Movies of interest: The Last Station
Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren have been nominated for Academy Awards for their performances as Sofya and Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station, which premiered at the 2009 Telluride Film Festival. This Sony Pictures Classics release is now playing in Chicago.
He was the celebrated author of War and Peace, but the last years of Leo Tolstoy’s life were all war and no peace. The savage rivalry for his attention and legacy between his redoubtable wife and his craftiest disciple that overshadowed his final days has now been turned into a showcase for tasty acting by performers who really know how to sink their teeth into roles.
Click here to continue reading Kenneth Turan’s review of the film.
The Last Station trailer may be viewed here.
The March 5 Graham School First Friday lecture at the Cultural Center is on “Tolstoy in Love: The Meta-Plot of Anna Karenina,” by Katia Mitova, Basic Program Instructor, for those of you who are interested in Tolstoy. Click here for more information and (free) registration.
It’s interesting that Christopher Plummer refers to Tolstoy as a rock star in his own time. Did you have a sense of that?
Saw this movie last night. They do a nice job of interweaving the historical and the fictional, given the viewer insight into the significance of Tolstoy’s late work, and the enduring struggle of “legacy.” Nicely acted, beautifully shot. Well worth seeing on a big screen.