Helena Bonham Carter's Emotional Discovery of Her Grandfathers Past | My Grandparents' War

[@Channel4Entertainment]

Watch the FULL episode on All 4: bit.ly/361nQ54

[@chelseythomas6246]

Would love to watch this, But the video link you share is UK & I'm from the USA. This is one thing I HATE about the UK to USA, We in the USA get half the good things.

[@benbrown8258]

I'm not sure I can. This segment had me weeping seeing how good can spread. I wonder with news of late if I had forgotten that to some degree.

[@angeladawn805]

Sadly the app isn't available in NZ :(

[@denis5782]

@@angeladawn805 use a VPN

[@AidaJof]

Not available in Canada either.

[@covenmothergaming]

She is the reason why I named my daughter Helena. She embodies talent, uniqueness, kindness, etiquette, and legacy. The kind I wish I had more of.

[@leokorn1629]

Did you tell that your daughter?

[@covenmothergaming]

@@leokorn1629 I did and do 😊 there are also other reasons I named her that too that I tell her about lmao

[@mickelin100]

shes one of a kind...your words are just on the point

[@S71597]

@@covenmothergaming please tell me you’re a my chemical romance fan too lol

[@covenmothergaming]

@@S71597 I am indeed lol

[@ishuika]

Her great grandfather was the Former Prime Minster of the United Kingdom and her grandfather was a Spanish diplomat who helped facilitate the escape of thousands of Jews............wow talk about some good genes!

[@avalondreaming1433]

And I believe she's related to Churchill as well.

[@avalondreaming1433]

@@louisehorn8049 Are you that ignorant of history, or just being facetious? The Holocaust!!!

[@ishuika]

@@louisehorn8049 the Nazis obviously

[@ishuika]

@@avalondreaming1433 wow really?

[@opheliawinfrey9501]

Ishika Patel Ikr good genes indeed and hey there fellow BLINK 👋

[@thenodfather7790]

That's what I love about Helena Bonham Carter, you might think she's in some kind of Period Drama but NO, it's her regular clothes.

[@anuncolonizedmind6296]

She looks lovely

[@beckybaur7064]

Yes! She is herself! And I love her hat!

[@ilikeyoutube836]

She is a lovely, eccentric, unique, and fascinating woman

[@starriderkittykat9064]

She looks like she's trying to look poor but yet I bet that hat cost a pretty penny..lol

[@alex-fs9yt]

Same

[@Susan.I]

It should never be lost that Helena Bonham Carter's grandfather made all these Jewish lives go on to be possible! He was a man of great humanity!!!!!

[@itxongphan9567]

What an amazing pay-it-forward story! Just incredible... Helena must be very proud. 👏✌💌

[@maryvillesvik9070]

What is that Hebrew saying...you save 1 life and you save the world...?

[@maryvillesvik9070]

@Bellatrix Black Lestrange 😊

[@glenbartholomew1058]

Never doubt that 'One humanitarian act an sprout a whole tree of humanity'.

[@jonathanfraser6738]

There is a saying in the Talmud" If you save one life , its as if yuove saved the whole world". The Qu'ran has a similar saying

[@lonelylionsingle7582]

Not only is Helena Bonham Carter a amazing actress in doing different types of roles but also a fantastic human being that cares about others & have a big loving heart...So fantastic story to see that her relatives had such good impact in saving lives despite all the bad that was happening during the war

[@withabackpack]

WOW, she pronounced the surname "Walinski" without an accent. She sounded like a Polish native speaker with a voice of angel.

[@sophierose8940]

Exactly!

[@RealFarknMcCoy]

The surname was Balinsi, not Walinski. You can look him up on Wikipedia: Michel Balinski.

[@withabackpack]

​@@RealFarknMcCoy oh you're right! Helena still sounds like an angel though!

