One Life

Oh my freaking god.

I went to see this in the cinema and I kid you not, there was not a dry eye. This film is a true story following Nicholas Winton who attempted to get as many child refugees out of Prague as he could and away to safety. This film was incredibly emotional but somewhat witty in places due to the amazing acting by both Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter. They add wit to an undoubtedly sad film. This is something that all people need to see.

The references to "Schindler's List" are misstatements. This is nothing like it. This movie deals in efforts to save mostly Czechoslovakian children, mostly Jews, from the imminent Nazi invasion. The timing alone is very different, since "List" was of an actual concentration camp, not the before efforts. This movie doesn't delve into the horrors in depth like "Schindler's List" either.

This movie focuses on the efforts to save as many refugee children from an imminent war zone. The Nazis were ruthless and cruel, but this movie only focused on the fear of that, not the actual horror. And it's a true story. Real children. A real Knight of the British Crown. This stuff rarely exists outside of fairy tales.

Sir Anthony Hopkins gives a magnificent performance of a British man moved to do the right thing at a time that it wasn't a priority to "do the right thing" amongst most people in the UK or USA. As is pointed out, the US leadership never responded. A lesson from that is that the USA played the isolationist card too long or more might have been saved.

10/10. Have the tissue box ready.

What an incredible piece of work, a must-see tour de force by Sir Anthony Hopkins in the portrayal of Sir Nicholas Winston, one of the people behind the evacuation of children (known as the Kindertransport) from Czechoslovakia immediately preceding the Nazi invasion.

Very emotionally powerful, many tears in viewers eyes including mine.

this will make you ugly cry, especially toward the end of the film.

A little known story about the exceptional actions of one man who saved many lives at the beginning of WW2. The character is not unlike Oskar Schindler but has his merits of his own that deserve to be known to the world. Antony Hopkins delivers an exceptional performance worthy of the deeds portrayed.

A touching picture featuring Anthony Hopkins.

'One Life' is 'Schindler's List'-esque, though perhaps more of a grounded portrayal of such events without the proper Hollywood-ness drama that that aforementioned flick holds; no hate on that sensational Steven Spielberg production by any means, it's a far better film in fact. This 2023 release is very hearty though, one of those movies where it is impossible not to care for the people onscreen.

There are plenty of emotional scenes that touch the feels, with one involving Hopkins right at the end particularly hitting. That man is excellent throughout, as expected. Johnny Flynn impresses too, he is just as important here as the Welshman. Helena Bonham Carter is a little underused, especially given she's on the cover, but very good. Neat to see Jonathan Pryce appear, also.

I actually remember seeing that real 'That's Life!' clip randomly on YouTube many years back and I didn't realise until just before it's portrayed here that it was reenacting that exact moment. Whether you watch this film or not, that video is truly a must-watch.

Such a beautiful story that needed to be told on the big screen with nice performances and the younger/older versions are well-cast. I knew what it was about after coming across the TV audience clip online a few years ago, so I was expecting it and when the moment showed up, I was crying my eyes out.
It was a shame they didn't put that clip in at the end of the movie which was a shame.

One of the most indescribably horrible chapters in human history was, without a doubt, the Nazi expansionism that led to World War II. The number of stories full of real-life heroes and villains are surely countless. The fact that it was a movement that subjugated several countries implies that there are multiple stories of different nationalities. How the horror was experienced in Germany, and in Poland, and in France, and in Austria, and in Czechoslovakia.

One Life is the story of Nicholas Winton, a Briton of German descent who, after visiting a refugee camp in Prague, decided that his plan to stay for a week to volunteer at the office of the British Refugee Committee in Czechoslovakia would change radically, because he could not allow the children to live not only in the terrible unsanitary conditions of those camps, but with the constant threat of a Nazi invasion. He then decides to launch a plan to bring as many children as he can to the United Kingdom with the help of a network made up of his mother and volunteers from the committee in both the United Kingdom and Czechoslovakia.

It was to be expected that the film would touch sensitive chords that would lead the viewer to shock and latent tears. Who is not capable of being moved by stories where ordinary people - just as Nicholas Winton describes in one scene - become true altruistic heroes without whom hundreds and thousands of lives would have been ended in indescribably atrocious ways?

In this film we see two Nicholas Wintons: the young 29-year-old, played quite well by the South African Johnny Flynn, and the old 79-year-old, played wonderfully - obviously - by the legendary Anthony Hopkins. The cast is completed by a set of actors and actresses in well-selected supporting roles: Helena Bonham Carter, Romola Garai and Alex Sharp.

I liked the narrative construction of the script by Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake that shows us Nicholas Winton in 1988 remembering what he experienced 50 years ago. There is no incomprehension in the facts or in the ties of his memories, since everything is subtly linked to what he is experiencing. This adaptation of two eras in three different main settings is well done thanks to the production design of Christina Moore and the costume design of Joanna Eatwell. Volker Bertelmann's music also shines in some scenes.

It was impossible not to remember Schindler's List, but they are actually quite different stories, so I was able to appreciate One Life for itself, and not only be entertained, but moved by the work that James Hawes did as director of his first major distribution film with the BBC.

It is interesting to think how this man who rescued 669 children from the horrors of Nazism lived to be 106 years old. Save one life, save the world.

Watched this tonight thanks to AMC Screen Unseen, I was very moved by this true story. This is a movie everyone needs to see, and bring some tissues with you. This is incredibly moving, does very well sticking straight to the story no unnecessary Hollywood theatrics.

A very emotional movie. The actors, the music, and the cinematography are great. Plus, the fact that this is a true story is incredible—saving that many refugees is truly inspiring. A must-watch!