Nicky's Family

Nicky's Family (2011) is a Slovak/Czech documentary. It was co-written and directed by Matej Minac.

The film describes the incredible feats of Sir Nicholas George Winston, dubbed "The English Schindler." Sir Nicholas quietly--and effectively--was able to bring 669 children out of Czechoslovakia and into England after the Germans had occupied their country.

That's a remarkable story, well presented with some simulated scenes, some photos, and interviews with some of the people who were rescued.

The other remarkable part of the story is that no one knew what Sir Nicholas had accomplished until 1988--almost 50 years after the event took place. People only found out about his heroic work when his wife happened upon a scrapbook he had kept.

It's fascinating that, once war started and no children could be rescued, Sir Nicholas put the whole enterprise behind him. He didn't identify himself to the children he had saved. He didn't even tell his wife. This may not be totally accurate. He had mentioned what he had done when he ran for local office. (From Wikipedia.) However, the scrapbook and the BBC are what gave him international recognition.

Director Minac made a decision about the last part of the film with which I don't completely agree. He shows us that many people have been inspired to do charity work because of Winston's example. My thought is that this feel-good part of the documentary doesn't answer the questions I have about the man himself. Why didn't he follow up his work and stay connected with the children he had saved? What happened in his life between the end of the rescue operation and public fame in 1988? And, most importantly, why did he do what he did in 1938-39? Sir Winston died in 2015. We almost certainly will never know the answer to the last question.

We saw this film on the small screen, where it worked very well. It's a fascinating story, and the movie is definitely worth seeking out and watching.

Nicky Winton now 104 years old is shown to be a key figure in the Kindertransport. This was an active program to move at risk children in the Czech republic, who are sure to be harmed by Hitler's regime changes.

He is able to save 669 children before the invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. A lot of these children lost their parents in the concentration camps. Not surprisingly, most of the kids who were not able to get to England also perished in these camps.

There are interviews with the children he brought over and we see them with their families. Due to Sir Winton's actions, his family has grown to over 5,700 persons (survivor, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren).

What struck me is how humble Sir Nicky Winton about all that he did during this operation. For a long time, these children did not know who was responsible for saving their lives, because of his humility.

There is a book being released about Sir Winton in May 2014, I hope the book is as good as this movie.

I didn't know what to expect from this movie. After viewing so many Holocaust related films over the years, the themes seem to melt into one another. In my searches, I've learned about the name and location of the camps, the names of the most terrible people, and the sociology of a nation that surprisingly contracted, almost overnight, a deep mental illness that it did not wish to free itself from. That illness was hate.

This movie, however, after the first half of it, kept me in tears. I am a man who finds it extremely difficult to cry, except on occasions when I watch a touching movie or read a heartfelt book. Without those avenues, I am unable to shed a tear. But this film was so completely able to bring out of me tears by witnessing the impact the good deeds of one man can cause through a kind of domino effect.

Nicholas Winton, still alive today at 105, is a man worthy of all the honors bestowed on him. He is a hero of the highest caliber due to his unflinching commitment to save the lives of 700 Czech children during the advance of the Third Reich into Czechoslovakia in 1938.

What he did was provide for these children English families to adopt them. Tirelessly he worked to sometimes forge papers in order to save children he barely knew, all out of an altruistic character not often seen in stock brokers, which he was prior to making a visit with a friend to inspect for himself what Hitler was causing within Czechoslovakia. That visit changed his life forever, for the good of hundreds of Czech children.

Nicky wrote hundreds of letters seeking aid from all countries, and fashioned pictorial listings of all the kids for selection by their future parents, but only one country was willing to open their hearts to these desperate children, England.

Because of his work, Nicky now has a "family" of some 5800 offspring from the grown children he arranged to secure passage to a new life in England. The kindness of the English people shown to these children makes me extremely proud of British countrymen and women. It was stated on the film, that the poorest of English people were the most compassionate and loving.

Watch the documentary, but be sure to have Kleenex sitting by you as you will, without a doubt, be very moved.

This is a must watch!. One man changed the lives of thousands and wanted nothing in return. His story remained his secret for 50 years until an old scrapbook tucked away in the attic came to light. Even his wife and son did not know this story. So many rejected the story, but one had the courage to tell it. The legacy of this man has now grown into the thousands. His compassionate heart has allowed us to go to the next frontier. He has inspired thousands of people to just step out and help without judgment. We can each find a way to change the world with just a bit of caring. Think about what you can do.

I think I cried through most of the movie. Extremely touching story. A must see.