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According to the producer of the upcoming biographical drama One Life, Sir Nicholas Winton, who rescued numerous children from the Nazis, was incredibly humble and turned down an initial offer to have a film made about him.
Iain Canning informed the Observer that he and producer Emile Sherman visited Winton at his residence in Maidenhead, taking a break from filming The King’s Speech. This occurred approximately five years prior to Winton’s passing at the age of 106 in 2015.
During their tea time, they brought up the idea of creating a movie about the man who aided in rescuing 669 children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia right before the start of World War II. However, Winton respectfully declined their offer.
Canning recalled the meeting as the worst one he has ever had, even to this day. At the time, the man he was meeting with was either 99 or 100 years old. Canning and his team expressed their admiration for the man’s remarkable actions and proposed making a film about that specific moment in his life. However, the man declined, stating that he did not want anyone else to know about what he had done and believed that those who needed to know were already aware of it.
Canning remarked, “His eyes were filled with kindness. We were deeply moved by him.”
The film “The King’s Speech” was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture. The producers made sure to honor Winton, even after his passing. They collaborated with his daughter, Barbara, who granted them access to his personal records. Unfortunately, Barbara passed away in 2022, during the filming process.
Canning stated that Winton had reluctantly given his consent for his daughter to write his biography and was eventually receptive to other forms of exploring his life. However, he made it clear that he did not want to be depicted as perfect or to have his actions seen as unattainable by others.
Barbara proposed that they consider approaching Sir Anthony Hopkins for the part. Canning responded by saying, “He promptly requested Barbara’s email in order to ask for her consent to portray her father.”
The award-winning actor was motivated to portray a man who, along with others, rescued children from being sent to the gas chambers and furnaces at Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Belsen.
The film One Life, which came out on January 1st, follows the journey of “Nicky” Winton, a London broker who visited Prague in December 1938. There, he encountered families who had escaped Nazi persecution in Germany and Austria and were living in dire circumstances without proper shelter or food, and facing the looming threat of a Nazi invasion. Winton acted swiftly to help these families, working against the clock to rescue as many children as possible before the borders shut down.
Unfortunately, he was haunted by the tragedy of 251 children whom he could not save. These children had boarded a train at Prague station, but on that same day, war was declared and the borders were shut. The Nazis took them off the train and the majority of them were killed.
The movie portrays the events of the 1988 live broadcast of the BBC show That’s Life!, where Winton meets some of the children featured on the show who are now adults. This experience helps him confront and process the guilt and sorrow he had been carrying.
The movie depicts the scene where host Esther Rantzen asked the crowd to stand up if they owed their life to Nicky Winton. The entire audience stood up.
During the filming of the scene, Hopkins realized that the audience extras were actually the children who had been saved by Winton. This discovery was deeply touching.
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Winton’s rescue efforts extended to individuals such as Lisa Midwinter, now 88 years old. At the age of three, Midwinter was a passenger on the Kindertransport, but she still carries vivid memories of the experience, including the tears shed by everyone involved.
In an uncommon situation, both of her parents were able to flee and reunite with her. Her father worked as a pediatrician and, along with his wife, established an orphanage for Czech children in Stoke-on-Trent.
She never learned the details of their escape, as it was too difficult for them to discuss. Sadly, her grandparents and aunt did not survive the concentration camps. In an interview with the Observer, she was joined by her son, Nick Wyse, who explained that they only found out about her Kindertransport journey through the program “That’s Life!” which showcased pictures from Winton’s scrapbook – including one of her at the age of three.
She eventually became acquainted with Winton and recalls his delightful sense of humor and humble nature.
The woman’s son expressed that it is difficult to remain unbiased about the movie because of their personal attachment to it. However, when attempting to take a step back, Hopkins’ performance is truly remarkable. He adds significant weight and human qualities to the film. It is an inspiring movie that serves as a symbol of hope, demonstrating that even in the face of great tragedies, there are still acts of kindness and goodness.
Mike Levy, a historian and writer who specializes in the Kindertransport, had the opportunity to meet Winton multiple times. Levy described Winton as very humble and possibly uncomfortable with the attention he received after appearing on the show That’s Life!
He believed he had fulfilled his responsibility and had moved on in certain aspects. He wasn’t the type of person who desired attention or commotion.
Source: theguardian.com
