‘Hannah Arendt’ Demonstrates Banality of the Biopic

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CHICAGO – “Hannah Arendt” comes to American cinemas packaged in the sort of prestige that elicits admiration rather than anticipation. Though Margarethe von Trotta is widely regarded as the leading female filmmaker in Germany, it’s doubtful that any audiences outside of her native country are all that familiar with her work. Her new film, “Hannah Arendt,” is so undistinguished that it’s hard to believe that it was made by a director often mentioned in the same breath as Fassbinder and Herzog.

Von Trotta’s long-standing interest in feminist icons has led her to make a series of historical (yet often fictionalized) biopics, many of which provided showcases for acclaimed actress Barbara Sukowa (she won Best Actress at Cannes for playing the titular role in Von Trotta’s 1996 effort, “Rosa Luxemburg”). Since none of these previous films were viewed by me, I was initially taken aback by Sukowa’s portrayal of Arendt, which hardly looks and sounds like the real woman. She has the hairdo of Grace Zabriskie, the voice of Madeline Kahn, and in wide angles, threatens to take the form of Estelle Getty.
 
Yet as these distractions dissipate, it becomes immensely clear that Sukowa is an ideal medium to channel the feistiness, disarming warmth and uncompromising conviction of Arendt, the German-American political theorist who gained notoriety for her 1961 “New Yorker” report and subsequent novel on the trial of Nazi colonel Adolf Eichmann. Sukowa used the now-infamous phrase, “the banality of evil,” to describe Eichmann’s psyche, which she argued was representative of the thoughtlessness that leads ordinary people to commit heinous acts. Her criticism of Jewish leaders, such as M.C. Rumkowski, drew the ire of many social organizations offended by the very notion that any Jews could’ve played a role in their own demise. Like so many biopics hinging on immensely provocative questions regarding the ambiguity of morality, Von Trotta’s film is blandly sure-footed in its design, bathing Arendt in approval while reducing her naysayers to villains in a Robin Williams movie. It’s disappointing to see a film preach the importance of thinking for oneself while allowing its narrative structure to more or less remain on autopilot. Sukowa’s performance is better than the surrounding film, which catches fire only during her climactic defense of the Eichmann coverage, eliciting applause from everyone except her mustache-twirling foes.

Barbara Sukowa stars in Margarethe von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt.
Barbara Sukowa stars in Margarethe von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt.
Photo credit: Véronique Kolber/Zeitgeist Films

In fact, the most compelling scenes in the film are the archival footage from the Eichmann trial, as the camera closes in on the stony face of the disgraced Nazi as he remains indifferent to the cries of outrage. Utilizing such powerful documentary footage in a narrative feature is always tricky, since it risks rendering the staged scenes utterly phony. There are a handful of occasions in which the film’s limited budget proves to be a glaring demerit, such as during an amateurishly lensed news broadcast. Worst of all are the key supporting players (such as Megan Gay’s contemptuous Fran) whose voices appear to have been dubbed by Wiseau Films, while their facial expressions have all the subtlety of a third-rate mime. Their acting is so absurdly awful that it grinds the film to a halt whenever they materialize onscreen. As author/activist Mary McCarthy, the great Janet McTeer fares better, but her role is ultimately a thankless one. The film remains so intently focused on Sukowa that there’s hardly room for anyone else.

To be fair, not all of Arendt’s dissenters are cardboard cut-outs, though none rise above the level of a two-dimensional sketch. Some of the most affecting scenes depict Arendt’s failed attempts to mend fading friendships that crumble in the wake of her controversy. The bravery of Arendt to hold true to her beliefs, however unpopular or contentious they may be, is more inspirational than ever, particularly in light of America’s timid political discourse. With both parties shouting louder than ever in an attempt to protect their special interests, the value of human thought has become increasingly diminished. Subjects are treated as so sacred that any counter-opinion is immediately scolded. Anyone who’s ever attempted to explain how they can be “pro-soldier” and “anti-war” will be able to relate to Arendt’s struggle to bring crucial if unpalatable insight into the exploration of human atrocity. How can minds truly be provoked if they aren’t challenged?

Barbara Sukowa stars in Margarethe von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt.
Barbara Sukowa stars in Margarethe von Trotta’s Hannah Arendt.
Photo credit: Zeitgeist Films

The problem with Von Trotta’s approach is that it’s too reverential to excite and too safe to unsettle. It goes through the motions in the way that a history professor coasts through a routine lecture. When class is dismissed, we’ve taken our notes like dutiful students but are still waiting to be inspired. This “Arendt” knows far more about banality than it does about evil.

‘Hannah Arendt’ stars Barbara Sukowa, Axel Milberg, Janet McTeer, Julia Jentsch, Ulrich Noethen, Nicholas Woodeson and Klaus Pohl. It was written by Pam Katz and Margarethe von Trotta and is directed by Margarethe von Trotta. It was released on August 16th, 2013 at the Landmark Renaissance Place. It is not rated.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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