Sir Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued over 600 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.
Chuck says:
Known as the “British Oskar Schindler,” Nicholas Geroge Winton was an English stockbroker who, with other brave cohorts, saved the lives of 669 Jewish children just as World War II was beginning. In early 1939, after having spent a month in Czechoslovakia, he returned to England to arrange for the transport of his young charges, overcoming numerous bureaucratic obstacles and finding homes in which the refugees would be placed. All the children were transported and placed in the span of eight months, the bulk of this work falling to Winton, while his colleagues coordinated the arrangements for travel in Europe.
James Hawes’ “One Life” recounts these efforts though the focus is primarily on Winton. Beginning in 1988, he (Anthony Hopkins) is a retiree with too much time on his hands. A packrat, his wife Grete (Lena Olin) mildly chastises him about his cluttered office, before going away on a holiday with friends. While she’s away, Winton begins to purge his workspace only to come across a leather satchel, one that’s been sitting in his desk for a very long time.
Via flashbacks, we see Winton (Johnny Flynn) as a young man eager to help in a world on the precipice of chaos. His friend Trevor (Alan Sharp) informs him of the growing refugee problem in Czechoslovakia, as thousands of Jews have fled Europe as Hitler’s forces have moved west. Traveling to Prague, Winton meets Doreen Warriner (Romola Garia) and other activists devoted to helping the displaced.
As the film segues from past to present, it’s revealed what Winton’s leather case contains and why it has put him in a melancholy mood. Through interactions with those that know of his past, we see a humble, private man who thinks nothing of the heroic things he’s done. His great regret is that he and his colleagues couldn’t shepherd more of the children to safety.
The scenes set in 1938-39 benefit from location shooting in Prague and the period details bring the past to life in a vivid, bracing manner. While there are numerous scenes of children parting from their parents, who they likely will never see again, they never lose their power. There’s an urgency to these moments that’s palpable and effectively drive home the dire nature of the tragic circumstances.
The contents in Winton’s satchel not only prompt unwanted memories and misplaced guilt, but they provide him with purpose as well. Discussing its contents with an old friend (Jonathan Pryce) he considers donating his record of these events to a Holocaust Museum. However, through a series of bizarre circumstances, this material falls into the hands of the producers of a television program called “That’s Life,” which would specialize in sensational human-interest stories, questionable journalism, and the occasional home movie of cute pets. What they end up doing with the information about Winton’s past is profound, poignant, and humbling.
Hopkins brings the sort of subtle solidity we’ve come to expect from him, his portrayal of Winton ranking among the best of his performances. The way in which he shows the character’s modesty is touching and genuine, the actor at times shrinking into the background to convey his desire to go unnoticed. And while this is to be admired, it’s of vital importance that his story and others like it be shouted from the mountain tops. His heroism is, regrettably, all too rare so it needs to be put in the spotlight as an example for others to follow. “One Life” does all it can to do just that, preserving a story humble viewers will hopefully take to heart.
3.5 Stars
