Documentaries by Pierre Sauvage

Weapons of the Spirit

REMASTERED EDITION for HOME USE.

—"An absolutely extraordinary story about matter-of-fact heroes. In a hundred years, it is likely to be timely still."
Tom Shales, Washington Post

All prices shown are guaranteed through Election Day, November 3, 2026.

Also available:
For INSTITUTIONAL & PUBLIC PERFORMANCE use: https://documentariesbypierresauvage.vhx.tv/products/weapons-of-the-spirit-institutional
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The award-winning documentary that recounts the saga of the village and the area of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, France, during the Nazi occupation. This mountain Huguenot community provided the most dense, long-lasting and successful haven of refuge from the Holocaust anywhere in occupied Europe. Filmmaker Pierre Sauvage and his family

DURING A SPIRITUAL PLAGUE,
THERE WAS A CONSPIRACY OF GOODNESS!

—"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 of 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 documentary at the American Mission to the U.N.

"The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time."
Rep. John Lewis, in an essay sent to the New York Times two days before his death in 2020.

In and around that one village and the surrounding plateau, some 5,000 Jews were sheltered―by some 5,000 Christians.

This is a story Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Pierre Sauvage was born to tell: born and protected in Le Chambon, he returned just in time to chronicle and probe the event—with the help of the people—Christians and Jews—who lived it.

This edition of the film was newly remastered in 2026. Upon its original release, the documentary received rave reviews, a dozen awards, theatrical bookings in over fifty markets (seven weeks in New York, Los Angeles, etc.), and two prime-time broadcasts on PBS hosted by Bill Moyers.

It was while stranded in the area of Le Chambon at that time that writer Albert Camus worked on his profoundly relevant allegorical novel "The Plague."

IS IT NOT ESPECIALLY VALUABLE TODAY…
—as polarization and demonization of the “other” increases,
—as a great yearning for renewed solidarity remains unfulfilled,
—as antisemitic incidents become more numerous,
—as many Christians seek to build on their faith, while religious faith recurringly proclaims itself in violence,
—as we begin focusing at last on the responsibility of bystanders,
—to learn from people who were incapable of standing idly by,
TO PROBE THE WEAPONS OF THE SPIRIT?

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

—“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

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