[@canavero4288]

they actually pronounced it wrong lol. Balinski is not said "bahlinskee" its "bahleenskee". I'm a native polish speaker, your standards must be low for languages xd

[@withabackpack]

@@canavero4288 I am a native Polish speaker too and probably a deaf one by your standards ;) Pozdrawiam.

[@jackharper8307]

That woman does look EXACTLY like her grandmother especially in profile.

[@karenshort3776]

Does that matter. How much do you look like your Grandfathers?

[@lornam3637]

@@karenshort3776 It is very special. My daughter looks like my darling Granny. My Granny had the most beautiful wavy hair and I used to stare and stare at it as she brushed it. Now my daughter's hair is the image of her Great Granny's. I wish so much they could have met (my daughter is even named after her). But it does give me great comfort and delight to see that my Granny is still with us in a tiny way.

[@karenshort3776]

@@lornam3637 I have my grandmother eyes and on the other side I have my grandfather noses.

That´s true!

[@yourenglishclasses]

@@karenshort3776 One of my sisters is the spitting image of my late grandmother who unfortunately passed away when my Mum was only 10, so yes it dies matter

[@nanonano03]

Helena Bonham Carter is probably my most fave narrator. I love listening to her narrations.

[@alaurahwillow155]

I'm currently in the middle of listening to her narrating The Secret Garden on Audible. She's fantastic. You forget that she is doing all the voices herself.

[@nanonano03]

@@alaurahwillow155 ohhh i have to check that out (Secret Garden). Been looking for that somewhere. My ears were onced blessed by Helena's 10-hour narration of Anne Frank's Diary. Too bad i couldn't find it anymore here in YT.

[@alaurahwillow155]

@@nanonano03 It’s on Audible too ☺️

[@nanonano03]

@@alaurahwillow155 cool! Thanks! ^_^

[@afterIaughter]

her voice is just so calming ? i love her accent 🥰

[@Serai3]

The man who saves one life saves the world entire.

[@Andrea-xs4ny]

Simply amazing history! My own grandfather forged documents, one after the other, late at night, after working all day. I don't know how many people he saved, but he and his family, which includes my father as a young man, worked with Wallenberg and his network.

[@FreedomofSpeech865]

Bless him and all who worked to save others. How quickly we can diminish others humanity.

[@jonathanfraser6738]

That's amazing. I had hoped the fallof the Soviet Union might reveal what hapened to Wallenberg but it hasnt. What happened to your grandfather?

[@Andrea-xs4ny]

@@jonathanfraser6738 Thanks for asking. He went into hiding and survived the Holocaust and finally escaped during the Hungarian Revolution (1956) and settled in England. He had been an artist (painter) and those skills transferred to him being able to meticulously create the fraudulent paperwork for Jews during WWII.

[@bruscifer]

How terribly proud Helena must be of her Grandfather! A truly brave and decent man. What a wonderful story.

[@reychafamex9450]

Helena's right about small acts of humanitarianism. During this exact same time period, the Mexican ambassador to France at the time, Don Gilberto Bosques, was also issuing visas to Spanish Republicans fleeing Franco's grip, and also many, many Jews fleeing persecution. Which is why there is a large population of Jews in Mexico City. Extraordinary courage demonstrated by these men and women, in face of such evil.

[@el-pamidala9882]

Ho Feng-Shan, the consul-general for the Republic of China in Vienna during World War II, also risked his life and career to save tens of thousands Jews by issuing them visas, disobeying the instruction of his superiors.

[@MsMesem]

The présent evil is much much greater, on every corner of thé planet.

[@snoopygonewilder]

Its funny you say about there being a lot of Jews in Mexico City: My maternal grandfather was a first generation American, from Polish Jew parents--My great-grandparents came over from Poland before the war as far as I know, and met in NYC--My grandfather went to Mexico City to find a nice Jewish girl to marry, but instead he found himself a nice atheist girl and took her back to his mother... and so here I am about 70 years later.

