Anthony Hopkins gives a fine performance in James Hawes's One Life

• Published date: 30 March 2024
• Author: HANNAH BROWN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The movie is a conventional retelling of Winton's wartime heroism and its emotional toll on him decades later, told in two time frames. His is an extraordinary story, with a strong payoff and stellar performances by two-time Oscar winner Hopkins and a star-studded supporting cast

Winton is the classic unassuming person who acted with great courage and resourcefulness when an opportunity presented itself, and in this way, represents the kind of person we all hope we will turn out to be. Born in the UK to German-Jewish immigrants early in the 20th century, he was baptized and raised as a Christian, a not uncommon background in those days. Played as a young man by Johnny Flynn, a rising British star who portrayed Ian Fleming in Operation Mincemeat, Winton grew up to be a not very wealthy stockbroker and identified with a sort of armchair socialism.

He learned of the plight of children in Czechoslovakia, mainly Jewish ones, in 1938. They had fled to Prague as Germany prepared to occupy the Sudetanland region, the result of the now-infamous deal that British prime minister Neville Chamberlain announced would bring "peace for our time."

Winton and his circle of friends were skeptical of this claim, as were thousands across Europe, but unlike most, he acted on his suspicions. While his friends focused on helping rescue activists who would be the first to be arrested when the Nazis eventually seized control of all of Czechoslovakia, Winton became increasingly concerned for the plight of the hundreds of children who were displaced and freezing in shacks and on the streets of Prague in the winter.

Discouraged by his flighty mother (Helena Bonham Carter, who is always good but who gives an especially endearing performance here), he nevertheless put his job at risk as he worked tirelessly to find a way to save these children, refusing to accept that the many bureaucratic and political obstacles made this seem like an impossible task.

AS HE TRAVELED back and forth to Prague, his mother quipped, "Everyone in Prague is trying to get out; my son is trying to get in." First, he had to identify the children who needed to be evacuated, creating photo IDs for them, which involved him winning the confidence of Jewish authorities – a tough task considering his assimilated background.

He also had to find a way to get the hundreds of children out by train...