Ms. von Trotta's film portrays Hannah Arendt at the time in her life when she wrote one of her most influential books, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, and the furor that came after its publication in 1963. There were two points presented in the New Yorker magazine article that she wrote, compiled shortly thereafter and published as a 300-plus-page book, which were considered the source of the grief among the Jewish community: First is her disdain in calling a Eichmann a "monster" and claims that that would only feed his illusions of superiority born out of his want to escape the humdrum existence of being regarded as just a mere cog in the Nazi killing machine with no motives or intentions or trace of mental illness whatsoever, somebody who is just following orders. Second is her view that the Jewish leaders have made decisions which endangered the Jewish people even more and the number of people that have perished in the Shoah would not have been as overwhelmingly immense if they were unorganized. It is the methodical and critical stance in detailing her observations of the Eichmann trial, that made her a much reviled figure in the Jewish community whose wounds and traumas brought on by WWII were still fresh, most of whom are either haven't even read the articles themselves or too much upset to continue reading it.
It is Arendt's relationship with her close family and friends that makes most of the film, shows a more sensitive and sentimental side to a personality that has acquired quite steely reputation. The prominent men in her life that includes her affectionate husband, Heinrich Blücher (Axel Milberg), her earnest friend, Kurt Blumenfeld (Kurt Blumenfeld), her host in Israel when she covered Eichmann's trial, and her former lover/mentor and known Nazi sympathizer, Martin Heidegger (Klaus Pohl), whose memories she is seen reminiscing with utmost restraint. Her female confidants includes her gregarious friend Mary McCarthy (Janet McTeer) and her trustworthy secretary Lotte Köhler (Julia Jentsch).
Barbara Sukowa's compelling take as the eponymous title character conveys the staedfastness that complements and coalesces well with the adept performances of the supporting and minor characters. The biopic's straightforward manner in presenting a life-snapshot of a well-known figure, the director's hand, the way the story was told, the musical score, or the original footage from the 1961 Eichmann trial doesn't take much attention away from the audience of their presence gives Ms. Sukowa's refined performance to shine through. Arendt's character is seen for the most part in this film to be puffing a cigarette, even at times where she is lying on a couch with eyes closed, contemplating in silence, brooding scenes which are not at all that long-winded, more of an enigma, actually.
My rating: A-minus.
It is Arendt's relationship with her close family and friends that makes most of the film, shows a more sensitive and sentimental side to a personality that has acquired quite steely reputation. The prominent men in her life that includes her affectionate husband, Heinrich Blücher (Axel Milberg), her earnest friend, Kurt Blumenfeld (Kurt Blumenfeld), her host in Israel when she covered Eichmann's trial, and her former lover/mentor and known Nazi sympathizer, Martin Heidegger (Klaus Pohl), whose memories she is seen reminiscing with utmost restraint. Her female confidants includes her gregarious friend Mary McCarthy (Janet McTeer) and her trustworthy secretary Lotte Köhler (Julia Jentsch).
Barbara Sukowa's compelling take as the eponymous title character conveys the staedfastness that complements and coalesces well with the adept performances of the supporting and minor characters. The biopic's straightforward manner in presenting a life-snapshot of a well-known figure, the director's hand, the way the story was told, the musical score, or the original footage from the 1961 Eichmann trial doesn't take much attention away from the audience of their presence gives Ms. Sukowa's refined performance to shine through. Arendt's character is seen for the most part in this film to be puffing a cigarette, even at times where she is lying on a couch with eyes closed, contemplating in silence, brooding scenes which are not at all that long-winded, more of an enigma, actually.
My rating: A-minus.