Kant: Das Experiment der Freiheit is a documentary film which premiered in 2024.
The timing is significant. This film about Kant premiered in 2024 in order to mark the 300-year anniversary of his birth in 1724.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Writer and director: Wilfried Hauke
** Language: German
** Subtitles: German
** Run time: 54 minutes
Four persons are interviewed in this film.
Here are the names of the participants.
Listed in alphabetical order.
** Tim Kunze – curator, East Prussian Regional Museum, Lüneburg
** Susan Neiman – an American philosopher – director of the Einstein Forum, Potsdam
** Corinne Pelluchon – a French philosopher – Gustave Eiffel University, Paris
** Marcus Willaschek – a German philosopher – Goethe University, Frankfurt
Some historical scenes have been reconstructed by actors. An on-screen message placed at the end of the film explains that these scenes are fictional, but they are based on information presented in books about the life and work of Kant.
Here are the names of the actors and the characters they portray in the film:
** The young Kant = Daniel Arthur Fischer
** The old Kant = Wolfgang Riehm
** The man-servant Martin Lampe = Hans-Christoph Michel
A second on-screen message explains that original quotations, which were written by Kant more than 200 years ago, have been edited, so they conform to a more modern language.
Immanuel Kant was born in Königsberg in 1724. When he was born, his parents gave him the name Emanuel.
When he grew up and when he learned about Hebrew, he changed the spelling of his first name to Immanuel.
Königsberg was a city in East Prussia. When Kant was born, this region was a part of Prussia.
During the Seven-Years War (1756-1763), East Prussia including Konigsberg was occupied by Russia for almost five years (1757-1762).
In 1871, when a unified German state was established, Prussia became a part of the German Empire.
In 1945, at the end of World War II, East Prussia was annexed by the Soviet Union and Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad.
During the final battles of the war, many buildings in Konigsberg were severely damaged or completely destroyed. Many inhabitants lost their lives during the war, but some survived.
After 1945, many survivors moved to Lüneburg in the north of Germany. This is why this city has a museum which is devoted to the history of East Prussia: the East Prussian Regional Museum.
In 1991, when the Soviet Union was dissolved, the region of East Prussia became a part of Russia.
Kant lived and worked in Königsberg all his life. He visited other locations near this city, but he never left East Prussia. He died in Königsberg in 1804.
Kant was born into a poor family, but he still managed to get a good education. At first, he was a teacher. Later, he became a philosopher.
After working for many years, he was appointed as a full professor of philosophy at the University of Königsberg.
He is regarded as one of the most famous and most important philosophers of the western world.
This film covers his life and his work as a philosopher. The three philosophers focus on the philosophy of Kant, while Tim Kunze focuses on the history of Königsberg and the daily life of Kant.
During a long life and a long career, Kant wrote many books about philosophy and topics related to philosophy. Some of his works are presented and discussed in this film, including the following:
** Critique of Pure Reason (1781)
** Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785)
** Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch (1795)
As stated above, the philosophy of Kant is presented and discussed by the three philosophers.
When we see Kant taking a walk in his neighborhood, we can hear his own words.
As stated above, his original words - written more than 200 years ago - have been edited, so they conform to a more modern language.
Kant explains that he is not a religious person. He says he has never been to church. He is not married. He has no children.
Tim Kunze focuses on the daily life of Kant. Every day he followed the same routine. He would go for a walk in the middle of the day.
Before and after his walk, he would study the works of other writers and work on his own books.
He often held dinner parties during which the topics of the day were discussed. Only men were invited. No women were invited to these parties.
One of the topics discussed during dinner parties was the French revolution of 1789.
When Kant supported the principles of the revolution, his friends would protest and mention the terror committed in the wake of the revolution.
Kant would accept their objections, but he would insist that the ideas on which the revolution was based were good.
For many years, Kant lived in a small apartment, but when he was appointed as a professor at the local university, he bought a house where he lived for the rest of his life.
Since he had a fixed salary, he could afford to have a small staff to take care of him:
A cook and a man-servant
The man-servant Martin Lampe was a former soldier who had survived the Seven-Years War.
Martin Lampe (1734-1806) worked for Kant for many years, but in 1802, a conflict arose, and he was fired.
As Tim Kunze explains, we do not know the reason for this sudden and surprising decision.
What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 67 percent. In my opinion, this rating is too low. Why? Let me explain:
The topic of this film is a philosopher who lived and worked more than 200 years ago. You might think that it is boring and that it feels too long. This is not the case. It is not boring and it does not feel too long.
The philosophy of Immanuel Kant is presented in a way that is easy to understand.
Whether you agree with Kant or not, it is good to hear
what he has to say. It is good to know what he stands for.
While some parts of his philosophy may be obsolete, other parts are still relevant today.
The topic of this film is the life and work of Immanuel Kant. The director has chosen a good way to present his topic.
If you are interested in philosophy, this film is definitely something for you.
It is highly recommended.
PS. This film was shown on German television (ARD) on 18 April 2024. It is available on the ARD website until 17 April 2025.
REFERENCES
# 1. A book
Kant: A Biography
By Manfred Kuehn
(2001 = hardcover)
(2002 = paperback - revised edition)
# 2. A historical drama
Les jours derniers d’Emmanuel Kant
** Director = Philippe Collin
** Run time = 70 minutes
This historical drama is available on YouTube
** Language = French
** Subtitles= English
Released = 1993
This historical drama is based on an essay by Thomas de Quincey first published in 1827
Two reviews of the historical drama:
Dennis Harvey
“The Last Days of Immanuel Kant,”
Variety
09 May 1994
Richard Brody
“The Last Days of Immanuel Kant,”
The New Yorker
29 July 2020
# 3. Kant’s dinner parties
Sara Davis
“Kant’s Dinner Party,”
Scenes of Eating
12 November 2015
*****
Kant’s house in Königsberg
Painted in 1842
by Friedrich Heinrich Bils
*****
Kant and his friends at the table
By Emil Doerstling (1859-1940)
Date 1892-1893
This picture shows Kant and his friends
including the following:
** Christian Jacob Kraus (1753-1807)
** Johann Georg Hamann (1730-1788)
** Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel (1741-1796)
** Karl Gottfried Hagen (1749-1829)
*****
The East Prussian Regional Museum,
Lüneburg
*****
The famous German philosopher
Immanuel Kant
(1724-1804)
Painted in 1768
by Johann Gottlieb Becker
(1720-1782)
*****
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