[@thelionandthebee1933]

And even so there were still in the midst of this evil courageous men, women and children willing and able to rise up and resist the evil under cover of darkness, at times just saving one life at a time, but rise and tried and succeeded they did. Be strong and of good courage. Fear not.

[@annemarietobias]

@@MsMesem My dear, I don't agree, it just seems more personal... more present. How old are you? The evil today is ancient. Perhaps what is greater, today, is the power of our technology and the impact that evil has. On the lives of millions, even billions. But the evil itself has changed little. Greed for wealth and power, the hunger for dominion, avarice and envy, the inhumane use and abuse of human beings by human beings. We are actually far more civilized and less violent today that ever before. Even with the rise of hate and bigotry over the last 4 years... this is a humanity facing its own darkness. By this time last century, millions were already dead... we will face our evil and we will relinquish it or pass into the fossil record.

[@gloriahanes5338]

Helena Bonham Carter - She always struck me as a caring and endearing person so no surprise it runs in the family.

[@whimsysmith2835]

The man who founded UNICEF was himself saved as a child.... something for me to to keep in mind the next time "paying it forward" seems naively optimistic. Cynicism only protects our own heart. Be brave, because optimism isn't naive it is refusing to close your heart to others even when that puts you at risk. That is my lessonnfrom this anyway.

[@AJ-yw7hf]

Well said.

[@pinstripesuitandheels]

Beautiful!

[@whimsysmith2835]

Thank you both!

[@carolinapires361]

Not as a child, he was the grandfather in the picture

[@pechaa]

Yes! It is cynicism and violence that are naive! I realized this when watching my son play as a child. So many grown men (and a few women) trying to demonstrate their toughness and assert their might are only playing in the grownup world with their childhood brains.

[@aadhyachintala8532]

anybody else finding this gold about a year later?

[@eleanorharris6576]

Helena Bonham Carter's performance in The Crown Season 4 is beautiful.

[@suelyons531]

Helena is truly my favorite actress and person.

[@skontheroad2666]

I have absolutely always adored Helena Bonham-Carter. Is this part of a longer program?

[@clarissathompson]

The link to to full episode is posted at the top of the comments

[@1adadada]

Takeaway.. when the laws are corrupt then defying them becomes the morally lawful thing to do..

[@ChocookieMonster]

There's a famous proverb (often attributed to Brecht) saying "Wenn Unrecht zu Recht wird, wird Widerstand zur Pflicht", which in English is roughly "when injustice becomes the law, resistance becomes an obligation"

[@khanmaida]

Like what Israel is doing right now, inhumane laws for the Palestinians. It's sad we're watching history repeat itself and the Israeli Jews are bring terrible now themselves.

[@ChocookieMonster]

@@khanmaida yes, and this is actually the worst aspect of it for me - they should know better! The oppressed becoming the oppressors just makes me lose all hope in humanity :(

[@sisuguillam5109]

@Volkfire mmmm 182 followers... no content. Who has a case of the 'entitlements' now?

[@titanoboa7165]

Today, January 10, 2020, it is more true than ever before (with the understanding that truth is truth and doesn't grow or shrink, it is only our perception that it does so).

[@afterIaughter]

okay, but her voice is so calming and her accent?? i love her, she is just amazing

[@theaansel8738]

Trees of humanitarian Acts growing all over the world over time, how wonderful.

[@clmntbk]

For those who would like to learn more about the relatives of the woman talking with Helena Bonham Carter : her father was Michel Balinski, and her great-grandfather (founder of the UNICEF, on the picture at 2:45) was Ludwik Rajchman. Both are mentioned on Wikipedia and had well-lived lifes!

[@christopherseton-smith7404]

I wonder how popular the name Rajchman was; because for most Brits over a certain age, the surname Rachman is associated with a notorious slum landlord from the 1950s and early 60s, and the term Rachmanism was coined for the extortions he employed. He too was born in Poland, survived a concentration camp, and later a labour camp in Russia before engaging in his dubious London property empire.

