WEAPONS OF THE SPIRIT (TV)
Summary
Hosted by Bill Moyers, this program presents "Weapons of the Spirit," a documentary by filmmaker Pierre Sauvage that recalls the French villagers of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, who hid Jews from the Nazis during World War II. Moyers introduces the film, which documents Sauvage's return to Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in the south of France where his family took refuge during the terror of the Holocaust. Sauvage attempts to determine why these peasant farmers risked their own lives to shield others from persecution. Topics covered include French leader Henri Philippe Petain and his support for collaboration with the Nazis; the rounding up of Jews in the streets of Paris in broad daylight in 1941; the flight of some Jews to Le Chambon; the village's population of Huguenot descendants, whose ancestors experienced their share of religious persecution as the first Protestants in Catholic France; and the confrontation between Minister of Youth George Lamirand and the young people of Le Chambon, who complained about the treatment of Jews in France. Also discussed are lingering suspicions about a Nazi commander's possible sympathetic treatment toward the Jews at Le Chambon. Those interviewed include Lamirand; members of Cimade, a regional relief agency that helped France's Jewish refugees reach Switzerland through an underground railroad; and former refugees. Many of the surviving Christians and Jews of Le Chambon discuss Pastor Andre Trocme, a conscientious objector who led a peaceful resistance against complicity with the Nazis. Included are photos of internment camps in the south of France, where detainees were held en route to the concentration camp at Auschwitz; and footage of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
The film documents Sauvage's return to Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in the south of France where his family took refuge during the terror of the Holocaust. Sauvage attempts to determine why these peasant farmers risked their own lives to shield others from persecution. In this part, as the film continues, the narrator discusses the attempts of Vichy leaders to harass residents of Le Chambon. Topics covered include the besieged Pastor Andre Trocme, who was arrested by Vichy police and freed a month later due to the efforts of Vichy sympathizer Robert Bach; the Gestapo's beating and deportation of several older male students in the summer of 1943; the deportation of the pastor's cousin, Daniel Trocme, who was eventually killed in a detention camp; and the strong spirituality of the Protestants of Le Chambon. Included is footage of the Le Chambon house where writer Albert Camus wrote his novel "The Plague," and footage of the German surrender to the French Resistance. Following the film, Moyers conducts an interview with Sauvage, who talks about his personal odyssey into world history; his inspiration for the film; the psychological aspects of the film; the qualities of the people of Le Chambon; and his thoughts about responses to evil.
Acquisition and cataloging of this program was made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: December 12, 1990 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:57:52
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:29595
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Anti-Semitism; Auschwitz (concentration camp); France - History; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945); Nazism; World War II - Concentration camps; World War II - Jews; World War II - Personal narratives
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1990
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Pierre Sauvage … Producer, Director, Writer
- Barbara M. Rubin … Co-Producer
- Betsy McCarthy … Director
- Daniel Bourguet … Music (Misc. Credits), Musical Director, For Ecumenical Choir, Tence/Le Chambon-sur-Lignon
- Ecumenical Choir, Tence/Le Chambon-sur-Lignon … Choir/Chorus
- Elisa Trocme … Music (Misc. Credits), Musical Coordinator
- Charles Gibert … Instrumentalist, Harmonica player, Singer
- Catherine Perrier … Singer
- Auguste Bohny … Instrumentalist, Organist (electronic)
- Lydie Benquet … Instrumentalist, Organist
- John Wright … Instrumentalist, Violinist
- Ted Ashford … Instrumentalist, Synthesizer
- Bill Moyers … Host, Interviewer
- Pierre Sauvage … Guest
- Robert Bach
- Albert Camus
- Adolf Hitler
- George Lamirand
- Henri Philippe Petain
- Andre Trocme
- Daniel Trocme