‘Last Station’ a narrow take on Tolstoy’s life

Leo Tolstoy chronicled the Napoleonic period in perhaps the most famous, influential novel ever written. But for the author of the seminal “War and Peace,” it was his own household that proved to be the real battleground. “The Last Station” is historical film fiction about the final days — in 1910 Russia — of the master writer of historical fiction. They are filled with a vicious fight over who gets legal rights to his valuable literary legacy upon his imminent demise.

Christopher Plummer, as the dying but sharp-witted Tolstoy, and Helen Mirren, as his fierce but loving wife, Sofya, both were nominated Tuesday for Oscars for their strong performances here. And indeed, it is the film’s engaging cast — which also includes Paul Giamatti as Tolstoy’s dogmatic disciple Vladimir Chertkov and “Wanted’s” James McAvoy as the old man’s compassionate private secretary Valentin Bulgakov — that makes this “Station” worth a stop.

Jerking between farce and drama, feeling as long toward the end as “War and Peace” itself, the storytelling is less assured. Based on Jay Parini’s novel of the same name, the screenplay is written and directed by Michael Hoffman. Hoffman has experience with both dialogue-packed period pieces (“Restoration,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with Kevin Kline) and modern romps (“Soap Dish,” “One Fine Day”).

The filmmaker’s treatment of this clash between husband and wife, between family and worldly aspiration, comes from the point of view of Tolstoy’s naive secretary Valentin. He becomes our guide into the central conflict as Sofya, the icon’s helpmate of more than 40 years, and Vladimir, founder of the spiritual/social movement of Tolstoyans, try to outmaneuver each other.

The narrative could have focused more about the big ideas it briefly raises: Tolstoy’s then revolutionary writings on passive resistance (which Mahatma Gandhi credited as his inspiration), institutional corruption, vegetarianism and more. But instead we have the later life of Tolstoy as a mix of a young man’s coming of age (as the less interesting character of Valentin loses his virginity and his idealism) and the marital explosions of a senior citizen version of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

Like last month’s similarly narrow take on Charles Darwin, “Creation,” you’ll have to do some Googling after “The Last Station” if you want solid biographical info about Tolstoy. But Mirren and Plummer do sparkle together in a deliciously ardent love-hate relationship that transcends history.