[@louise9489]

Amazing.

[@spdcrzy]

It goes even deeper. What a family. Her great-great-grandfather founded the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. Her great-grandfather was taught by a professor who worked directly with Louis Pasteur, and eventually founded UNICEF - AND his cousin was the guy who discovered blood typing. Her grandfather was the inventor of magnetic-core memory, a version of which ended up in Saturn V (go see Destin's tour of Huntsville on Smarter Every Day) and read-only memory (ROM). Her father was a Director Emeritus at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, one of the oldest and most prestigious schools in the world. She herself has a PhD and is a member of Doctors Without Borders. That's not even counting her extended family - including women from almost every generation - which contains mathematicians, women's rights activists, doctors, sociologists, and artists of renown. I'd argue that her family tree contains some of THE most influential individuals of Polish descent in the past 200 years.

[@bvbxiong5791]

@@spdcrzy and yet...in an instant it could have all been wiped away. crazy to think about it.

[@spdcrzy]

@@christopherseton-smith7404 popular - but they're not related. You'll notice that the entire family I mentioned left the original Polish spelling of their name, while Peter did not (and/or someone in his family changed the spelling at an earlier date). Also, he was born 400km away. LOL.

[@ChooseCompassion]

This is beautiful! UNICEF turned me into an activist at 10 years old. Over half a decade ago. I have no words.

[@jas1049]

What a truly amazing family heritage, Ms. Bonham Carter has. She must be very proud.

[@sophiedash4026]

What an amazing pay-it-forward story! Just incredible... Helena must be very proud. 👏✌💌

[@StevenCampsOut]

I loved her outlook that one humanitarian act planted grows into a tree of humanitarian acts.

[@hopezhang8278]

Absolutely love her voice. Just purchased “A Poem for Every Day of the Year” narrated by HBC and others. Her voice is just pure enjoyment.

[@19TAURUSGIRL91]

Is it like an audiobook?

[@hopezhang8278]

@@19TAURUSGIRL91 Yes it is an audiobook available on Audible.

[@nanonano03]

I enjoyed 'The Book of Hopes', also with HBC...but my fave is her narration of 'The Secret Garden'. absolutely wonderful.

[@patriciajrs46]

Thank you all here so far, for the comments about books and about poetry. I sometimes, wonder if anyone even reads poetry anymore. It's nice to see that some do.

[@Relugus]

There's one she did for radio where she played her paternal grandmother Lady Violet, based on the first volume of her diaries and letters, "Lantern Slides".

[@isabelleon3360]

My eyes watered to hear such a story, because of the pure goodness to rise above the rules and risk his life to save as many people's lives as he could...thank God for such people...Amazing💖

[@lede1810]

One act of kindness breeds another

[@hypatia4754]

As a spaniard, I always wondered if she had spanish blood, and she does!

[@Research0digo]

How?

[@MrDunkelBerry]

@@Research0digo her grandfather, Eduardo, was the one issuing all those visas to the jews so they could cross Spain to go to Portugal and board a ship to the US

[@TheNinnyfee]

You really never know how your one tiny act of humanity and kindness spreads and multiplies. ❤️

[@AJ-yw7hf]

So true.

[@legorahma]

last night i was literally reading through her wiki page and i was in awe of her ancestry and now i come across this in my recommendations

[@robertstevens1537]

Courage, Raw Courage, Thank God for your family Helena.

[@nanonano03]

so i watched this episode...it's so wonderful. these people were so great indeed. Also I just wanted to mention that in this episode there were wedding photos of HBC's parent's, and now I know where HBC got her beauty. She looks just like her mother.

[@johnculley5852]

Genealogy can reveal ancestral heroism that deserves to be remembered.

[@e-spy]

this is awesome, and much needed after the last 4 years...

Helena Bonham Carter stars in what I consider one of the best films- which is practically unknown: "The theory of flight"...Incredible actress....

