Rent One Life (2023)

Fascinating subject matter - One Life review by AER

One Life is a fascinating film about a humanitarian act instigated by a London stockbroker (Nicholas Winton) in the late 1930s. Despite a lack of time, endless bureaucracy, and an imminent Nazi invasion, some brave people led by Winton arranged for nearly 700 Jewish children to be moved to the UK. It's stirring stuff. Alas the film is pretty flat, with OTT supporting performances from Helena Bonham Carter, and Helen Spiro (ridiculous as Esther Rantzen). However, certain scenes led by Anthony Hopkins re particularly good, but he can't save this very average treatment of a hugely brave act by a select few. It's certainly a film to raise debate about current views to helping those in dire need. This isn't the place for political rants, but I will say that it's also a call to be kinder and a bit more worldly.

Interesting subject - flat presentation with off-beat annoying actors overdoing their bit parts.

An Important, Necessary Film about a Genuine Hero who saved over 600 Children - One Life review by PV

I think all young people should watch this film as they do Schindler's List. The latter is high-budget and world famous from a novel by a great writer and directed by the most successful movie director in Hollywood history.

The former cannot compete with that span and range and spectacle or horror. It is a far more modest film of course, rather like a TV drama actually which maybe it should have been. Most know the story and the famous REVEAL clip on THAT'S LIFE.

This is lifted by scenes of Prague in 1930s - a history most viewers will not know about. As I know the city and its history very well, I do. Of course a film like this has to show snapshots of what happened, without much detail, and there is little brutality shown either - this is a real family film, i suppose.

Winton is a fascinating character - and one fault of the film is to call him a stockbroker,. Yes, he was from a well-off posh family and went to STowe public school, then worked in banking in Germany, France and UK. BUT he was also an ardent socialist and anti-appeasement of the Nazis. He grew to detest the City - and never worked in it again after returning from Prague. He worked for refugee charities and others post WWII.

He also acknowledged the vital roles in Prague of others like Doreen Warriner, Trevor Chadwick,Nicholas Stopford, Beatrice Wellington, Josephine Pike, Bill Barazetti who worked to evacuate children from Europe. Winton stayed in Prague only about three weeks and left before the Nazis occupied the country.He never set foot in the Prague main railway station, although a statue of him is erected there

Anthony Hopkins is perfectly cast here. The connection with that old crook Robert Maxwell is shown as his is French (protestant Christian) wife, whose daughter Ghislaine is now doing 20 years in jail in the USA after hooking up with Jeffrey Epstein. Robert Maxwell was a remarkable man born in a poor Jewish family in what became Czechoslovakia, and most of his relatives died in Auschwitz.

The statistic given in the film is shocking - 15000 Czech children went to the camps in WWII and only 200 survived. Winton saved over 600 children who came to Britain - many lost their parents and entire families in the Nazi holocaust. Important to remember this in the present - especially with the sly rise of Anti-Semitism now.

So not perfect, a little film a biopic basically but important and necessary, so 4 stars

A monumental & profoundly moving tribute to the most ordinary, yet extraordinary saviour of children - One Life review by TB

When social media/YouTube started to become part of most people's lives, very quickly a number of iconic life/world events captured on film became a part of the tapestry, always popping up. You had the obvious ones such as Freddie Mercury at Live Aid, but also the Moon Landings & Dr Martin Luther King's "I have a dream speech" to name but 3. However, particularly in the UK, there was another one which I saw posted many times.

On an 80's light entertainment programme called That's Life, Nicholas Winton was introduced as one of the principle architects of a superhuman effort to evacuate as many children as possible from WWII-era Czechoslovakia before the Nazi regime swept across the border as they looked to conquer Europe & then the world. Winton, along with other dedicated men & women on the ground in Czechoslovakia, raised money & found foster homes for 669 children. This film looks at the incredible effort & drive to rescue this massive number of predominantly Jewish children from certain death.

Set in both 1988 & the late 30's, we follow Nicholas Winton as he takes a sabbatical from being a stockbroker to go to Czechoslovakia just after the signing of the Munich agreement. This treaty has forced thousands of families to flee, as Germany annexes part of the country, initially as an appeasement to try to control Hitler's march across Europe, but of course to no avail. Winton discovers to his horror vast slums filled with children who have often lost their parents, all gathered desperately trying to stay alive whilst the threat of not only the Nazi's but also a deadly winter threaten to strike at any moment.

The resulting story & herculean effort by not only Winton but also Doreen Warriner, Trevor Chadwick & Nicholas Stopford to name but a few, is absolutely inspirational as well as heart breaking & highly emotional. I was every few minutes having to check my emotions, such was the visceral impact on what I was watching. Like Denial, another superb WWII-themed film, it is extremely competently directed & filled with amazing performances. Both Hopkins & Flynn are absolutely brilliant, but I also really rated the work of the actors portraying the team on the ground in Czechoslovakia.

There were a couple of things which I did wish were different, such as more details of the multiple train trips, which sadly were regulated to brief interludes & voiceovers. Another genuinely wasted opportunity was only having one scene between Hopkins & the magnificent Jonathan Pryce, who have worked together before, notably on The Two Popes. The brief scene they have together is a masterclass of 2 greats sharing the screen & playing off each other.

But these are small niggles, when the overall impact is so great. There have been comments from people tangentially connected to/related to the rescued children who have criticised not only the film but also the original That's Life programme, accusing it of sensationalising the rescue for an emotional TV moment. Whilst I can see why they might be upset, for me the worst tragedy was Winton not being recognised for the phenomenal & heroic work he was a part of.

The film is never not respectful of the situation, as well as being at pains to repeatedly show that Winton did not want celebrity or to court fame, actively shunning it. And I am so glad that he was recognised in his lifetime for his actions, as well as the hundreds who he rescued being able to say thank you to their saviour.

A brilliant & shatteringly emotional film. Have a hanky handy, you'll need it.