One Life – REVIEW

The heroic true story of Nicholas Winton who came to be known as the ‘British Schindler’ didn’t emerge until 1988, when he was invited on to the BBC television program That’s Life. His story now comes to the screen in this brilliant new British biopic starring Sir Anthony Hopkins.

Winton was a British stockbroker and humanitarian who journeyed to Prague in 1938 when all Jews were desperately trying to get out. He established the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia and ultimately with the aid of ‘a team of ordinary people’ including his mother, organized the transportation of Jewish children from Prague to England before the outbreak of WWII.

Time was running out as the imminent Nazi invasion would have sealed the fate of these Jewish children. Winton was desperate to rescue as many Jewish children as possible but his mother said:  “You must know that we can’t save them all – you must forgive yourself for that…”

Winton ultimately rescued 669 Jewish children — children who didn’t fit into Hitler’s idea of a master race. He was knighted in 2003 by Queen Elizabeth II for services to humanity.

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn portray Winton at different stages of his life, both delivering remarkable performances. Helena Bonham Carter is a standout in a supporting role playing the role of young Winton’s mother.

This is Hopkins’ cinematic vehicle – yet another career defining performance in a role which it is difficult to imagine another actor playing.

Winton’s life threatening efforts to secure the rescue of Jewish children are meticulously explored, the dangers and also the deplorable treatment of these young children in refugee camps; young children who were robbed of their innocence.

Flashbacks take audiences back to when Winton was younger, fighting for the survival of these Jewish children, when astoundingly, the American president refused to offer any aid whatsoever.

Beautifully filmed and with high production values this is one of the best films to emerge from Britain in recent years. It’s difficult to watch, and be warned – there will be tears. The message delivered is that amid the evil in the world there is goodness; people who will dedicate their lives to rescue the innocent.

One Life is a must see and can aptly be looked at as a cautionary tale. But has humanity been educated by the atrocities committed in one of the darkest chapters in history? Will the senseless and horrific torment towards select religious groups ever be eradicated?

Winton, when interviewed on a radio program shortly before his death in 2015 said:

“I don’t think we’ve learned anything from the past – the world today is in a more dangerous situation than it has ever been.”

★★★★1/2

In Cinemas Boxing Day