The assassination took place just as the bloody Civil War was winding down, and so the Northern sentiment was still strongly anti-Rebel and a battlefield mentality still prevailed. With Lincoln dead, Secretary of War Stanton (Kevin Kline) stepped into the power vacuum and decided that the trial should be in a military court with the outcome pretty much predetermined by a community reeling from the death of the President.  “Revenge,” as her lawyer puts it, “not justice.”  Surratt ran a boardinghouse, where John Wilkes Booth and the others met to plan the murder.  Surratt’s son was a part of the conspiracy but escaped, and so the film suggests, they were using her to get to him.

Aiken is a young Union officer, just back from the fighting, and returning to his law practice, when his boss lays the job of defending “the traitor” in his lap.  He doesn’t want to have anything to do with it, but comes to see that she is probably innocent, and that the powers that be are not interested in the truth, only in “getting this behind us.”  In fact, it was this case that forced the government to mandate civilian trials for non-combatants.

It is an interesting and little-known story, but The Conspirator suffers from a script that is a way too thinly veiled and heavy-handed political allegory.  Think Gitmo and Arab-Americans in post-9/11 America. I’m all for nice political dramas, but the “hammer over your head” approach just doesn’t do it for me.  Despite wonderful casting, the characters are mainly one-dimensional and the script totally lacking in nuance.  We all know Redford can direct a wonderful movie (Ordinary People), but he totally misses the mark on this one.

(An interesting footnote at the end tells us that after Aiken left the law, he went on to become the first editor in chief at The Washington Post.)

Fear not though; this is not a heavy Russian novel of a movie. It is a superbly well-crafted love story set inside a fascinating historical period drama. Tolstoy was born into an aristocratic family but after writing Anna Karenina and War and Peace, he developed a “radical anarcho-pacifist Christian” philosophy that fueled a utopian movement lead by worshipful Vladimir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti). Part of this philosophy was to renounce worldly goods, which created a huge problem for his wife Sofya (Mirren) who wanted their family to hang onto their wealth including the rights to all Tolstoy’s writing after his death.

Based on a biographical novel of the same name by Jay Parini, The Last Station, written and directed by Michael Hoffman (One Fine Day and Soapdish), begins in 1910, when a naïve young writer named Valentin (James McAvoy) is hired as Tolstoy’s secretary. He arrives at the Tolstoy estate to find himself thrown into the middle of a power struggle between Tolstoy’s wife Sofya and Chertkov who is determined to get Tolstoy to sign a new will. Valentin is fascinated and confused by the Tolstoys’ passionate relationship, and he soon finds himself a pawn between all the factions in the battles, keeping diaries to let each side in on what is going on in the house. At the same time, he is initiated into the ways of love by a young woman living in the Tolstoy commune, and is schooled in it further in conversations with Tolstoy himself.

Helen Mirren is extremely deserving of the Oscar nod for her portrayal of Sofya, Tolstoy’s wife, lover, muse and antagonist. No matter what she is doing — screaming, watching or seducing — you never question her love of her husband and in the end it is truly tragic. (Bring some tissues.) Christopher Plummer is also excellent as Tolstoy and his portrayal of the relationship with Sofya is probably one of the most nuanced roles of his career. I hope they both win. James McAvoy as Valentin delivers a comic coming of age tale and he definitely holds his own with these powerhouse actors. He comes to the Tolstoys with stars in his eyes and in the end has played witness to the total destruction of a marriage, but is nonetheless eager to jump back into a romance of his own with the woman he loves.

The Last Station is beautifully shot and the pacing is just right. It is what real filmmaking is all about. This is a film for grown ups and I mean that in the sense that the story is intelligent, the characters multi-dimensional and the psychological impact deeply resonant. I’d recommend it for anyone who appreciates great characters, great acting, great scriptwriting, and great direction. Can you tell I really, really liked this movie?

This book of photographs by the Countess Sophia Tolstoy looks like it could be a very interesting adjunct to the movie. And there is the original book which I will no doubt read.

Of course, any woman who is to be Queen of England is bait for the royal houses of Europe and soon enough Leopold of Belgium is sending his nephews to pay her a visit in hopes of uniting their houses and gaining some political leverage. Happily, young Albert (Rupert Friend) takes a shine to his cousin Victoria and the attraction is mutual. And while the politics of her life swirl around her, they flirt, write and finally get married. And at its core that is what The Young Victoria is all about — a great love. History has many proofs of Victoria’s undying devotion for Albert; the Albert Hall is just one of many monuments she dedicated to him after he died.

The first part of The Young Victoria may seem like a lot of exposition, and if you’ve watched many movies about the monarchy, it might seem a bit clichéd. But once Albert enters the picture, the film picks up. He takes her out of her proscribed life and gives her some joy. They make a happy, lovely couple. Albert is serious, thoughtful, smart and the kind of man Victoria needs. But of course, having been controlled by people her whole life, she doesn’t give him power easily. The film only covers the first part of their lives together. One only wonders what happened next.

Emily Blunt is wonderful as Victoria, displaying small hints of her inner personality while staying in her role as the young princess/queen; she takes the required arm down the stairs, but defiantly hops with both feet at the last step. And Rupert Friend gives Albert a warmth below his seriousness that makes him endearing. I would recommend this to people who enjoy a period piece, or those who would like a peek inside the palaces of British royalty. It is a nice love story, too.

For the historically accurate view click here.