Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt

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“CRITIC’S PICK! A vigorous and thoughtful new documentary… a broad and rich portrait… while it will surely satisfy and provoke students of 20th century intellectual history, (it) feels more urgent than most documentaries of its kind… (and) includes some especially chilling implications for the current state of American politics. – A. O. Scott, The New York Times
“Impressively researched. Succeeds in putting the most provocative, salient, and damning aspects of Arendt’s work into a lucid context. – Michelle Orange, Village Voice

One of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt’s insights into the nature of evil, totalitarianism, ideologies, and the perils faced by refugees are more relevant than ever.

Arendt caused an uproar in the 1960s by coining the subversive concept of the “Banality of Evil” when referring to the trial of Adolph Eichmann, which she covered for the New Yorker magazine. Her private life was no less controversial thanks to her early love affair with the renowned German philosopher and Nazi supporter Martin Heidegger.

This thought-provoking and spirited documentary, with its abundance of archival materials, offers an intimate portrait of the whole of Arendt’s life, traveling to places where she lived, worked, loved, and was betrayed, as she wrote about the open wounds of modern times. Arendt’s insights into the nature of evil, totalitarianism, ideologies, and the perils faced by refugees are more relevant than ever.

Official Site

Details:
132Rated NR
Distributor Zeitgeist
in German, English, French, Hebrew with English subtitles

Showing Today at the Theater Thu, Mar 28

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Admission: $14.50 Adults, $11.00 Matinee Bargain Shows, $11.50 Seniors (62+), $11.00 Child (12 & under), Student and Military, $10.00 Avalon Members, $9.00 Seniors who are Avalon Members.
Same rates apply to Wednesday Signature Series programs unless otherwise noted. Weekend Family Matinees, Exhibition on Screen, NT Live and Special Event ticket prices vary; senior discounts may not be available for these programs.

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