When compiling a list of great novelists, it would be impossible not to include Leo Tolstoy. His best known works, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are literary masterpieces. But even so, he’s not the first name that comes to mind as the subject matter for a feature film. At least not to this mind.
This is what makes The Last Station such a pleasant surprise. An engaging, intriguing look at the final year of the Russian writer’s life and his long loving, but often strained relationship with his wife of almost a half century, the film works on multiple levels to present his life, his philosophy, his thoughts and his spirit. It also offers some unique insights into that age-old subject -- love and marriage.
In some ways, Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) and his wife Sofya (Helen Mirren) were the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of their day. His literary fame and noble heritage (he was the fourth of five children of Countess Mariya Tolstaya, and his wife is referred to as Countess) make him a constant source of fascination. The local press and photographers are always camped out at the front of his estate looking for the latest scoop on the couple. And the Tolstoys do not disappoint. The marriage is being pushed to the breaking point by the couple’s radically different ideological views.
In a quest for spiritual enlightenment, Tolstoy has renounced his nobility and property in favor of a simple life that espouses poverty and purity. To his small band of followers, he is considered the second coming of Christ. And his right-hand man Chertkov (Paul Giamatti) is all too willing to exploit this image to further the cause.
Much to Sofya’s horror, the key component in Chertkov’s plan is to have Tolstoy leave the copyrights to his work to the people of Russia rather than his family. She fights with everything at her disposal to stop this. The more she struggles, the further her husband, driven by his newfound beliefs, drifts away from her.
This conflict unfolds through the eyes of new disciple Valentin (James McAvoy). Hired as Tolstoy’s assistant, he is immediately thrust into the thick of things. A true believer, Valentin is pressed into spying on Sofya for Chertkov. But as he gets to know the man he idolizes -- and the woman so devoted to him that she hand copied War and Peace six times during its inception, Valentin can’t help but wonder how valid the Tolstoyan beliefs are if they ignore the basic tenets of love. Further complicating his views are his growing feelings for Masha (Kerry Condon), a beautiful young follower he meets at the commune who persuades him to forgo the movement’s teaching of celibacy.
Written and directed by Michael Hoffman, who adapted the screenplay from the novel by Jay Parini, The Last Station is a fascinating portrayal. It is full of laughs, full of life, full of love and full of intrigue. But what makes it a film to remember are the vivid performances by its two leads -- Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren.
In his fifty-plus year career, it’s hard to remember Plummer ever being better. You feel Tolstoy’s zest for life every moment he is on the screen. Though the character is in his final days, he is still full of passion and energy. But he is also a man of many contrasts. As much as Tolstoy rejects the trappings that brought him fame and fortune in favor of his ideology, he is also ill at ease with both being perceived as a godlike figure and with the rigid parameters of his so-called religion.
As good as Plummer is, he is matched stride for stride by Mirren. As Sofya, her nuanced performance is filled with humor and pathos. Vilified by Chertkov, terrified by the distance forming between her and the man for whom she bore 13 children, yet still very much in love with him, Sofya often finds herself the outcast. She is also not above drama queen outbursts in her quest to gain control, a trait that often hurts her cause more than helps it. At times, she is outrageously funny. At times, she is tragically touching. But her advantage is that she knows her husband better than anyone. And she knows all too well his human failings.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The duo is aptly supported by James McAvoy as Valentin, who brings just the right amount of wide-eyed enthusiasm and naiveté to his role. It is through his growth that we come to see the validity of both Tolstoy’s and Sofya’s feelings. Kerry Condon makes a strong impression as Valentin’s seducer Masha, while Paul Giamatti as Chertkov comes off as more of a comical character than a real threat -- that is, until he succeeds in swaying Tolstoy his way. This is when we truly realize his scheme’s full intent.
But by far, the best scenes in the film are those between Plummer and Mirren. For all the ideas it offers up, The Last Station is essentially a film about relationships. And it’s hard to think of another film that conveys so well the highs and lows of a marriage that has stood the test of time.
The Last Station will open this Friday for one week in New York and Los Angeles for Oscar consideration before its nationwide release in January.
Paul Giamatti as Chertkov and James McAvoy as Valentin
