The juxtaposition at the core of director James Hawes’s frustratingly staid One Life is between the gravity and urgency of Nicholas Winton’s Kindertransport rescue movement, which began almost a year before the start of World War II, and the man’s relative obscurity in 1987 living in Maidenhead, England. Winton helped to save 669 children in Prague from the horrors of the Holocaust, so Hawes’s film constitutes an attempt at immortalizing an unsung hero. But given the profound lack of risk that it takes in depicting Winton’s heroic efforts, One Life seems ironically destined to also fade into obscurity.
Throughout, One Life toggles between two time periods. In one, the young Winton (Johnny Flynn) conceptualizes and then carries out his humanitarian mission to move as many refugee (and mainly Jewish) children as he could out of Czechoslovakia, and in the other, the seventysomething Winton (Antony Hopkins) lives a...
Throughout, One Life toggles between two time periods. In one, the young Winton (Johnny Flynn) conceptualizes and then carries out his humanitarian mission to move as many refugee (and mainly Jewish) children as he could out of Czechoslovakia, and in the other, the seventysomething Winton (Antony Hopkins) lives a...
- 3/9/2024
- by Greg Nussen
- Slant Magazine
On the surface, One Life might seem like template Oscar bait. Yet, despite its lustre, subject/genre, seasonal release date and cast of past award winners/nominees, director James Hawes’ factual adaptation is enriched with a well-structured screenplay, intricate detail and stunning performances which combine to make it just shy of phenomenal.
Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake’s script follows Nicholas Winton, a British humanitarian of Jewish/German heritage. When we first meet Nicholas (Anthony Hopkins), in Maidenhead, England in 1987, he’s humble in his winter years; collecting for local charities and counting pennies in his kitchen. His wife, Grete (Lena Olin), suggests Nicholas clears out his boxes of old newspapers, books, files and photos for a party they’ll be throwing. While doing so, Nicholas begins to reminisce.
One Life darts back to 1938, when young Nicholas (Johnny Flynn) is a London based stockbroker who takes time away from his...
Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake’s script follows Nicholas Winton, a British humanitarian of Jewish/German heritage. When we first meet Nicholas (Anthony Hopkins), in Maidenhead, England in 1987, he’s humble in his winter years; collecting for local charities and counting pennies in his kitchen. His wife, Grete (Lena Olin), suggests Nicholas clears out his boxes of old newspapers, books, files and photos for a party they’ll be throwing. While doing so, Nicholas begins to reminisce.
One Life darts back to 1938, when young Nicholas (Johnny Flynn) is a London based stockbroker who takes time away from his...
- 12/18/2023
- by Daniel Goodwin
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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