Restoration is a 1995 historical drama film directed by Michael Hoffman from a screenplay by Rupert Walters, based on the 1989 novel of the same title by Rose Tremain.

Merivel revels in debauched pleasure and popularity at court until the King arranges for him to wed Celia, a royal mistress who has fallen out of favor.

Merivel is given an estate named Bidnold in Suffolk, and Celia is installed in a house in Kew where the king can secretly visit.

Merivel lives a life of debauchery there, but also finds pleasure in restoring the house to its former beauty with assistance from Will Gates, the estate manager.

Celia suspected the true identity of the "John Pearce" who examined her, and it was confirmed when a nurse came to the palace with Margaret, urgently seeking the whereabouts of Robert Merivel.

Restoration won Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for Eugenio Zanetti and Best Costume Design for James Acheson.

The site's critics consensus reads, "Restoration spins an engaging period yarn out of its bestselling source material, brought to life through the efforts of an eclectic ensemble cast led by Robert Downey Jr."[7] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

[8] Peter Travers, in a favorable review for Rolling Stone, praised the film for its timely AIDS parable and described Ryan as miscast in the role of the troubled Katharine.

[9] In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, "Restoration crams in more research and period detail than it can comfortably digest, but its story is not overwhelmed by such overkill".