Une vie

This is truly an exceptional piece of work. Having seen the trailer it could've easily been made to look and feel quite tacky but I was genuinely surprised and extremely impressed by what has been accomplished. Every step of the production was presented exactly as you would want from a time period piece and I don't recall seeing any cgi at all and certainly none which could've potentially shattered the illusion. The commitment of the actors, both past and present versions were magnificent and made you completely believe their situations. The story is an exceptional one and I'm glad that it has been told in exactly the way it was & it absolutely destroyed me & I don't think there was a dry eye left from anyone in the cinema screening that I watched it in. Anything which gives me the immediate emotional reaction that this did means that it deserves a full 5 stars.

The story of Nicholas Winton, who saved hundreds of children from the Nazis just before the start of WW2 by organising trains from Czechoslovakia to the UK, is very much a story worth telling, especially as he was essentially a modest hero, one who didn't even think he deserved recognition, which makes his story all the more moving as it unfolds in flashback from late 70s Britain as Winton, superbly portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, remembers the events of the late 1930s.

Of course, there have been so many WW2 dramas over the years, so I felt the pre-war scenes do somewhat lack tension and a certain freshness, but good direction and succinct writing do calmly and absorbingly set the scene, explaining those earlier events well, but we also follow the way that 40 years later the heroic efforts of Winton and his colleagues were finally revealed and celebrated, ultimately making it a truly moving and revealing film. Perhaps, considering how things look today, it's also a reminder of how good really can triumph over evil and cynicism, and it's finally a superb tribute to a remarkable man.

The true story of Sir Nicholas Winton, who was responsible for evacuating over 600 children from Czechoslovakia, which was on the verge of Nazi invasion.

This is a truly outstanding film, one of the best I've seen in a while, for my shame I had no idea if Nicholas Winton's story until this film, it promoted me to dig deeper, what a fascinating, brave man.

Beautifully produced, and not just the visuals, of course it looked amazing, but the tone and feel of the movie was perfect. At times I honestly felt like I was watching something by Stephen Poliakoff, someone who truly does know how to move the viewers.

BBC films, proof that The BBC still has the ability to deliver incredible quality, when it focuses on actual storytelling, this was like something made from yesteryear.

Sir Anthony Hopkins delivers yet another masterclass, his scenes at the That's Life studio were incredible, Hopkins was matched by an equally captivating performance from Johnny Flynn, fabulous.

Intensely moving, I saw many tears at the cinema, a very powerful story, a true act of selfless bravery.

Wonderful.

10/10.

All One Life has to do to honour its true story is tell it with care and competency and that's exactly what it does. This is a deeply affecting story of selfless people who did everything they could to save as many people as possible whilst others just ignored what was going on.

Anthony Hopkins is on terrific form here. He embodies the selflessness effortlessly and brings a heartbreaking sense of defeat, focusing on what he could've done rather than what he achieved. He's also one of the rare actors who can make you cry by bringing on the waterworks, when he cries you cry.

In the flashbacks Johnny Flynn is an extremely convincing younger version of Hopkins with that same desire to always do more. Helena Bonham Carter gets a loveable role supporting Flynn with a stern determination and refusal to take no for an answer.

James Hawes directs with a level of technical competency that's designed to go unnoticed. The production value is reminiscent of a high end BBC production, which is obviously very fitting and the pacing is really strong. Undoubtedly helped by spending the majority of the time in the flashbacks which are rife with tension.

Turn on the news and what do you see? Man's inhumanity to man. Ukraine, Gaza etc etc. It's enough to make you lose faith in the human race - or it would be were it not for the occasional story of humanity at its best.

In Czechoslovakia in 1938-9, a small group of people (Nicholas Winton is the best known as he was the last survivor of that group) are appalled by the plight of mainly Jewish refugees, and resolve to do something. Despite opposition from governments (German, Dutch, British and American) they manage to evacuate 669 children and provide them with foster families in the UK, where many of their descendants live to this day. A further 250 children were on a train that was scheduled to leave on the day war was declared. Two of them were still alive at the war's end.

Then the story was forgotten for more than forty years, until at last Nicholas Winton was given the recognition he deserved (not the least astonishing part of the story is that Robert Maxwell did one decent thing in his life).

The film is in two parts; the younger Winton being played by Johnny Flynn, the older by Anthony Hopkins. Both give stand-out performances. Also excellent is Helena Bonham Carter as Winton's mother. The scene where she tells a bureaucrat what she thinks of him is priceless.

But the most important aspect of the film is its message. Human kindness is still a force in the world. Everyone can make a difference. No good deed, be it great or small, is ever wasted.

If only governments were run by people like Nicholas Winton.