Benn at a boarding house where it appeared she was living alone... without him. I got the impression that they were divorced. Mr. Benn mentioned that the boarding house was very nice and similar to the one they had dreamed about having together someday. He's the one who informed HER that their daughter, Katherine, was pregnant and that Katherine wanted them to come over on Sunday for tea. Mr. Benn offered to drop by the house to pick Mrs. Benn up so they could take the bus together to visit their daughter. Mrs. Benn mentioned that Mr. Benn had cut himself shaving. They seemed comfortable with each other like two people would who had once been married for so long and knew each other's habits, but Mrs. Benn just seemed resigned.

So why didn't Mrs. Benn tell Mr. Stevens the truth when he came to visit her? Did she not want to admit to him her own failure at love? I think she didn't want to admit to him her own mistake. She married Mr. Benn because her own love for Mr. Stevens was not returned. She practically admitted that to him as they walked on the pier. When they were in the restaurant toghether, it was as if they were both pretending... Mr. Stevens on the premise that he wanted her to come back to Darlington as the housekeeper... it was as close as he could get to telling her that he wanted her back in his life. She gently refused by telling him that her life was with Mr. Benn, her daughter, and her coming grandchild. I think she wanted with all her heart to say YES, but she knew Stevens wouldn't/couldn't give her what she needed. What she has now was better than nothing and would certainly be better than the unrequited love from Stevens.

To me the most gut-wrenching scene was watching her cry in the doorway of the bus as it rolled away and Stevens standing in the rain watching her leave. They couldn't/wouldn't say what either needed to say, but the yearning and sorrowful looks on their faces said it all.

[–] kkyxrabbit 17 years ago

I think you may have missed Mrs. Benn's narration of her letter to Mr. Stevens that plays during the opening credits. It answers most of your questions.

[–] darkeyez 17 years ago

You're right, I did miss it. I missed the first 15 minutes of the movie. So.. fill me in, please.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] tohu 16 years ago

so technically he had the choice of trying to reconnect with her. I mean a butler with his experience could have gotten a job near her.

Yes. Or, even if he didn't want to do that, he could still have declared his love for her there and then and begged her to come back with him, assured her that she would be able to see her daughter and grandchild whenever she wanted, ec. But - true to form - he didn't. He just accepted the first reason she gave and that was it. It was too late for both of them. It always was too late.
_____________

"Maybe I should go alone"
- Quint, Jaws.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] bagelbacherjerome 16 years ago

I agree with you until you get to your last word. When you've lost your job
and your unemployment insurance is running out, love gets trumped by career.

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] geesuz 15 years ago

- bagelbacherjerome - you have missed the point entirely.

[–] chattan258 15 years ago

I agree with you - it was always too late for them.
Taking into account Stevens' character, there was no chance that he'd just declare his love for Miss Kenton. All he hoped was to get her back as a housekeeper, and then, who knew.
But I guess even then he wouldn't have done anything. Working with her during all those years was as close a personal relationship as he could get and he felt comfortable with it - until she wanted more and he didn't know how to handle this.
As Emma Thompson says on the DVD commentary: When you watch them at their cocoa-evenings it's like watching an old couple. That's why he suddenly wants to cancel these meetings when Miss Kenton once says she's too tired: because here the professional and the emotional is deeply intertwined and he feels rejected by her on a personal level.

[–] mmitsos-1 15 years ago

Yes, the commentary by Emma Thompson, as well as Merchant and Ivory, is absolutely wonderful. I just LOVE Emma Thompson...she's very insightful, and I adore her. I wish she were on the commentary of Dead Again...it's just Kenneth Branagh and maybe the producer...I haven't heard the commentary on that one yet...just the film.

Emma's great in commentary on Sense and Sensibility as well.

[–] Anamon 15 years ago

That was to me the most powerful scene of the film. After his world collapsed, Miss Kenton was the only hope he had left. He spent his holidays visiting her, hoping he could get her to return. In the end, he accepts that she has achieved what he failed at, having a personal life, even if not a terribly successful one. It is one of the few moments of film that bring tears to my eyes: Stevens and Kenton standing in the rain and him, in his most sincere way, telling her to enjoy the rest of her life, to find happiness where he never could.

Although he was never able to express his feelings for her, in this final moment he did the sweetest and most selfless thing he could. One of the most powerful emotional scenes ever put on film, I believe that people will still watch it and talk about it a hundred years from now.

Somewhat off-topic, but I just wanted to have said it.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] acjentsch-1 15 years ago

I am positive Mrs. Kenton was sure about going back to Darlington Hall if only her husband had not told her becoming a grandmother.

Great acting by Hopkins and Thompson

Truly heartbreaking (and i am a guy:))

Have a good day all

Dee