[@clementmartinez121]

I don't like bullies, and blessings to you and your family.

[@broadexuk]

The unseen ripple effect of our actions roll down time. An amazing story.

[@ataavrupali5794]

Must be nice to have grandparents who fought on the good side of war....

[@cheesecakelasagna]

People paying it forward soothes my soul every time.

[@cerena]

I love how she says the woman’s grandfather’s name.

[@misssmisssymaria]

“I wonder how many people didn’t get out” Millions...

[@TheNinnyfee]

It's just so awful and heartwrecking. Just because some manipulative psychopaths wanted to blame some people for the shortcomings of the entire financial system and political elite.

[@denisemcdougal6445]

My heart weeps for all lost

[@patriciajrs46]

It's wonderful to know that acts of kindness can ripple and multiply through generations to come. Be kind. As the movie says that and have courage.

[@SrSrk98]

every country has a history like this...so many have lost their families, their lives for us to enjoy freedom today...each and every parent must teach their child about the hardships we have crossed to breathe free air today and raise kind souls as kids and be good Always! God bless good souls everywhere:) spread the love, spread kindness:)

[@kaseyx3671]

Wow she just keeps getting more and more incredible 🥺🥺 she honestly melts my heart to be honest anyone can say anything but you can't change my mind :)

[@cathybrokeit12]

Her grandfather saved so many lives

[@jolube2448]

What a story, just shows you how one kind act can help many

[@rosehepworth3365]

Wow her family story sounds so colourful as her personality is.

[@geishavampiresa]

Proves that one person can make a difference.

[@annae.9006]

Gosh, this really made me cry. xxx

[@Barbara-ld4ug]

Love you Helena, you have genes to be proud of. I always knew you are good hearted and it must come from somewhere

[@debhuntley9384]

This goes to show how interconnected we all really are!!!

[@karenrubenmoss9307]

Inspiring story, truly touching.

[@humanearthling1484]

Yes, amazing what one person can do. We have to remember that and learn from him. The thousands of lives he saves, and the many thousands now who are alive because of his actions. Amazing.

[@alexarobinson2850]

Wow, I needed this story in 2020.

[@theelmz5923]

Yes, absolutely!! Me too..

[@fancyfree8599]

A hero who understood what to do in a terrible terrible crisis. He forgot the buro crazy (bureaucracy) and saved many lives.

[@KimsLantern]

This is pretty incredible. One simple act can change so much.

[@eddihaskell]

From Wiki: "Eduardo Propper de Callejón (Helen Bonham Carter's grandfather) was officially recognised as a Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust remembrance authority in Israel, in 2008. This was accomplished by the testimony of Austrian Archduke Otto von Habsburg who had disclosed his knowledge of Propper de Callejón's actions at the Nazi occupation of France during an interview with Felix Pfeifle for the film Felix Austria (2012)".

[@eileenpollock8364]

I wished this were so, that her grandfather was named among Righteous Gentiles by Yad Vashem, as I read this story - and it was so, he was so honored.

[@thelastjohnwayne]

This video is proof that everything we do in life is important and effects everyone else. Do not waste you life.

[@downhilltwofour0082]

Every life is precious. We need to respect and protect each other. One of us might do something in our lives that will be positive for all mankind!

[@troophq]

Amazing story

[@patmullarkey7659]

Many heroes. We need to remember for all the horror there are acts of enormous courage. A tale that shows how humans are part of a complex story. A battle of hope and despair. Our choices make a difference.

[@susanr5546]

What an extraordinary man and uplifting story.

[@villanellepolastri1757]

this is the best history lesson I've ever had :) love Helena

[@johncornishlandrut]

This is so wholesome.

[@annaxf2932]

Thats soo interesting (and tbh if helena would make my history lessons i would learn so much more )

[@katherinepoindexter4380]

. I wonder how many of us are alive today due to her grandfather.

