Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War

I was able to find a DVD copy of this powerful documentary at my local library. The film, co-directed by Ken Burns and Artemis Joukowsky, is narrated by Tom Hanks and Marina Goldman.

The movie depicts the dangerous and harrowing missions of Waitstill and Martha Sharp, who prior to and during WW2 ventured from their home in Massachusetts all across the continent of Europe. As members of the Unitarian Church, and despite the peril of the times, they felt compelled to aid and help Jews and other persecuted peoples, with their goal being to save them from Nazi extermination. Certainly, an important part of their mission was also to save as many children as possible, helping organize their departure from Nazi occupied lands, as their parents were unable to obtain visas.

I thought the documentary was meticulously researched, quite engrossing, and contained a good balance of archival footage, photographs, eyewitness accounts, and interviews.

Overall, this is a strong addition to the list of films that have depicted the bravery and self-sacrifice of those persons, such as the Sharps, who risked their own lives to save so many amidst the Nazi horrors in WW2.