Weapons of the Spirit

This is a movie about 5000 heroes. Not 300. 5000 men, women, teen-agers, and children, in a small mountain town in France, who saved 5000 Jews from the Nazis during WWII. That the story is not well-known is incredible. It is not the fault of this movie documentary, which is superbly-crafted. Excellent photography, editing, music...and the effect! Sadly, I know only one other person who has seen this movie, another 50-plus male. We both happened to tune in to PBS late at night, quite by accident, and saw Bill Moyers introduce the film and the filmmaker, Pierre Sauvage, who was himself saved by the people of Le Chambon when he was an infant, along with his parents. My friend and I both wept great hot tears of shame, astonishment, and joy as we watched and listened to these consummately unselfish people recall their service (in French, with subtitles!). We are not sissies. This is no ordinary movie.

As a film, it is far better than Shindler's List. I suppose the music of Shindler may be better. I doubt that Spielberg is a better filmmaker than Sauvage. I know that every single person interviewed from Le Chambon was a far more exemplary Christian than Shindler, if indeed he was anything other than the only WWII rescuer in all of Europe who was not a Christian. I fear that may be the problem: rescuers (especially Christian rescuers) are less popular subjects than scoundrels or killers. Sauvage is trying to complete a documentary about another rescuer, Varian Fry, who was in real history as daring as the "Rick" of Casablanca (Marseille). Despite the fact that Fry was apparently secular, it would appear Sauvage is unable to arouse any interest in this remarkable man and his helpers, who saved many of the Jewish intelligentsia.

Weapons of the Spirit should be shown annually, more times than "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Carol" or "The Ten Commandments". It is a better movie, and it is a better example of altruism and the triumph of good over evil. It is a message movie: the message is effective, and the world desperately needs the message. Watch this movie! Tell anyone you can about it!