Michael Hoffman extracts the maximum benefit from a brief period of Leo Tolstoy’s last days in this comfortable and endearing drama
The high point of Michael Hoffman’s engaging period film “Last Station” is the wonderful Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nominated performances by Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren. In playing immortal author Leo Tolstoy Plummer has much bigger shoes to fill than in his previous role of Dr. Parnassus in Terry Gilliam’s “Imaginarium” romp. Indeed, fill them he does in the blustery, cantankerous witticisms of the genius storyteller in the last several months of his life.
Helen Mirren’s role is even better. She gets to play the role of the dutiful wife Sofya Tolstoy combined with the suicide-prone hysterical performance of ex-wife Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” After fifty years of devoted marriage and the bearing of an unbelievable thirteen children to the legendary writer Tolstoy is seriously considering granting all of the royalties from his books to “the people” of Russia. She is even better in this film than in her three previous Oscar nominated performances including her Oscar winner in “The Queen.”
This idea is promoted by trusted Tolstoy counselor and confidante Vladimir Chertkov played fabulously by Paul Giamatti. Chertkov is a fanatic disciple of Tolstoy’s new self-founded religion christened “Tolstoyism.” Its followers are a radically socialist society of communes, free sex and unencumbered smelling of the roses. The encumbrances the followers free themselves of include money. Thus the idea of Tolstoy giving all his money away is formed.
Sofya objects passionately to the point of attempting half-hearted suicide while those around her dither in their inability to understand half of what the great writer is saying. The story is rife with hilarious irony as Tolstoy finds himself incapable of describing his feelings to the person who loves him the most. An example of the great lines in this film echoes the feelings of mystified husbands everywhere, “You don’t need a husband, you need a Greek chorus!”
The female members of his following seem as interested in exploring unfettered sex as they do ensuring the sanctity of great literature. As Tolstoy’s followers hang on his every word and scribble every priceless syllable onto notepads as if scrambling after pennies from heaven Sophia screams, “Stop writing!” But it is to no avail. The notes are taken as the deck chairs are rearranged on the Titanic.
Into the middle of this parachutes James McAvoy as Valentin Bulgakov, recently hired by Chertkov to be Tolstoy’s chief secretary and personal assistant. McAvoy is nothing if not a perfect casting choice for the role considering his sterling performance in the hard-bitten dramatic thriller “The Last King of Scotland.” In that film he was hired from afar to be the personal physician to one of the greatest lunatics of the 20th century, Idi Amin. His performance in this film is even better. He has much more to think about and much more interesting people to think about it with. Besides, this film is genuinely warm and funny and “The Last King” is like watching Hitler’s last days in the bunker.
Overall consistently near perfect performances by Plummer, McAvoy, Giamatti and Mirren. These are supported by Anne-Marie Duff as the persistently perplexed daughter Sasha Tolstoy and Kerry Condon as the free living Tolstoyan Masha who plays Penny Lane to McAvoy’s Russell Hammond.
The crew consists of nearly twenty producers, co-producers, junior producers, executive producers and other producers. The film needed an additional director just to direct the producers. Bright and witty original music by Sergei Yevtushenko and first cinematography, costumes and production design. The costumes and sets are legitimate and believable. However, Tolstoy believed in a simple life (Sofya described him as dressing like a shepherd) and the sets and costumes are simple as well. All the better for the film which has the chance to shine in the light of the acting and dialogue.
Directed by: Michael Hoffman
Starring: Christopher Plummer, James McAvoy, Paul Giamatti and Helen Mirren
Release: January 15, 2010
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