Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I shall first mention that I have not seen the bonus features.
Now with that procedural matter out of the way--I would like to comment that this film is wonderful. It does not lend itself to a detailed study of the philosophers that appear in the film. Rather, small doses of the personalities and individual styles of each of the philosophers is presented in the snippets--sometimes in unexpected ways. The very intelligent Martha Nussbaum comes across as being slightly detached and cold. The often combative and difficult writing of Judith Butler is erased or at least belied by her interactions with the sister of the director.
This film is good because it gives multiple perspectives, though favouring continental thought, about what it means to lead an examined life. What does it mean to become a philosopher and most importantly what does it mean to philosophize? These thinkers deal with these difficult questions, and perhaps it is these questions that are the root and possibility of philosophy itself.
This is not a film for people looking to learn about a particular philosophy. The film is heavily edited and does not go into detailed arguments about each line of thinking.
The film is great for style. Avital Ronell, the dark lady of deconstruction, talks in the language of Derrida and Heidegger as she walks in a "hermeneutic" path of circling ideas. Cornel West gives his sporadic and enthusiastic responses in the back of a cab. Nussbaum walks along straight paths and over bridges. Michael Hardt talks about revolution while rowing a boat( an upper class pastime) while surrounded with the tools of the proletariat(bull dozers). Zizek is surrounded by garbage (a classic move) moving with his tic-ish hand gestures and nose rubs. Singer walks on Fifth Avenue commenting on consumer society.
Overall, a great film for someone interested in philosophy and learning about the philosophers' styles. (Though Heidegger cautioned us against biographies of the thinkers, remember all we need to know is that Aristotle was born. He thought. He died...).
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In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor (Zizek!) liberates philosophy from the sterile world of academia through entertaining and thought-provoking excursions with some of today's most famous and influential thinkers. Peter Singer's thoughts on the ethics of consumption are amplified against the backdrop of Fifth Avenue's posh boutiques. Slavoj Zizek questions current beliefs about the environment while sifting through a garbage dump. Michael Hardt ponders the nature of revolution while surrounded by symbols of wealth and leisure. Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor stroll through San Francisco's Mission District questioning our culture's fixation on individualism. And while driving through Manhattan, Cornel West--called "a genius" and "an oracle" by President Obama--compares philosophy to jazz and blues, reminding us how intense and invigorating a life of the mind can be. Offering privileged moments with great thinkers from fields ranging from ethics to cultural theory, Examined Life reveals philosophy's power to transform the way we see the world around us and imagine our place in it.SPECIAL FEATURES:- 16:9 anamorphic transfer, enhanced for widescreen TVs - Two extra philosopher walks- Q&A's with Cornel West, Avital Ronell, Kwame Anthony Appiah and director Astra Taylor- Theatrical trailers- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired- Philosopher bios and selected bibliographies
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