ONE LIFE
Cert 12A
109 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate threat
Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I attempted to stifle sobbing.
The depiction of the rescue of child refugees from Prague at the beginning of the Second World War prompted a flood of emotion.
It evoked recollections of my deeply sobering visits to the death camps of Dachau and Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Yad Vashem memorial in Jerusalem, where the scrapbook of Sir Nicholas Winton is now kept.
Sir Nicholas was plain Nicky when he organised the emergency evacuation of children as Hitler's army was scything across Europe.
The race against the clock is the backdrop of James Hawes's film, which stars Anthony Hopkins as Winton in later life and Johnny Flynn as his younger self.
Set in 1987, it begins with the elderly version sorting through some of his old papers and having his memories rekindled by finding a thick scrapbook.
It was full of letters and photos collected during the 1939 relocation of the children.
Flashbacks show how, with the help of his mum (Helena Bonham Carter), Nicky found foster homes in London for many Czech children.
Meanwhile, his friends Doreen (Romola Garai) and Trevor (Alex Sharp) were leading the frantic operations in Prague.
Boys and girls were handed over by parents who realised that they may never see them again but were willing to make the sacrifice to save their lives.
This would pull at all by the coldest heart, but my deepest emotions were reserved for later in the movie when the older man is shown what his actions achieved.
One Life reflects on a victory for compassion over nationalism. It shows how kindness towards those in need can prevail.
Hopkins is in excellent form as the modest older man, and Flynn leads the tale of derring-do with panache.
But it is the sum of the parts that really grabs and must be down to Hawes and the film's big reveal.
Reasons to watch: Stunning true story
Reasons to avoid: Will make audiences weep
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10
Did you know? "He who saves one life, saves the world entire" was also quoted in Schindler's List from the Talmud, a Jewish religious text. It is also in the Koran.
The final word. James Hawes: "It was incredibly powerful to be filming in Prague, and constantly have people coming up to us and talking about how their family was linked to it, how they either helped some of the children or the refugees, Jewish and otherwise, how their grandparents had sent them off on the train, because obviously, some of the children came back to Prague afterwards." Radio Times
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