THE LAST STATION
UK/Germany/Russia, 2009, 112 minutes, Colour.
Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, James Mc Avoy, Paul Giamatti, Anne‑ Marie Duff, Kerry Condon, Patrick Kennedy, John Sessions.
Directed by Michael Hoffman.
One hopes that many people would be able to answer the question of who wrote War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Leo Tolstoy. Here is an opportunity to learn a little more about the man and his ideas. It is also an opportunity to get to know his wife, Sofya.
The action of this beautifully made drama takes place in 1910, the last year of Tolstoy's life. War and Peace and Anna Karenina are long behind him. In his later years, he developed more socialist and utopian ideas, delved into the different religions and promoted a humanist and egalitarian perspective on life before the 1917 revolution. He had devout disciples who put him on a pedestal, promoted his writings and teaching as if he were a prophet. Many went to live and work in the communes. This is the background to the personal story of his last months.
Christopher Plummer, turning 80, is still a strong screen presence and gives Tolstoy an energy, a compulsiveness to thing, to work, to publish and to support his disciples. His principal disciple is Vladmir Chertkov, played by Paul Giamatti. He is an enthusiast but a man (under suspicion from and confined to his house by the Moscow authorities) who lives in his head despite his enthusiastic feelings. He is an ideologue who has put Tolstoy, who is his close friend, on a pedestal, even wanting to orchestrate the way Tolstoy would die so that it would make impact on his followers and on the whole world (with crowds of journalists camping outside the station in southern Russia where Tolstoy was dying).
That being said, it should be emphasised that this is also a film about Tolstoy's wife, Sofya, the Countess who valued her status and way of life, disagreed with many of the principles of the husband she loved, detested Chertkov and his friends. She was hypersensitive, prone to tantrums and hysteria, jealous of her husband's friendships and fanatical about his will and the preserving of property for her children. She is played by Helen Mirren in a marvellous tour-de-force.
One of the children is Sasha (Anne- Marie Duff) who works for her father and takes stands against her mother.
But the film is also about Tolstoy's young secretary, Valentin Bulgakov, also a young idealist hired by Chertkov and who is welcomed into the household by both Tolstoy and Sofya. A prim young man, he is mocked by Masha who lives in the commune, but is also seduced and falls in love with her. Mc Avoy also gives a fine nuanced performance.
The film does not have the dramatic drive of Tolstoy's novels. Rather, it offers an opportunity for the audience to enter into an unfamiliar world, meet arresting (and sometimes irritating) characters and learn about a different era and different ideas. Director Michael Hoffman also made the very interesting period drama about the era of Charles II in England, Restoration.
1.Leo Tolstoy as a significant figure, literature, creation, idealism? Socialism?
2.The film as a portrait of the man behind the reputation? Christopher Plummer’s portrayal?
3.The film also about Sofya Tolstoy? Her love for Leo, their disagreements, concerns, her being hypersensitive, hysterical, evoking enmity with Tolstoy’s followers? Helen Mirren’s performance?
4.The last year of Tolstoy’s life, the focus, the end of life, busy with his causes, his contact with his friends, his love for Sofya, for his family? Stress, his writing, the importance of Vladimir’s release? The signing of his will? Escaping from Sofya? The train journey, his illness, death? The journalists present – his reputation?
5.Tolstoy and his age, his Russian background, temperament, his peasant’s clothes, his house and his wanting to be more socialist, sharing, not wanting property? The Tolstoyans and their manifestos, communes? His disciples? The authors? The hostility of Russian authorities? His grasp of history, the writing of War and Peace (with Sofya’s help and editing? His interest in human nature, Anna Karenina? His writing, ideas, commitment to causes? His domestic life, the scenes with Sofya, sleeping, waking, the meals, riding? His busy desk, the portrait of Vladimir? Accepting Valentin as his secretary, wanting to talk about him and his life? Walking, chatting, interrogating? The visit to the commune? His meeting with Masha, with Valentin? His relationship with Sasha, love for his daughter, her commitment to the cause? Dealing with Sofya and her tantrums, the reconciliations? Her becoming too much, the concern about the will, his going into the forest to sign it? Leaving, ill, wanting Sofya at the end?
6.The reporters, the briefings, the questions, Sofya waiting in the train?
7.Sofya in herself, her temperament, waking up, with Tolstoy in his room, the meals, the household, the servants? Her aristocratic style, wanting to be a countess? Her bearing so many children, the number who died? Her concern about the will? Detesting Vladimir? People writing, copying her comments, her anger? Her liking Valentin and confiding in him? Her growing desperation, performances, tantrums, recovery, reconciliation? Her clashes with her daughter? Vladimir’s arrival, her being ignored? The will, discovering it, reading it, her reaction, attempting to drown herself? Valentin saving her? Her reading the newspapers, not conscious of public opinion? Wanting to go to Tolstoy as he was dying? Vladimir preventing her, Sasha preventing her? Valentin and his presence, observing? Tolstoy, the group relenting, Sasha relenting? Her being with her husband? The postscript to the film and her regaining rights to Tolstoy’s writings?
8.Vladimir, in Moscow, his arrest and detention, an ideologue, his commitment to the movement and the cause? Interviewing Valentin, the issue of freedom? Publication? His being allowed to go to Tolstoy, controlling the situation, controlling Tolstoy, putting him on a pedestal as an idol, the contrast with Sofya, his detesting her, seeing her dangerous? With the other members of the staff, with Valentin? His comment about how Tolstoy should die? In the forest, the will? The issue of the rights to Tolstoy’s writings? On the train, forbidding Sofya, Tolstoy’s death, Valentin’s challenge?
9.Sasha, part of the family, idealism, a hard woman, contrast with her mother, working for her father, forbidding her mother to come, relenting, the reconciliation?
10.Tolstoy’s entourage, the doctor, the disciples, people writing down his comments and spying on Sofya?
11.Valentin, young, the interview with Vladimir, his expectations about being Tolstoy’s secretary, the bond with Vladimir? The bond with Tolstoy himself, flattered that Tolstoy should be asking about his life? Travelling, going to the commune, the initial clash with Masha, her story and scandalous behaviour, his prim reaction? At work in the commune, not chopping the wood well, Masha showing him? The head of the commune and dislike of him? Tolstoy and his warmth, the questions, finding his place in the household? Vladimir wanting verbatim reports? With Sofya? Trying to be diplomatic? Going to the commune, Masha, the sexual approach, the relationship, the effect on him, falling in love, Tolstoy and Sofya’s support? Valentin’s perspective on Sofya? Masha and the discussion about going to Moscow, Valentin not being able to? His being hurt? Staying, rescuing Sofya from the water, travelling with Tolstoy in the train, sending the telegram to Masha? Tolstoy’s death? The later information about his career?
12.The Tolstoyan communes, utopias, pre-Russian revolution, 19th century idealism, Russia and the authorities, the peasants, subsequent history?
13.Tolstoy as a world figure, the opportunity to understand something of him as a person and of his breadth of principles and understanding?
