By Todd Hatton
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkms/local-wkms-894182.mp3
Paducah, KY – Fans of Russian literature rejoice! The Last Station plays this week at Paducah's Maiden Alley Cinema. It's the story of writer Leo Tolstoy's last will, his wife, and the passionate, and sometimes contentious, love they share. Christopher Plummer stars as the legendary novelist and Helen Mirren plays his wife. Paul Giamatti, Anne-Marie Duff, and James McAvoy round out the stellar cast. Larry Thomas and Todd Hatton discuss The Last Station.
The Last Station
Starring Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, Paul Giamatti, James McAvoy & Anne-Marie Duff
After almost fifty years of marriage, Countess Sofya (Helen Mirren), the devoted wife, passionate lover, muse and secretary of Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer), suddenly finds her entire world turned upside down. In the name of his newly created religion, the great Russian novelist has renounced his noble title, his property and even his family in favor of poverty, vegetarianism and even celibacy. When Sofya then discovers that Tolstoy's trusted disciple, Chertkov (Paul Giamatti) whom she despises may have secretly convinced her husband to sign a new will, leaving the rights to his iconic novels to the Russian people rather than his very own family, she is consumed by righteous outrage. Into this minefield wanders Tolstoy's worshipful new assistant, the young, gullible Valentin (James McAvoy). In no time, he becomes a pawn, first of the scheming Chertkov and then of the wounded, vengeful Sofya as each plots to undermine the other's gains. Complicating Valentin's life even further is the overwhelming passion he feels for the beautiful, spirited Marsha (Kerry Condon), a free thinking adherent of Tolstoy's new religion whose unconventional attitudes about sex and love both compel and confuse him. A tale of two romances, one beginning, one near its end, The Last Station is a complex, funny, rich and emotional story about the difficulty of living with love and the impossibility of living without it.