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Comments About
Weapons of the Spirit

soon to be released in a remastered 30th-anniversary edition

"I’ve seen [the] film several times, but what is striking about re-watching it is that the questions it asks—both of its subjects and its viewers – always feel profoundly relevant. Today, as you will see, is no exception."
        Samantha Power, then U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, introducing a sneak preview screening of the 30th-anniversary edition at the American Mission to the U.N.

"The remastered version of the film is even more moving than the earlier one. The Chambonnais’ humanity, sincerity and nobility are even more evident. Truly a masterpiece dealing with the extraordinary faith of simple people."
        Renée Silver, Jewish survivor from Le Chambon

"Reveals a luminous episode in the otherwise somber story of France under the Nazi occupation, wisely letting the inhabitants of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon explain in their own words, simply and without ostentation, how they helped Jewish refugees in distress. They took for granted that one lives by the commandment to love one’s neighbor. The story of Le Chambon still matters profoundly today, for, as one of its citizens observes, our neighbor is just down the street."
        Robert O. Paxton, prominent historian of Nazi-occupied France, author of "Vichy France" and "The Anatomy of Fascism"

""When I first saw this film, I thought it was a powerful, indeed superb, documentary. Having recently seen the newly re-mastered edition of the film, I am still of that opinion."
        Christopher R. Browning, prominent historian of the Final Solution, author of "Ordinary Men"

"[A] very powerful and moving documentary.  [I]n a world where we can't take our shared values for granted, the lesson of the Righteous Among the Nations from Le Chambon reminds up that even alone, we are not powerless, we are not without responsibility.  There is always a choice to be made.  It's up to us to make it."
        François Delattre, French Ambassador to the United Nations

"If you wish to learn what more men and women could have done to save Jews, watch Pierre Sauvage's poignant documentary. It is superb!"
        Elie Wiesel, witness, author, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

"A very fine documentary about some people who managed, miraculously, to overlook their tribal and religious differences and just see their common plight as human beings."
        R. Crumb, cartoonist

"An inquiry into the nature of goodness and a personal odyssey. Moving and provocative. Enormously uplifting. What an extraordinary story."
        David Ansen, Newsweek

"No matter how many times one sees Pierre Sauvage's masterpiece, it never fails to move us deeply.  Weapons of the Spirit is a living monument and the most compelling document we possess regarding the rescue of Jews during the Shoah on the Plateau Vivarais-Lignon in south-central France.  As we look into the faces of the rescuers, we experience first-hand their peaceful demeanor, their modesty, simplicity, and serenity, and, forty years after the events in question, their absolute astonishment that anyone could possibly consider what they did anything other than normal human behavior.  No written account could ever have more convincingly passed this information on to future generations."
        Dr. Patrick Henry, Cushing Eells Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Whitman College, and author, We Only Know Men: The Rescue of Jews in France during the Holocaust

"The astonishing story it tells and the memories it preserves are beyond value."
        Caryn James, New York Times

"Is no rare thing to be moved to tears or shocked into silence when watching a documentary about the Holocaust. but to find yourself laughing out loud, feeling exhilarated and full of hope for humankind? A thoughtful, challenging, timely work."
        Ed Weiner, TV Guide

"Perhaps the most extraordinary display of moral choice in this century. One jaw-dropping tale after another. A great moral adventure."
        Robert Koehler, Los Angeles Times

"A fascinating chapter of history intersecting an unsurpassingly personal saga. A rare glimpse of the true spirit of Christianity in action. Internationally marketable. With the grimmest possible backdrop, filmmaker has still been able to tell an upbeat tale, and to make his own subjective experience universally accessible. Top new film of any kind at the [A.F.I. Film Festival] was probably 'Weapons of the Spirit.' "
        Todd McCarthy, Variety

"A personal and modest masterpiece that can be compared to the best achievements of the monumental Shoah and The Sorrow and the Pity."
        André Pierre Colombat, The Holocaust in French Film (Scarecrow Press, 1993)

"Incroyable—as compelling and exciting as fiction. A film that will be around for a long time."
        Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times

"Astonishing. Olympian. Emotionally wrenching. Bulging with profound questions of morality, responsibility and religion."
        Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer

"Superb, haunting, extraordinary. A most beautiful, noble, inspiring and inspired film. An astonishing tale. Totally different, unique. Almost throughout, I was crying. Please, PLEASE, do not miss this film.You will leave the theatre feeling your heart and soul have been cleansed and lightened. GO, GO, GO!"
        Lillie F. Rosen, Jewish Journal, New York, NY