One Life

ONE LIFE (2023) Cert 12Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, Romola Garai. Directed by James Hawes. 1hr 45mAnthony Hopkins delivers another powerhouse performance in the extraordinary true story of Nicholas Winton. The so-called "British Schindler", he rescued 669 Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on the brink of World War II, bringing them to safety in Britain. Yet he never sought recognition for this monumental accomplishment, and for more than 40 years tried almost to bury it, haunted by thoughts of all those children he hadn't been able to save. It wasn't until the 1980s that details of his tireless efforts began to become publicly known, not least when Esther Rantzen's BBC TV show That's Life arranged a deeply moving televised reunion between Winton and dozens of the children - now adults - whose lives he had saved. The film alternates between scenes of the modern-day Winton, played by Hopkins, and flashbacks to the late 1930s as Johnny Flynn, as his younger self, battles to arrange visas and find homes in Britain for his young refugees. Yet despite the horrors of wartime Czechoslovakia, it is the modern-day scenes that have the greatest power, especially the deeply moving televised reunion, as the elderly Winton comes to terms with the enormous emotional significance of what he has achieved. The man who never thought himself as good enough finally realises that he’s far better than most.Why not make an evening of it and join us for dinner before the movie? Book for dinner here.

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