Das Experiment (2001)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Oliver Hirschbiegel

Writers:

Mario Giordano (novel)
Mario Giordano (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 March 2001 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Bist du stark genug?

Plot:

The movie is based on the infamous "Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted in 1971. A makeshift prison is set up in a research lab...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Violence | Experiment | 1970s | Undercover Journalist

Awards:

13 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Moritz Bleibtreu	...	Tarek Fahd - Häftling Nr. 77 / Prisoner #77
Christian Berkel	...	Steinhoff - Häftling Nr. 38 / Prisoner #38
Oliver Stokowski	...	Schütte - Häftling Nr. 82 / Prisoner #82
Wotan Wilke Möhring	...	Joe - Häftling Nr. 69 / Prisoner #69
Stephan Szasz	...	Häftling Nr. 53 / Prisoner #53
Polat Dal	...	Häftling Nr. 40 / Prisoner #40
Danny Richter	...	Häftling Nr. 21 / Prisoner #21
Ralf Müller	...	Häftling Nr. 15 / Prisoner #15
Markus Rudolf	...	Häftling Nr. 74 / Prisoner #74
Peter Fieseler	...	Häftling Nr. 11 / Prisoner #11
Thorsten Dersch	...	Häftling Nr. 86 / Prisoner #86 (as Thorsten J.H. Dersch)
Sven Grefer	...	Häftling Nr. 94 / Prisoner #94
Justus von Dohnanyi	...	Berus - Strafvollzugsbeamter / Guard (as Justus von Dohnànyi)
Nicki von Tempelhoff	...	Kamps - Strafvollzugsbeamter / Guard
Timo Dierkes	...	Eckert - Strafvollzugsbeamter / Guard

Also Known As:

The Experiment (International: English title) (USA)
Black Box (Germany) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, disturbing situations, language, sexuality and nudity.

Runtime:

Canada:114 min (DVD) | South Korea:109 min (cut version) | Germany:120 min (uncut version)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Ireland:18 | Sweden:15 (DVD rating) | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA | Brazil:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | France:-16 | Germany:16 (w) | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:18 (cut) | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Cologne, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany

Company:

Fanes Film

Trivia:

Based on a true story, Professor Philip Zimbardo's "Stanford Prison Experiment".

Goofs:

Plot holes: While Tarek punches one of the guards, and knocks himself down, you can see he's wearing underwear although the guards said they can't wear underwear.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tarek Fahd, Häftling Nr. 77: [voiceover, reading newspaper ad] Test subjects wanted. Earn 4000 marks for a 14-day experiment in a simulated prison.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Does Your Soul Have a Cold? (2007)

Soundtrack:

One Step Closer

Too true to life

I saw this film recently on the Sundance Channel. I could not stop watching. After seeing the prison pictures from Iraq, the film fully explored the reasons for the abuse of prisoners. When I read some of the reviews posted, I noticed how many dismissed the film as contrived and not plausible. I wonder if any of those reviewers would like to modify their dismissal of Das Experiment. Human behavior under stress often declines to the lowest common instinct. It reminded me of an adult Lord of the Flies. Degradation and humiliation seems to exactly follow what happened in Iraq. As a veteran who spent most of time working on Military Mental wards, I witnessed a number of abuses, as force had to be used patients were acting out or lost control, but all those memories seem pale compared to the horrors of the Iraq prison camps. Since life imitates art, this makes the film even more profound.