The Three Musketeers - Milady, Godzilla Minus One and One Life

 

I should have read my review of the first part of this trilogy when I said I would watch the second "only if it had Constance". Well she appeared briefly but no enough to save it. The first half was a complete mess, I had no idea what was going on. Fortunately the second half did have a proper story and some interesting twists and turns. The Three Musketeers - Milady does have dazzling photography, and superb costumes. But the stupid king and his obnoxious and evil brother are just pantomime villains. As is Milady. Indeed, the whole thing had an essence of stupidity. There is one late death that was appalling and totally spoilt the whole thing. The ending is all set up for the final instalment. The only reason I will go is having invested so much so far. 

I was surprised that there was a wonderful human story at the heart of Godzilla Minus One. So the monster is only used sparingly which was fine. There are impressive special effects and the sound design is terrific. The only downside was the hysterical Japanese acting that fortunately only surfaces now and then. But overall, a decent story, and some great characters, And "minus one"? Well, Japan thought it could not sink any lower after the devastation of the nuclear attack at the end of WW2 and what that did for the Japanese character. They were wrong, it did get worse when Godzilla rears his ugly head.

"Save one life, save the world". The story of Nicholas Winton organising the rescue of 669 predominately Jewish children from Prague in the weeks before the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia is told with unremitting tension right until the end. One Life is an extraordinary film, I guess almost totally true in every aspect. I thought the structure worked extremely well with Anthony Hopkins playing the elderly Winton in 1988 looking back to everything that was necessary for his plan to work. Johnny Flynn plays his younger self  determined to do something and save as many children as he could. The film pulls no punches with the final train holding the largest contingent being held and then emptied by the arriving Nazis. And that horror still felt by Winton through the decades. 

The acting is all top drawer with Helena Bonham Carter leading the way with Romola Garai,  Jonathon Pryce and other class British talent. The final scenes are almost an exact replica of the television programme "That's Life" from 1988 and they are completely emotional. The director James Hawes (mainly known for TV dramas) has made a marvellous movie, and a story that had to be told, There is an article in the Guardian by Mathew Reisz about his father, the film director Karel Reisz, who was one of those children who were saved. He refused to take part in Esther Ranzen's programme as Mathew says the film "betrays him". But he doesn't say exactly how. Maybe he wanted the limelight instead of Winton? I think he must have been alluding to missing subsequent events such as the 1988 Holocaust conference. Thank goodness it did. It might have spoilt an otherwise brilliant film.