Review of Hannah Arendt (2012) by Eric H — 26 Feb 2015

I enjoyed the film without knowing all that much about Arendt. Human relationships and lots of intellectual debates, pretty talky, but I was very interested in it all. The film shows Arendt's life in New York City in the 1960s, her visit to Israel for the Eichmann trial, and a few flashbacks to her college days as a student of Heidegger.

Her New Yorker articles about the Eichmann trial are the focus of the film. I couldn't help but think how much of the controversy resulted from jealous male colleagues, because she was a woman. She was constantly accused of being arrogant and selfish and unfeeling.

Because she was a highly intelligent woman unwilling to apologize for or hide her smarts? Woman are not supposed to think, but only to feel, so a woman who subordinates her emotions to analysis might be very threatening.

Some characters were even shown looking askance at her because she did not have children. These gender issues are not forefronted in the film, but another interesting layer.