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Hannah Arendt
R2 - United Kingdom - Soda Pictures Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (22nd January 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** The banality of evil. Barbara Sukowa stars as the German-American political theorist who caused a storm of controversy with her views on the trial of the Nazi war criminal, Adolf Eichmann. Sent to Israel in 1961 to cover the trial for 'The New Yorker' magazine, Arendt (Sukawa), a Jew who fled Germany during Hitler's rise to power, provokes fury with her portrayals of both Eichmann and his captors, incurring the wrath of the Jewish world when she introduces her concept of 'the banality of evil', arguing that the great evils in history, and in particular the Holocaust, were not committed by monsters, but by ordinary people who were simply conditioned by the state. As she attempts to justify her stance, Arendt finds herself the centre of a political storm, whilst at the same time coming under increasing pressure from those closest to her.
Video
Independent British studio Soda Pictures releases "Hannah Arendt" onto DVD in the United Kingdom using the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer has been anamorphically enhanced, and despite some minor flaws, looks great. Cinematographer Caroline Champetier filmed the feature in digital using Red cameras, and it looks very clean and sharp throughout. The colour palette is generally made up of very pale beiges, browns and greys, along with more golden tinted colours for the scenes set in America. Black levels are excellent, even in archival footage, and are very deep with no signs of crush. Detail is very strong throughout for DVD, with background locales and furniture showing decent clarity and avoiding looking blocky or fuzzy. Close-up details are also strong, especially with facial and clothing details, and skin tones look perfect. As for flaws, there is some occasional aliasing (usually on clothing), and shadow detail could have been better, but overall, this is the solid transfer this film deserves. As to be expected for such a new film shot on digital, there are no signs of damage such as scratches or dirt. The disc is PAL, and the feature runs 108:57.
Audio
There are two audio options available here: - German/English Dolby Digital 5.1 - German/English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo For the purposes of this review, I opted for the German/English Dolby Digital 5.1 track for my viewing, though it should be noted that it is the stereo track that plays by default. "Hannah Arendt" is very much a dialogue driven film, but the surrounds do come into play on numerous occasions for subtle environmental effects, as well as the score. Dialogue is clear at all times, and volume levels are consistent. The LFE is barely used, but there isn't really much opportunity for it to be called upon, so its lack of use can be forgiven. Channel separation is strong, as is directionality, and there are no obvious audible problems such as scratches or background hiss. Optional English subtitles have been included, but unfortunately for the German dialogue only.
Extras
The first extra is entitled "Interviews" (29:08), and I believe it is the same as the "Making Of" documentary available on the USA Blu-ray release from Zeitgeist Films. In fact, the back cover of this release doesn't mention interviews, but a "Making Of". Anyway, this is a selection of interviews with various members of the cast and crew, and is surprisingly in-depth. Unlike many interview extras, this isn't a backslapping self-appreciation exercise, and is instead full to the brim of information about the actual story and people involved. They touch on civil disobedience, authoritarian thinking, and much more. Certainly worthy viewing. Next up, we have some deleted scenes (5:30), with the main bulk revolving around more character depth as Hannah Arendt is in the hospital, and hiding her black eye. I can see this was cut for pacing, as it doesn't quite fit the flow of the rest of the feature. The rest of the extras are self-explanatory: Start-up Trailers: - "Wadjda" (1:48) - "Barbara" (1:38) - "If Not Us, Who" (2:00) Theatrical Trailer (1:45)
Overall
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