Movie

The Last Station

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I live across Manhattan with a beautiful view over the Hudson and the skyline at all times. There is the George Washington Bridge to cross into NYC very near. And that's what we normally do when we want to see a movie, go to shows, see dances, or end up in any one of the many museums. I have always the distinct impression that we are supposed to chuck your  brain once you head back — what I mean is that it seems that culture stops the very moment that you cross the GW Bridge back to New Jersey. The movie houses in NJ are all big and loud, and popcorn infused ten-plexes with mainly Hollywood movies. But then again, surprise, there is one old movie house from the 30's left  in a little town, Teaneck, NJ offering great movies at a very decent price, only $4.75. They have divided this theater into four separate theaters and  kept the old charming style, including one of the old ticket selling boxes and lovely posters and wooden sparkling stairways —  it all transports you back to another era once you enter the theater.  And this is where we go when we are too lazy to run to NYC. So on Sunday we saw:

"The Last Station" is a movie about Leo Tolstoy dealing with the very last part of his life featuring  Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer. I think it is a Oscar nominated film. I had read Anna Karenia  but knew relatively little about Tolstoy. The movie was perfect and transported one immediately into Tolstoy's very stately estate, Poliyama.  His wife, the Baroness was played by Helen Mirren. Boy, she takes over in her crazy love for him. I looked it up on the internet later and the movie follows their real life story pretty accurately.

Tolstoy became very liberal at the end of his life. His wife and muse, the Countess Sofya disagrees with him completely and uses every trick of seduction on her husband's loyal disciple whom she believes was the person responsible for Tolstoy signing a new will that leaves his work and property to the Russian people. Tolstoy finally decides to leave her — and ten days later he dies at a train station in Southern Russia. The sorrow of the Russian people who adored him is well displayed. The Countess gets what she wants which is the rights to his work. I looked at photos of the "real" Sofya who bore 13 children but she does not look anything like Helen Mirren who is very regal and exciting in this movie. What an actress. And, oh boy, what a brilliant tour-de-force it was. Sofya  is crazed at the end (if not crazy),  but it must have been once a very tumultous love affair that deteriorated over the years and ended so sadly.