To answer these questions, it is worth knowing the turning points in the dramatic fate of the ancestors of this outstanding actress. Well, Helena Bonham Carter is the great-granddaughter of the British Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, as well as the granddaughter of the Spanish diplomat, Eduardo Propper de Callejón, who issued over 30,000 visas to Jews during World War II so that they could safely get to Spain.
Helena Bonham Carter’s grandfather saved Jews from the Holocaust
In the film “One Life”, the actress plays Bebette Winton, the mother of Nicholas (Johnny Flynn/Anthony Hopkins). Thanks to them, over 669 children were saved from the hands of the Nazis and placed in British foster homes! The association comes to mind because both the film’s Babette Winton and Helena Bonham Carter’s grandfather were actively involved in saving Jews from extermination, risking their lives.
As we read in the film’s announcement, Eduardo Propper de Callejón served as the first secretary of the Spanish embassy in Nazi-occupied Paris in the early 1940s. Sensitive to human harm, the man did not intend to passively watch the tragic developments during World War II. He decided to get involved in helping Jews. Ultimately, he saved approximately 30,000 people by signing transit visas so that Jews persecuted by the Nazis could ultimately reach Portugal.
Eduardo Propper de Callejón died in 1972 in London, at the age of 77. Interestingly, while he was alive, he never received public recognition for his heroic actions. Only in 2007 was Eduardo officially recognized as “Righteous Among the Nations” by Yad Vashem, the authority of Holocaust remembrance in Israel. In this matter, the testimony of Austrian Archduke Otto von Habsburg turned out to be crucial, as he revealed his knowledge of Propper de Callejón’s actions during the Nazi occupation of France during an interview with Felix Pfeifel.
Having such an ancestor, it is hardly surprising that Helena Bonham Carter was extremely excited when she was invited to participate in the production of “One Life”. The British actress, who was born on May 26, 1966 in London, carefully prepared for the role.
– Before the script came into my hands, I read Barbara Winton’s book titled “One Life: The True Story of Sir Nicholas Winton”. While reading, I came to the conclusion that Babi Winton was an extremely brave, exceptional woman and mother. I really wanted to play her, she admitted in an interview with movieweb.com. – I also had the extraordinary fortune to talk to the author of the book, and the granddaughter of the character I played, just before her death (Barbara Winton died of lung cancer – editor’s note). I became convinced that this was a unique film project. And yet it is particularly close to me because of a certain analogy in the fate of the main character, Nicholas, and my grandfather, she added.
Bonham Carter also recalls meeting the son of the main character of the drama with tears in his eyes. – Nick Jr. Winton came up to me after one of the special pre-premiere screenings and admitted that he got emotional during the screening and thanked me very much for making this film and for starring in it. He was very happy that I played his grandmother (…) I also realized that this type of films should be made because we still need such Wintons in the world – heroes! People who are not afraid to make sacrifices, she confessed.
“One life”. What is the movie about? When is the premiere?
The action of the film “One Life” takes place in 1938, when a young Briton, Nicholas Winton, during a visit to Prague, discovers that thousands of families who escaped from the Nazis in Germany and Austria are living here in dramatic conditions, often without shelter or food. The German invasion of Czechoslovakia is only a matter of weeks away, and then the fate of the refugees will be decided. Nicholas decides to do everything in his power to save as many people in need as possible.
Together with a group of colleagues, he organizes transports of children who go from Prague to England in search of a safe shelter. How many lives will be saved before the borders are closed? After 40 years, Nicholas still looks back on those days, asking himself about the fate of the survivors and blaming himself for not being able to save everyone. Meanwhile, unexpectedly, fate will add a moving epilogue to this story.
In addition to Helena Bonham Carter, the cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce, Johnny Flynn and Lena Olin. The production was directed by James Hawes, one of the creators of the series “Black Mirror”. The film’s premiere in Poland is scheduled for May 31.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
