Frances James finds Hannah Arendt an unusually thoughtful portrait of the Holocaust.
Based on true events and set in 1961, this captivating film follows the German-American political theorist and philosopher Hannah Arendt as she reports on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi-SS colonel who was famously put on trial for crimes against humanity in the aftermath of WWII.
The film itself takes a beautifully detailed look at the process taken by Hannah to report on the trial. During the initial stages of the film we watch Hannah as she travels to Jerusalem and innocently begins to observe, explore and write on the proceedings.
From time to time director Margarethe von Trotta cleverly inputs footage from the actual Eichmann trial and as an audience we are consequentially forced to accept the severity and reality of the situation.
However it is through the skilful and frank portrayal of Hannah by the German actress Barbara Sukowa that the audience is really able to understand the questions that are raised.
Image credit: BBC
The honest depiction of Hannah allows us to fully comprehend her emotional turmoil as she eventually reaches the controversial conclusion that Eichmann himself was in fact not the monster that many saw him to be. He was simply a nobody – a man who was fixated on obeying orders.
Turning the court room into a philosophy class, Hannah frantically tries to explain to her opponents that Eichmann did not act out of intent to kill but through intent to obey orders and in doing so removed his capacity to comprehend or even to think about his actions.
As a film that explores the aftermath of the Holocaust, it does so in a way that is not often seen in cinema. By taking a philosophical stance, the film has left us debating the level of punishment necessary for the Nazi Eichmann; a result that may come as quite a shock to many.
Frances James
Was Hannah Arendt a necessary addition to the Holocaust film canon? Or is it another exercise in misrepresenting the past? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or by commenting below.
exeposedev 