Das Experiment on DVD (2001)

kas30 from Merseyside , 23/02/2004

Based on a real psychological experiment at Stanford University in 1971, using a group of male students, the mood of this film captures the sense of disorientation and loss of reality that was experienced by the original volunteers. Acts of humiliation present a violent and effective method for stripping individuality and asserting power over prisoners. The psychological transformations into masochistic and submissive roles are fascinating when you consider that that the only real distinguishable difference between the characters, is that by a random selection process, some are labelled ‘wardens’ and others are labelled ‘prisoners’. The levels of violence, brutality and humiliation in the film seem extreme but in the original experiment, humiliation tactics were also extreme – prisoners were also made to wear chains round their ankles and stockings on their heads at all times! The film’s conclusion is carefully constructed and appears to bear an implicit reference to the real prison riot of San Quentin (which occurred the day after the Stanford experiment was prematurely halted), in which guards and informant prisoners were tortured and murdered during the prisoners’ escape attempt. This film is a sensitive study into power relationships within an altered reality and is masterfully crafted to build tension and invite the viewer to question the character’s morality and ethical codes. Far more relevant and interesting than the bland reality TV shows we are plagued by these days…highly recommended!

  25 out of 25 people found this review helpful

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Mark Adams from Manchester, England , 07/01/2005

Big Brother + Prison + Experiment = Scary

I've seen some messed up films in my time from the pointless, unimpressive pathetic attempt of social commentary that is The Driller Killer to the disturbing and truly chilling Ring. But nothing prepared me for the shock that was The Experiment. I knew that it was pretty dark, and pulled no punches, but woah!

The film is based on a real life experiment, but made a little (okay, a lot) more extreme. The experiment was basically to analyse human nature and power roles. Volunteers were put into a prison scenario as either guards or prisoners, filmed, and then told to act it out seriously. In the actual real life experiment, it was aborted due to the 'guards' getting too brutal, and actually attacking the 'prisoners'. The experiment in the film explores this, and what might have happened had it been allowed to continue.

I actually came out of that film feeling like I'd been in the actual experiment myself: it was so gripping that you really felt like a part of it. I kinda felt like I'd been punched in the stomach: it literally took my breathe away! The film was so dark and tense that it drew you in like the bisto kids or something!

Now this is what I would call a real horror film. We're not talking blood, guts and gore: we're talking the horrific, brutal, shocking and downright scary potential of human nature. Now to me, that is real horror! Of course, there is extreme violence and some absolutely gut churning horrible moments (catching a knife strike and then pulling the knife out - all on camera - made me squirm somewhat), but that only adds to the psychological horror. The extreme violence is as a result of the psychological horror, and not the actual reason for the film being a horror. No schlock could have anything like the effect on me that The Experiment did!

With all the reality TV influenced films out there of varying quality (Kolobos and Series 7: The Contenders being two of the more superior ones), it's possible to overlook this little gem as another 'reality style' film. But this film is much more than that. This is a very important film and challenges human nature and it's potential for evil. It shows just what can happen when people get power and want power. From rape, to beating the defenceless to torture to humiliation, it pulls no punches whatsoever. Neither does it pull punches in it's brutal depiction of these horrors, but in my opinion that particularly adds to the reality and horror of what it portrays.

I would definitely recommend this film: it certainly makes you think. But if you're after something to brighten up your day, steer very clear.

  14 out of 14 people found this review helpful

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H. Gray from Scotland , 20/03/2004

This German film is based upon the real life experiment at Stanford University, USA in 1971. The film closely adheres to the real events but also goes beyond fact for dramatic purposes as the film progresses. The film highlights the ugly side of human nature when certain situations arise. The performances are excellent.

This has got to be the best film I've seen in a long time. Highly recommended

  12 out of 13 people found this review helpful

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trotsuk from LONDON , 30/06/2005

Oh sweet jesus. This is the best film i've seen in AGES. it's just so.... unsettling. it rolls along, gathering momentum, and you've no idea just how far it's going to go; utterly compelling. It's a shame Big Brother on telly isn't more like this. actually, big brother would be better being more like Battle Royale. Each housemate should be given out differing weapons, sub-machine guns and chainsaws, last housemate standing wins. Now that'd be kickarse reality telly. Anyway, I digress. Not many films have gotten under my skin like this one. Highly, hugely, recommended.

  12 out of 13 people found this review helpful

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nicola6 from Cambridgeshire , 29/02/2004

The Stanford Prison Experiments of 1971 provide a pretty compelling basis for this fictionalized reconstruction. All the more so because this exploration of the effects of power and authority upon the actions of everyday men was created in a Germany acutely aware of the implication of these themes for the understanding of its own past.

Many of the characters from Das Experiment are closely based upon their Stanford archetypes, and the plot recalls many of the key events of the original experiment. The narrative is broken up by the addition of a bizarre love story, and brought to an artificially neat conclusion, but the world of the film is recognizably that of the original experiment.

A more serious weakness though, is the emotional focus of the movie. The most important implications of the original experiment focused upon the dehumanizing effects of authority upon the guards who wielded it, as well as upon the rapid submission of the prisoners to this arbitrary power. By making the focus of their movie a prisoner, the filmmakers seem to have missed a trick.

We empathise with prisoner 77, and fume against the injustices that the guards mete out, but a more provocative approach would have been to follow this sympathetic character as he became de-humanized by the role into which he was thrust. Instead, we leave feeling that all airline workers are crypto-fascists, and all Elvis impersonators shouldn’t be trusted – valuable life-lessons, to be sure, but disappointing from a premise that promised rather more.

  8 out of 10 people found this review helpful

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DJM666 from Walsall , 19/02/2006

From the director of Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel), Das Experiment is a very good, interesting, and entertaining German film. It is also gritty, disturbing, realistic, violent and bloody, with an interesting and engaging story. There is great acting from all involved throughout, and in the end the movie is an interesting study of how out of control a situation can get with the corruption of power.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

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