The Importance of Being Hannah Arendt

Banality of Evil

Daphne Merkin on a brilliant new film presenting Hannah Arendt in the midst of the Eichmann trial and the 'banality of evil.'

Published Jun. 4 2013 4:45AM EDT

articles/2013/06/04/the-importance-of-being-hannah-arendt/130603-hannah-arendt-tease_yjlucp — Zeitgeist Films/Everett

I have never been sure what to make of the phrase “the banality of evil"—whether it is, in fact, a revelatory concept or a catchy but psychologically tone-deaf one-liner.

Daphne Merkin

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The Importance of Being Hannah Arendt

Daphne Merkin on a brilliant new film presenting Hannah Arendt in the midst of the Eichmann trial and the 'banality of evil.'

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Daphne Merkin