Believing that a philosopher’s chief aim should be to challenge prejudices and useless traditions, José Ortega y Gasset promulgated a worldview based on “reason with life as its foundation.” This program depicts the life and accomplishments of the famous Spanish intellectual, from his early studies in turn-of-the-century Málaga to his spectacular funeral in Madrid in 1955. Featuring interviews with Ortega scholars and some of his contemporaries—including celebrated writer Francisco Ayala as well as Ortega pupil Julian Marias—the film covers Ortega’s years in Germany and Argentina, his admiration for Victoria Ocampo, and his ambivalence towards the Franco regime. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (Spanish, 58 minutes)