The Last Station

23/02/2010

Alison Emm went to see The Last Station at Broadway Cinema

Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren as Count and Countess Tolstoy in The Last Station

Leo Tolstoy is one of the behemoths of the literary world and is now the central subject of the film, The Last Station. Don’t be scared off by the War and Peace connection, this biopic of the Russian writer’s latter years is far more accessible a piece. A subtle, albeit brief, glimpse at the final years of a master and the struggles he encountered between his followers and his family.

There Tolstoyans were a movement founded at the turn of the 20^th century by Chertkov, a close confident of Tolstoy. As followers of the religious and philosophical beliefs of Leo Tolstoy they, among other things, believed in love, pacifism and vegetarianism. The film starts with Valentin Bulgakov (McAvoy) being hired as a secretary for Tolstoy (Plummer) by Chertkov (Giamatti). His new job, it appears as he is instructed to write down everything that he hears in the Tolstoy household, is not only as a secretary to the elderly Tolstoy but also as a spy for Chertkov. This sets the theme of the film from the offset; the conflict that is escalating between Chertkov and Sofya (Mirren), Tolstoy’s wife.

Valentin is in absolute awe of being in the presence of his hero and can’t believe his luck in being offered the position of secretary. A hesitant and inexperienced yet eager young man, he has a nervous habit of sneezing that acts as a humorous aside throughout the film. Thrown in at the deep end, he witnesses the bitter, angry feelings that Sofya feels towards Chertkov, who she sees as not only a threat to hers and her children’s inheritance but also as a rival for her husband’s affections and rapidly diminishing time. Chertkov’s intentions are for Tolstoy to bequeath the copyright of his works to the Russian people whereas his wife wants them to remain in the family.

James McAvoy and Paul Giamatti as Valentin and Chertkov in The Last Station

Plummer and Mirren are excellent as the aged couple and you get a real feel for the volatile relationship that they have. It seems that the couple have long had a fiery and passionate marriage that swings from love to hate on a regular basis, yet you can sympathise with Sofya’s maddened state in the film. Imagine how you’d feel if your other half had a handful of assistants who were constantly present and all the while writing down every word you and he were saying. Put that alongside her daughter, Sasha (Duff) conspiring against her with Chertkov and yeah, I’d be ripping notepads from hands too. A devoted wife, having borne thirteen children for Tolstoy and having read and aided with the writing of the arduous War and Peace, she has a right to feel bitter and a touch paranoid. It’s not all angst though, one of the most beautiful and funny scenes between them is when they are at play in bed - their aggression is replaced by laughter and a shared intimacy.

Starring a largely British cast that includes James McAvoy, Helen Mirren, Anne-Marie Duff and Christopher Plummer, The Last Station manages a rare thing; to be full of talent but no-one is overshadowed or overplayed. Mirren is excellent as the passionate, and often petulant, wife of Tolstoy whilst Plummer is excels equally as a man who has lived his life to the full and is at a loss at to what the best course of action should be for his legacy. McAvoy carries off his role as the star struck, and love struck, Valentin with his usual ease whilst Giamatti once again plays a role which seems almost handcrafted for his abilities.

The Last Station is, at times, a very slow paced film yet the performances and beautiful scenery make it more than watchable. If you know nothing of Tolstoy then this film may pique your interest and, equally, if you are a fan it will definitely appeal.

The Last Station official website

The Last Station will be showing at Broadway until Thursday 4 March