One Life Movie Review - Historian’s Perspective

Author and historian Gabrielle McMaster reviews the 2024 movie, One Life, which looks at the life and Kindertransport of Sir Nicholas Winton. #historyshorts #historian #historychannel #history #historymatters #filmhistory #sirnicholaswinton #nicholaswinton #onelife #onelifemovie #kindertransport #secondworldwar #moviereview

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One Life is a brilliant, extraordinary film.
SPOILER ALERT!
I love how different and real this felt compared to most hero movies. There was no scene where Sir Nicholas Winton delivered an emotional heroic speech to a crowd to get help and donations (given the time period and place they were in, that would’ve been incredibly unrealistic as freedom of speech was limited). “Show, not tell” was achieved beautifully in this film. Instead of everything working out in a night, they showed Nicky, Doreen and Trevor working long hours, racing time day and night.
Instead of Sir Winton saying he loved and cared about kids, they showed it by him photographing kids and doing everything within his power to find foster homes for them. I also loved the scene where he gives kids small pieces of chocolate and how happy the kids look during that scene. It also makes the viewers realise how small things most take for granted, such as chocolate, can be a privilege to some and how fortunate we are to have it.
I also loved how they showed Sir Winton grieving the loss of the children they couldn’t save. The producers didn’t change it to a perfect happy ending where everyone lives. Instead, they mentioned what happened to those who weren’t as fortunate, but the 669 lives they rescued are worth celebrating.
I also appreciate at the end of the movie, they told us what happened to Nicky’s friends. They weren’t just forgotten; instead, they were mentioned without too much screen time, as this movie is about Sir Nicholas Winton and the children he saved.