Hannah Arendt

"Her ideas changed the world"

2012 1h 53m DE

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 297

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A portrait of the genius that shook the world with her discovery of “the banality of evil.” After she attends the Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s trial in Jerusalem, Arendt dares to write about the Holocaust in terms no one has ever heard before. Her work instantly provokes a furious scandal, and Arendt stands strong as she is attacked by friends and foes alike. But as the German-Jewish émigré also struggles to suppress her own painful associations with the past, the film exposes her beguiling blend of arrogance and vulnerability — revealing a soul defined and derailed by exile.

“Her ideas changed the world”

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Cast

Barbara Sukowa
Hannah Arendt
Axel Milberg
Heinrich Blücher
Janet McTeer
Mary McCarthy
Julia Jentsch
Lotte Köhler
Nicholas Woodeson
William Shawn
Ulrich Noethen
Hans Jonas
Leila Schaus
Laureen
Claire Johnston
Ms Serkin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Margarethe von Trotta
Writers: Margarethe von Trotta, Pamela Katz
Languages: German, English, French, Hebrew, Latin
Countries: Germany, France, Luxembourg, Israel

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: German, English, French, Hebrew, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Germany, France, Luxembourg, Israel.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Margarethe von Trotta, shot by Caroline Champetier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by André Mergenthaler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bettina Böhler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barbara Sukowa and Axel Milberg and Janet McTeer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Her ideas changed the world".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Margarethe von Trotta directs. Caroline Champetier behind the camera. André Mergenthaler scores. Bettina Böhler cuts. Produced in Germany, France, Luxembourg, Israel. Dialogue in German, English, French, Hebrew, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 14 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 5 languages: German, English, French, Hebrew, Latin.
3International production across 4 countries: Germany, France, Luxembourg, Israel.
4Directed by Margarethe von Trotta, shot by Caroline Champetier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by André Mergenthaler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Bettina Böhler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Barbara Sukowa and Axel Milberg and Janet McTeer carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Her ideas changed the world".
9IMDB entry: tt1674773 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "nazi", "holocaust (shoah)", "jerusalem", "biography".