What are they? Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War, 80 minutes on one disc; The Nazi Games: Berlin 1936, one hour on one disc, both from PBS
How much? $24.99 for each
When? Now
Who were the Sharps and what war? Waitstill and Martha Sharp were a Unitarian minister and his wife who were recruited to go to Nazi-occupied Europe to help political dissidents, Jews and other endangered people.
Beginning in Prague in 1939, the Sharps worked to provide food and financial help to refugees while also doing all they could to help people escape. It was dangerous work and ultimately took a great toll on the Sharp family.
The documentary, directed by Ken Burns and Sharp grandson Artemis Joukowsky, tells their story through newsreel footage, photographs, interviews and readings from letters, journals and memoirs. (Tom Hanks does the voice-over work for Waitstill.)
It's a fascinating, moving story that also, at times, functions as a suspenseful spy adventure. Martha's journey through Germany with a refugee group and Waitstill's experience rescuing several high-profile people from southern France are downright harrowing.
The Sharps' dedication and work was inspiring, but they were also human and this film does an excellent job of revealing the scope of events while also keeping it deeply personal. Interviews with some of the people the Sharps helped (all of whom were children at the time) are particularly effective.
What were the Nazi Games? The Olympic games, actually, which were held in Berlin in 1936.
According to the historians interviewed for this documentary, many elements we associate with the modern Olympic games can be traced to the 1936 Olympics: the grand spectacle, the massive arenas and village, the idea of televising the games, even the torch relay all really began in Berlin.
There was also a lot of political maneuvering going on behind the scenes with plenty of officials being strong-armed or bribed one way or another. And the Nazis' policies led to many real and threatened boycotts.
Watching, one is given a sense of just how political the games and the International Olympic Committee were (and still are) and how Hitler and his people used the games to their advantage.
It's more an overview than an in-depth feature. There are a lot of angles and stories worth exploring in the 1936 Olympics and this just touches on a few. But it's a good primer for anyone interested in the history of the games or in Nazi Germany and its pre-war relationship with the rest of the world.
Ultimately, one is left with a pretty cynical view of the Olympics in general.
New this week: Bates Motel, Season 4; Downton Abbey, complete collection; Guilt, Season 1; Mr. Selfridge, complete series; The Night Of, limited series; Teen Wolf, Season 5, Part 2; Wallander, complete series.
Next week: Agatha Raisin, Season 1; Ancient Aliens, Season 9; Janet King, Season 2.
Style on 10/16/2016