List of films about philosophers

This is a list of feature films that include philosophers, or in which philosophers play a significant role.

Biographical films

Biographical films based on real-life philosophers:

• Adi Shankaracharya (1983) – The life of Adi Shankaracharya, played by Sarvadaman D. Banerjee.
• Augustine of Hippo (1972), played by Dary Berkani, a Roberto Rossellini film.
• Agora (2009) – The life of Hypatia, played by Rachel Weisz.
• Beyond Good and Evil (1977) – About the love triangle between Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul Rée and a young Russian intellectual.
• (1972) – The life of Blaise Pascal, played by Pierre Arditi, a Roberto Rossellini film.
• (1973) - The life of René Descartes, played by , a Roberto Rossellini film.
• Confucius (2010) – The life of Confucius, played by Chow Yun-fat.
• Days of Nietzsche in Turin (2001) – About Nietzsche's time in Turin.
• The Death of Empedocles (1987) – About the pre-Socratic philosopher Empedocles, directed by Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub.
• Destiny (1997) – The life of Averroes, played by Nour El-Sherif.
• Giordano Bruno (1973) – The life of Giordano Bruno, played by Gian Maria Volonté.
• Hannah Arendt (2012) – The life of Hannah Arendt, played by Barbara Sukowa.
• Socrates (1971) – The life of Socrates, played by , a Roberto Rossellini film.
• The Young Karl Marx (2017) – Karl Marx played by August Diehl.
• Trial and Death of Socrates (1939), Socrates played by Ermete Zacconi, directed by Corrado D'Errico.
• Wittgenstein (1993) – The life of Ludwig Wittgenstein, directed by Derek Jarman.

Documentaries about philosophers

Feature documentary films about real philosophers:

• Der Zauberer von Meßkirch (1989) – a documentary about Martin Heidegger
• Derrida (2002) – A documentary about Jacques Derrida
• The Ister (2004) – a documentary about Martin Heidegger
• Zizek! (2005) – A film following a speaking tour by Slavoj Žižek
• Examined Life (2008) – Follows several contemporary philosophers as they try to apply their thought in practice
• The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006) – A film critique of several well-known works by Slavoj Žižek
• Being in the World (2010) – a documentary about Martin Heidegger
• Badiou (2018) – a film on the life of Alain Badiou

Starring philosophers

Films where one or more philosophers play the main role, but that are not otherwise about philosophy:

• Irrational Man (2015) – A philosophy professor (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself in an existential crisis, but eventually discovers a new purpose in life.
• The Life of David Gale (2003) – A philosophy professor (Kevin Spacey), and longtime activist against capital punishment, is sentenced to death for killing a fellow capital punishment abolitionist.
• L'Avenir (2016) – Middle-aged philosophy professor Nathalie Chazeaux's (Isabelle Huppert) life is going through a series of separations.
• Late Marriage (2001) - Zaza (Lior Ashkenazi) is a 31-year-old Georgian-Israeli PhD student, studying the philosophy of religion at Tel Aviv University, whose family is trying to arrange a marriage for him within the Georgian community against his will.

Featuring philosophers

Films where one or more of the members of the main cast are philosophers:

• Alexander (2004) – Based on the life of Alexander the Great, who is mentored by Aristotle (Christopher Plummer).
• The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) Features Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius (Alec Guinness) during the first segment of the film.
• Gladiator (2000) – The Roman general Maximus is betrayed when Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), murders his father and seizes the throne.
• The Oxford Murders (2008) – A student (Elijah Wood) finds out about mysterious killings in Oxford and helped by a philosopher of mathematics (John Hurt), they reveal the patterns used by the killer.
• When Nietzsche Wept (2007) – A Viennese doctor named Josef Breuer (Ben Cross) meets with Friedrich Nietzsche (Armand Assante) to help him deal with his despair

About philosophy

Films where philosophy is central to the plot:

• I Heart Huckabees (2004) – A comedy with existential themes.
• Mindwalk (1990) – A wide-ranging discussion between three individuals.
• My Dinner with Andre (1981) – A film featuring philosophical discussions.
• My Night at Maud's (1969) – A film centred around philosophical discussions.
• Rope (1948) – A film about a Nietzsche-inspired experiment.
• Sophie's World (1999) – The story of a teenage girl (Silje Storstein) living in Norway, and a middle-aged philosopher (Tomas von Brömssen), who introduces her to philosophical thinking and the history of philosophy; based on a novel by Jostein Gaarder.
• The Fountainhead (1949) – Based on The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
• The Stranger (1967) – Based on The Stranger by Albert Camus.
• Waking Life (2001) – The film explores the nature of reality, dreams, consciousness, the meaning of life, free will, and existentialism.

References

• Philosophical Films, a non-profit resource for philosophy teachers who want to incorporate films into their classes
• "I watch therefore I am: seven movies that teach us key philosophy lessons" by Julian Baggini, Christine Korsgaard, Ursula Coope, Peter Singer, Susan Haack, Kenneth Taylor and Slavoj Žižek.