Regie:
James HawesScenario:
Lucinda CoxonCamera:
Zac NicholsonMuziek:
Volker BertelmannActeurs:
Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Lena Olin, Helena Bonham Carter, Jonathan Pryce, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp, Marthe Keller, Samuel Finzi, Michael Gould (meer)Streaming (1)
Samenvattingen(1)
One Life vertelt het inspirerende, waargebeurde verhaal van Sir Nicholas Winton (Anthony Hopkins), door wiens inspanningen aan de vooravond van de Tweede Wereldoorlog meer dan zeshonderd voornamelijk Joodse kinderen uit de handen van de Nazi’s werden gered. Jarenlang zette hij en een aantal vrienden zich in om de kinderen veilig naar het Verenigd Koninkrijk te brengen, waar zij veelal geadopteerd werden door Britse gezinnen. Vijftig jaar later, in 1988, verwijt Nicholas zichzelf echter dat hij niet genoeg heeft gedaan om alle kinderen te redden. Pas als het BBC-programma ‘That’s Life!’ hem uitnodigt om in hun programma te verschijnen, gebeurt er iets waardoor hij eindelijk in het reine begint te komen met het schuldgevoel en verdriet dat hij al vijf decennia met zich meedraagt. (The Searchers)
(meer)Recensie (4)
A touch of goodness. In the part leading up to the outbreak of war, the filmmaking is routine, uninspired, and almost television-like. However, the second one, with its pure modesty and big heart, perfectly compensates with the depth of Hopkins’s performance. The notoriously known scenes from the TV show That's Life were supposed to be an emotional punch, but the one that struck me the most was the final one by the pool. Looking at all those new branches of the tree of life might dull the sense of guilt that those dried-up branches were once made into sheets of paper, which remained blank.
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Schindler's List is for less artistically ambitious viewers who don't like to watch the authentic, explicitly violent horrors of World War II, and are content with a sentimental piano, a few costume retro flashbacks and the musings of a brooding Anthony Hopkins to interpret it. The ending is poignant, the depiction of the Czech meadows and groves is endearing, including the authentic Czech language, but the film is overall bland and made-for-TV style.
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With films like One Life, it is often difficult to separate the importance of the story from the art of getting it right. Here, however, I don't have much of a problem with that. The film doesn't aim for the easy stuff, it presents things in a complex way, and when it hits the emotional notes with all the force it deserves. Moreover, when Anthony Hopkins' character is confronted with the agonizing truth about the fate of the people he failed to save, he doesn't launch into a heartfelt self-pitying monologue, he doesn't try to cheaply impress the viewer, instead he walks to the window and gazes out at the landscape. Nuance plays a role. Hopkins reaffirms his reputation as one of the finest actors working today, and he's also excellent and captivating, even if he only has half the film at his disposal. And Johnny Flynn ably seconds him. It's just that the Czech actors stick out like a sore thumb at times with their performances. I deliberately put that aside.
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Who doesn't know the story of Nicholas Winton, who, in collaboration with other determined people, managed to save the lives of 669 children? One Life is essentially a simple film in terms of story, with a clear structure that purposefully alternates between two time periods separated by half a century, but it is that story that makes the film an incredibly powerful and moving experience, enhanced by convincing performances and a spot-on cast. Czech viewers will appreciate, among other things, the Prague locations and the many Czech phrases heard in the film. In the end, the film may seem a bit melodramatic, but it barely underlines the modesty of an "ordinary" man who did extraordinary things.
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