Ishiguro praises the new generation of British actors

His last novel to be made into a movie swept the boards and led to Oscar nominations for Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.

Now, 17 years after The Remains Of The Day, it is hoped the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go will do the same for a "new generation" of British acting talent.

Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield star in the screen adaptation of the author's novel which was today announced as the opener for this year's London Film Festival.

Ishiguro told the Standard he was "astonished" by the finished product which he described as a "very English and very beautiful film". He said: "The performances are quite remarkable. It is a real showcase for this younger generation of actors. Their style is so different from older British actors like Dame Judi Dench for example. It's hard to pinpoint. It's not American, it is a British screen style of acting and it is fascinating to watch."

The author said he was surprised at how faithful the film is to the book. Set in a dystopian society where humans are cloned for their organs, the 2005 Booker Prize-shortlisted novel tells of a love triangle between friends who meet at a sinister boarding school.

Knightley and Mulligan, both previously Oscar nominees, will walk the red carpet for the European premiere of the movie — a co-production between Film4, DNA Films and Fox Searchlight — on October 13.