A review of the coming film “One Life”
October 15th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
The 2000 documentary “Into The Arms Of Strangers” was a harrowing account of the Kindertransport, the transfer from the Nazi terror of Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia to Britain of some 10,000 unaccompanied Jewish children in the nine-month window of opportunity between Krystalnacht and the outbreak of war. “One Life” is the story of how one young British businessman, called Nicholas Winton, organised evacuations that saved the lives of 669 of those children.Veteran actor Anthony Hopkins plays Winton in old age, thinking back to his rescue efforts when he is portrayed by Johnny Flynn. Hopkins, as always, is wonderful and the scenes where, on the television programme “That’s Life” he meets as adults some of those whom he saved as children, brought tears to my eyes. A strong support cast includes Helena Bonham-Carter, Jonathan Pryce and (a personal favourite) Romola Garai.
The 1939 scenes are shot in Prague, from where the Kindertransport children boarded the trains, so there is a strong sense of verisimilitude. Sadly the problem of refugees fleeing a tyrannical regime is all too contemporary.
I attended the European premiere of the film in the presence of the director, writers and crew (the actors were on strike), an event held at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the 2023 London Film Festival. I was privileged to be accompanying my friend, 95 year old Gerda Svarny, who was one of 11 surviving Kindertransport children at the screening.
“One Life” will be released in cinemas on 1 January 2024.
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A new film honouring the lifesaving work of Nicholas Winton
October 14th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
This week saw a very special occasion as I walked the red carpet at London’s Royal Festival Hall and attended the European premiere of the British film “One Life”. The film tells the story of Nicholas Winton who, in 1939, saved the lives of 669 Jewish children by organising kindertransport from Czechoslovakia.I attended the event with my remarkable friend Gerda Svarny who was one of those children and who is now aged 95. I will be telling Gerda’s story in my next book.
Also at the screening was another of the children of the Kindertransport, Labour peer Alf Dubs, with whom I renewed an old acquaintance. In all, there were 11 surviving members of the 669 plus at least a hundred relatives of those whom Winton saved.
“One Life” is being shown this week as part of the 2023 London Film Festival and will go on general release in January 2024.
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A review of the new film “The Old Oak”
October 6th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
Ken Loach is a singular British director who addresses social issues that few others consider and does so in a characteristically humanist, even socialist, style. so it’s rather sad to learn that this is probably the last work from the 87 year old filmmaker.Following “I, Daniel Blake” (the benefits system) and “Sorry We Missed You” (the gig economy), “The Old Oak” – the title is the pub where much of the action unfolds – looks at the way some working class people (the story is set in the north-east of England) react to the arrival of refugees from war-torn Syria (the sitting is 2016). Like the previous two films, the mood is almost unremittingly grim, although this time there is an attempt to manufacture an uplifting ending.
As with all Loach’s work, the director highlights an important social issue with force and passion, but his approach is didactic. As so often, the characters are one-dimensional and the dialogue is rather leaden (the script is from Loach’s regular screenwriter Paul Laverty) and the cast is mostly unknown and inexperienced (it often shows). So a worthy, but ultimately rather underwhelming, finale from Ken Loach.
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Is Britain a world leader on reaching net zero?
September 22nd, 2023 by Roger Darlington
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he’s “proud to be a world leader in reaching net zero by 2050”, but is it a world-leading target?A total of 27 countries plus the European Union have passed net zero emission laws, according to the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank. While most of them have set a 2050 goal, Sweden and Germany are targeting 2045, Austria and Iceland have gone for 2040. Finland is aiming for 2035, and the Maldives has vowed to hit the target by 2030.
Eight countries are already net zero, according to Energy Monitor. Unfortunately, they’re among the smallest countries in the world, and have been able to achieve net zero (or in many cases are carbon negative) due to presence of large forests that absorb tonnes of carbon. These countries are Bhutan, Suriname, Panama, Guyana, Gabon, Madagascar, Comoros and Niue.
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The threat to democracy from the rise of populist parties
September 21st, 2023 by Roger Darlington
Almost one-third of Europeans now vote for populist, far-right or far-left parties, research shows, with wide support for anti-establishment politics surging across the continent in an increasingly problematic challenge to the mainstream.Analysis by more than 100 political scientists across 31 countries found that in national elections last year a record 32% of European voters cast their ballots for anti-establishment parties, compared with 20% in the early 2000s and 12% in the early 1990s.