[@ExpandedPerception]

My husband's grandfather saved Jews in France by issuing passports during the occupation.

[@claudiadeuchars4814]

That's amazing, he must be very proud of his grandfather 🙏

[@ExpandedPerception]

@@claudiadeuchars4814 Thank you. He is. People like that restore one's faith in humanity. :)

[@carlosgandra7357]

Was he the portuguese ambassadour Aristides de Sousa Mendes? Because he saved thousands and thousands of jews in Bordeaux.

[@leahlee2323]

What great genes your children(if you have children) have inherited 🤍

[@Daro41B]

Who was he?

[@andreaandrea6716]

I LOVE Helena Bonham Carter.

[@tbpp6553]

Her accent ❤

[@zyxw2024]

Goosebumps.

[@jamilahana1728]

Wonderful and surprising story. That lady is the spitting image of her grand-mother ! 👍💖🙏

[@meimeihechuan]

Save one life, save one world

[@paulazappa]

Because of these humanitarian actions that I keep believing in human kind! Thank you for sharing this history. It warms the heart ❤️

[@hello-il4mm]

Helena is an icon

[@Familylawgroup]

The Jewish Talmud says “Save one life, save the world.” This story is the perfect example of that. Ms. Carter’s grandfather’s one act of saving thousands of lives (but this one life in particular) leads that person to start UNICEF which has saved millions of lives over the world. This story shows that concept better than any other I have seen.

[@magma9138]

Beautiful Souls!

[@NSankeerthUrkec]

Omg I didn't know this... she had a really great fam history

[@aly5664]

I couldn't be more grateful that my Jewish ancestors left Bavaria when they did in the 1850s. My heart truly breaks for those who weren't able to leave.

[@lits3212]

These stories just completely get to me. How fantastic and beautiful.

[@ewazizemska781]

Thank You Helena to your granfather ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@Winstonchurchill-s6q]

She is so pretty, and I love the hat

[@janedoe5229]

That woman and her grandmother: TWINS!!

[@youdoonedoes3984]

Thank you. Out of the blue, this left me quite emotional. Subbed.

[@Nesiantink]

her voice is amazing

[@dawn2wells]

The positive comments are ❤❤❤❤

[@alex-fs9yt]

Her grandfather was a legend🥺

[@ChristynaPatterson]

Did that lady say her grandfather founded UNICEF? that's just wow that Helena's grandfather helped them flee so that could happen

[@williamaperrow636]

That was smart. Skirting the Pyrenees mountains by cutting toward the coast in their trek to freedom through Spain. Those mountains are quite a challenge.

[@s.l.cruson8744]

Helen's skin is absolutely lovely. Perfection.

[@GayleGruenberg]

"He who saves one life saves a world"

[@irishelk3]

I love her.

[@udraj914]

I have heard of Japanese diplomat (Chiune Sugihara ) in Lituania at the time did the same thing, issued transit visas to thousands of jewish families, against the wishes of the govt. He was fired for that, and was reduced to poverty until Israel honoured him. and the year 2020 is even named after him in Lituania. Such stories are always wholesome

[@zlatkajupe]

Could you imagine finding out that your Grandfather saved probably hundreds if not thousands of lives?

[@oliviapetrinidimonforte6640]

I had such a great great grandfather; makes you value your own life.

[@claudebylion9932]

Helena is a really weird but utterly wonderful lady. Beautiful !!😍😍😍

[@christineterry3079]

She such a beautiful Actress and talented i love her dramas on Tv and films , fascinating story what a good kind man her granfather was she must be very proud off him ..🙏❤

[@NorthMountainFairy]

What a wonderful history he left for his family and for those he aided in escaping the nazis and their future generations.

[@harleyquinn5774]

The Old Guard movie comes to mind.

[@loveunderlaw]

LOVED HELENA IN FIGHT CLUB!!! WOW I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S 20 YEARS OLD🧐👀