'The strange events that occurred in our village'
In Hannah Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism , the German thinker put forward one of the great ideas of modern socio-political theory, namely that all of the essential elements needed for the rise of a totalitarian state exist and lie latent in Western, democratic society. "Lying under anybody’s nose were many of the elements which, gathered together, could create a totalitarian government on the basis of racism," Arendt wrote in 1951. Michael Haneke's newest film The White Ribbon begins with voice-over from a key character in the movie which brings Arendt's thesis to mind. "I don't know if the story I want to tell you is entirely true," the village school-teacher says in his deadpan voice. "Some of it I only know by hearsay. After so many years, a lot of it is still obscure, and many questions remain unanswered. But I think I must tell of the strange events that occurred in our village. They could perhaps clarify some things that happened ...