Hannah Arendt Analysis

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Hannah Arendt is a 2013 bio-pic directed by Margarethe von Trotta; about an important episode form the life of German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt (1906–1975) who was one of the most influential political theorists of the twentieth century. She was born in a German-Jewish family and was forced to leave Germany in 1933. Actress Barbara Sukowa plays the role of Arendt as a complicated woman, who is a brilliant philosopher and also stubborn at times. This film revolves around Hannah’s controversial stand during the trial of ex-Nazi Adolf Eichmann, while she offered to report hearing for the New Yorker in 1961. This film was able to make an impression on audiences worldwide and won few awards as best feature film (2013, German film awards) and Barbara Sukowa as the best actress (2013, Bavarian film awards).

THE MOVIE IN A NUTSHELL
As the film opens, we see the Mossad’s abduction of Adolf Eichmann. It follows by a scene depicting a silent Hannah Arendt lost in her thoughts as she smokes a cigarette. As the cigarette’s ash flare brilliantly in the dark, it stands as a metaphor for Arendt “thinking”. The apprehension of Eichmann makes headline news all over the world, including in New York, where Hannah Arendt is living with her current husband Heinrich Blucher. Her offer to cover the trial is accepted by The New Yorker 's editor William Shawn. In Jerusalem, Arendt observes that the defense given by Eichmann are rather clichés and idiotic as she smirks to herself. This movie