Film No. 90 (2023) ONE LIFE. (Palace; Australia British Film Festival). 27th Nov.

 

Film No. 90  (2023)  November 29th.  6:30 PM  LUNA Windsor,  Cine 2, Nedlands.

 

"He is a national hero in the Czech Republic. He did a kind act and never told anybody." (Vera Egermayer, holocaust survivor).

 

When it comes to tribute films, you won't find many told better than here in One Life by James Hawes (BLACK MIRROR)  recognising the amazing contribution to humanity made by Britain's "Schindler", Nicholas Winton in 1939. 

The story is that of a man taught by his mother to be a good person. At age 29, he goes to Prague to help a friend assist refugees (mainly Jews) who had accumulated in Prague as they were pushed from their homes in eastern and central Europe by Hitlers' henchmen. It is a story worth telling, particularly in these times. Winton recognised on his first visit to Prague, that one act, that of transporting as many children as he could, to safety, was an act he needed to complete. So, with the help of many, he did; 669 children owe their lives to Nicky Winton. 

Hawes, a director of T.V. mainly, cleverly inter-cuts between '39 and '87. Johnny Flynn gives us the '39 version of Winton. His performance is clean cut and perfect in setting us up for the 79 year old Anthony Hopkins version. Hopkins gives us the humble man Flynn created with a dimension that has us screaming, "why did this story take so long to be told?" The reason is captured in Hopkin's performance. "This was never about me" is a sentence used by Winton at least three times in the film. Luckily for the world his wife, Grete (Lena Olin), "outed" him. What comes in the film's final stanza will require tissues.

Using the talent on hand, Hawes gives us cinephiles something to savour. Flynn plays second fiddle to Helena Bonham Carter during their mother/son scenes. Babette Winton is integral to Winton's plan for these children of Prague, Bonham Carter gives a performance which "gold stamps" that contribution. Winton's friend, Martin Blake (Ziggy Heath & Jonathan Pryce) is the reason he first goes to Prague. Their relationship in '39 is never really fleshed out but the '87 scene in a restaurant between Hopkins and Pryce is worth the price of the ticket. Two masters of their craft give us 5 minutes of gold. 

ONE LIFE should be on the list of must see films for all, considering our era of current unrest.  11GUMS.