Eating in Edinburgh

The Last Station

Itchy are keen to improve our cultural pedigree with highbrow entertainment, be it in the realms of literature, history or celluloid. We were therefore most pleased to cast an observant eye over The Last Station, a film portraying the latter days of the iconic Leo Tolstoy and the effect he had on his nearest and dearest. Plus the effect he had on a whole load of people who thought he was some kind of deity. Thankfully for us, the film was less intellectual cog-turner, more amusing romantic drama with gentle undertones of ”this really happened“.

Valentin (James McAvoy) is an empassioned young writer who worships the ground Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) breathes on. After being appointed to work as the author's private secretary, he begins to understand that the aged man's ideals may not be as they had appeared from a distance. Through getting to know Sofya (Helen Mirren), Tolstoy's gloriously dramatic wife, and the headstrong Masha (Kerry Condon), Valentin learns a far more accurate lesson in love and devotion than that which he had come to accept from the teachers of the Tolstoyan movement.

Even that description makes this film sound more intellectual than it is in reality. Put simply, The Last Station is a collection of beautifully developed (and beautifully acted) characters playing out a plot of love and betrayal in gorgeous settings. Helen Mirren is in her element, flouncing her way through Sofya's dramas and passions. As her husband screams at her in one of many moments of frustration ”You don't need a husband, you need a Greek chorus!“ Tolstoy certainly was a perceptive man. James McAvoy, who we've always had a soft spot for, appears at first to be revising his adorable youngster role from Starter For Ten, which is no bad thing. After winning us over with the charm offensive, though, he effortlessly allows Valentin to grow into the moral hero we need him to become.

An historical epic it may not be, but The Last Station is a moving and amusing drama of the calibre one would expect from Sunday night costume dramas from the BBC. By which we mean attractive, well put together and ultimately a delightful evening's entertainment.

www.thelaststation.co.uk

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