A rare film about ideas, Margarethe von Trotta's biopic dramatizes the controversy that erupted when Hannah Arendt (Barbara Sukowa), a Jewish philosopher who held a teaching post at New York's New School (Arendt fled Germany for the United States in 1941), covered the 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem for The New Yorker. Deeply troubled by the actions of her mentor and former lover, Martin Heidegger (Klaus Pohl)—who had joined the Nazi party and expressed no remorse after the war—Arendt felt driven to directly confront the face of fascism. But after attending the court sessions—real excerpts are presented here in archival footage—she portrayed the defendant, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust, not as a satanic monster but rather as a mediocre man who abandoned his moral judgment in the service of authority—a living embodiment of what she called “the banality of evil.” Attacked by many—including most of her faculty colleagues—for her views (which also directed blame at the failure of European Jewish leaders), Arendt held her ground in the face of often vitriolic criticism (today, her thesis about the brutal effects of a totalitarian regime on ordinary people's ability to think for themselves is incredibly influential). Von Trotta paints an elegant and eloquent portrait of Arendt, aided by Sukowa's subtle, nuanced performance, which conveys the intensity simmering beneath her character's apparently placid exterior. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a Q&A session with director Margarethe von Trotta, writer Pam Katz, costars Barbara Sukowa and Janet McTeer, and advisor Jerome Kohn, director of the Hannah Arendt Center (41 min.), a “making-of” featurette (30 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), a trailer, and a 20-page booklet with essays, historical bios, and a timeline. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a smart bio-pic.] (F. Swietek)
Hannah Arendt
Zeitgeist, 113 min., in German w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $34.99, Nov. 19 Volume 28, Issue 6
Hannah Arendt
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