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Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt

Play trailer Poster for Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt 2016 1h 30m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
A portrait of the life of the German-Jewish philosopher.

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Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt

Critics Reviews

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Kate Taylor Globe and Mail 06/10/2016
2.5/4
[A] solid intellectual biography ... Go to Full Review Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor 04/29/2016
B
Ushpiz is careful to include naysayers along with supporters of Arendt, but the core of her contention is still a flashpoint for controversy. Go to Full Review Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times 04/28/2016
"Vita Activa" closely examines Arendt's "active life" with the goal of putting us inside her formative experiences, the better to reveal who she was and where her attitudes came from. Go to Full Review Ken Eisner Georgia Straight 10/12/2016
Arendt's focus on the demonization of refugees as a precursor to genocide proved prescient, and the film makes the case that exile allows some thinkers to see the bigger picture, even as they're forced to sacrifice their own notion of home. Go to Full Review Sherilyn Connelly SF Weekly 08/11/2016
Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt covers the whole of her life, and it is not a hagiography, giving plenty of time to those who disagree with her. But many of her ideas are no less relevant today. Go to Full Review Susan G. Cole NOW Toronto 06/08/2016
4/5
An excellent portrait of a powerful public intellectual. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jay B 11/18/2023 Very well done documentary. Very much goes with mostly her own words from letters and her writings. Also interviews and letters from close aquantances . See more 07/16/2016 A vigorous and thoughtful extraordinarily well-done documentary about a prolific and unclassifiable brilliant thinker. Incredibly relevant to the world in which we currently live. See more 03/13/2016 This is a fine overview of Hanna Arendt's life and thought. It is fascinating from start to finish, and everyone I know who has seen it has been unable to stop thinking about it. See more Read all reviews
Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt

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Cast & Crew

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Ada Ushpiz

Director
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Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt

Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt (2015) Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt (2015) Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt (2015) Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt (2015) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A portrait of the life of the German-Jewish philosopher.
Director
Ada Ushpiz
Distributor
Zeitgeist
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 6, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$78.4K
Runtime
1h 30m
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