The research, led by Matthijs Rooduijn, a political scientist at the University of Amsterdam, and shared exclusively with the “Guardian” newspaper, also found that about half of anti-establishment voters support far-right parties – and this is the vote share that is increasing most rapidly.
“There’s fluctuation, but the underlying trend is the numbers keep rising,” Rooduijn said. “Mainstream parties are losing votes; anti-establishment parties are gaining. It matters, because many studies now show that when populists secure power, or influence over power, the quality of liberal democracy declines.”
More information here.
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A review of the streaming film “The Unforgivable”
September 18th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
This story started out in 2009 as a British miniseries written by Sally Wainwright and titled “Unforgiven”. Then, in 2012, it was turned into a film and transposed to the United States as a starring vehicle for Sandra Bullock who was a co-producer.Bullock plays a woman, released from prison after 20 years for killing a cop, who is determined to track down her much younger sister who was adopted after the crime. It is slow and serious, verging on grim, but Bullock acts against type to give an impressive performance and the viewer awaits an explanation and a resolution.
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A review of the new action movie “The Equalizer 3”
September 17th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
I’ve been a fan of Denzel Washington since he played young Steve Biko In “Cry Freedom” in 1987. Back then, I would never have imagined that he would be portraying an action hero in his late 60s, but this is an actor with charisma as well as ability. Since 2001, when he starred in “Training Day”, Washington has had a working relationship with another African-American talent, director Antoine Fuqua. Making up the trio that has produced “The Equalizer” trilogy is writer Richard Wenk.So you know what to expect here and you’re not going to be disappointed. The brutal action begins pre-title and regularly returns as Italy’s Camorra meets its bloody match. It may be formulaic but it’s a successful and satisfying formula. The differences from the previous two films all add to the accomplishment: a glorious setting on the Amalfi coast, an atmospheric score from Marcelo Zarvos, and a key role for Dakota Fanning who was a child in Washington’s 2004 movie “Man on Fire”.
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A review of the new film “Love At First Sight”
September 16th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
I guess that many would call this a chic-flic. After all, it’s directed by a woman, written by a woman, and based on a novel by a woman. But I’m a bit of a sucker for rom-coms, especially those filmed in my home city of London. I didn’t expect much from this Netflix offering but I rather enjoyed it.It deploys many of the tropes of the genre, including the meet-cute (the mobile charging unit at New York’s JFK airport), but there’s a late twist that gives the plot some grit. Above all, we have two young newcomers who bring real charm to the leading roles: Haley Lu Richardson as the American girl Hadley and Ben Hardy as the British guy Oliver.
Give it a try.
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A review of “Act Of Oblivion” by Robert Harris
September 7th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
Over a period of three decades, British novelist Robert Harris has written 15 bestselling novels, mostly works of historical fiction, many set in Ancient Rome or around the Second World War. “Act Of Oblivion” is the eighth that I have read.It is classic Harris but set in a different time period: the two decades of the mid 17th century, after the epochal events of the English Civil War, the execution of King Charles I, and the restoration of King Charles II. The narrative switches between England and New England and all the named characters, except one, were real people. Unlike some of Harris’s novels, we are not sure how this will end.
The odd title comes from legislation in the English Parliament which, following the restoration, absolved all parties from prosecution, except those involved in the killing of the king. The focus is overwhelmingly on two of the regicides – Colonel Edward Whalley and his son-in-law Colonel William Goffe – who escaped to the new colonies and their intended nemesis, Richard Naylor, clerk to the Privy Council and regicide hunter-in-chief (the one invented character).
“Act Of Oblivion” is meticulously researched, wonderfully crafted, and a joy to read. We learn a good deal about how people of that time lived and died and about both the depth and the division of political thought and religious belief of that era. It is bound to be adapted for television or cinema.
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A review of the 1953 classic film “Tokyo Story”
September 6th, 2023 by Roger Darlington
When film critics worldwide are polled on the best films ever made, this Japanese work directed and co-written by the famous Yasujiro Ozu usually comes in the top batch. It is a classic art house movie: black and white, slow, minimalist, portentous and shot in a very distinctive style (lots of static, low shots and wide angle scenes inside small rooms).It is a simple tale of post-war, intergenerational relationships within a family, told in a gentle, closely-observed manner, centred on a visit to the Japanese capital by an elderly couple – who live in a rural location with one of their daughters – to see their son and the other daughter who are not exactly thrilled by the occasion. It is a quiet and oddly moving piece.
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