The LAST STATION—Director Michael Hoffman/  Writers:Michael Hoffman (screenplay) Jay Parini (novel)

o-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">(B) Having seen this film on Valentines Day was memorable to me because it was indeed a love story.  Helen Mirren never disappoints.  Her performance as the very outspoken, clinging wife of Leonard Tolstoy, played by Christopher Plummer was stellar.  Their turbulent but touching relationship of 48 years embodies the substance of this film. Christopher Plummer as Tolstoy, even without the Russian accent was very convincing. James McAvoy, who played Tolstoy’s secretary and Kerry Condon as one Tolstoy’s followers also deserve a nod. Paul Giamatti’s character is at odds with Sophy (the Countess) Tolstoy (Helen Mirren).  Giamatti’s character wants Tolstoy’s work to be left to thepeople of Russia, while Sophy (Mrs. Tolstoy) wants (as most mothers do) to see this treasure trove (Tolstoy’s works) kept in the family. I appreciated seeing the personal side of this great author of volumes of great literature including War and Peace and Anna Karenina. 

(G) I liked the fact that “love” was really at the core of this film. There is a scene at the end that has McAvoy and Condon in an embrace within a crowd of Tolstoy admirers (I won’t give away any more of the context than this). This was the most memorable image for me, revealing I believe the focus of the film that was: no matter what is going on around you, strive for love. Love is natural. Love is complicated. Love takes many forms (at least three distinct kinds of love are represented in this film). Love is sometimes confused with other things—and those other things can make for messy consequence-- but in the end striving for love, to be loved and to give love is possibly our only truly spiritual, rational, completely human pursuit.

            Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer are in a class of super-actors that continue to set the standards for younger actors to achieve.  However, it continues to bother me that whenever a movie is set in any foreign lands, the actors (and apparently the directors) all feel they must speak with British accents!  For goodness sake what about attempting a fake Russian accent for a film that is supposed to be set in Russia? I think everyone in the cast (and especially Plummer and Mirren) were up to the task.  Come on actors, ACT!  Giamatti’s avoidance of the Queen’s English-accent (and Condon’s as well, for the most part) made the other British accents all the more inappropriate. A musical score that was, at times overbearing to the subtleties of the actor’s unspoken craft also bothered me. I too appreciated seeing this film on Valentine’s Day, as this obviously was the focus of the film. This film gave me insight into the unusual life of the greatest Russian literary figure in history. It also was a great example that the kind of great love that most of us merely aspire to, often goes hand in hand with greatness of another kind.   (Out rating: three and ½ binoculars).