The Tenth Level

Like the other commenters, I saw this as a child. I would have been 9 years old, but I still remember the shocking realization of the fact that this experiment reveals (depressingly) that most people are willing throw all their beliefs out the window and submit unquestioningly to authority.

It's not easy to stand up to entrenched authority, with the only thing on your side the knowledge that righteousness is with you. What I took away from the film at such a young age was that peer pressure can be evil and should not be followed blindly; what's right is right, and that's that.

I remember Shatner going over the top as usual, but somehow his assay of the evil doctor worked very well. Before the final twist was revealed, I was quite shocked that such a film would be shown; the main character of the film is ostensibly evil and making innocent people suffer for no good reason and is a sadist. I believe this was shot on video in a television studio; in spite of that extra added element of unreality, this production still effected me greatly.

Highly recommended. If anyone reading this controls the rights to it, PLEASE RELEASE IT! You will sell many copies.

This is Shatner's most important and probably least-known vehicle. I wish I could remember more about his performance, but it really doesn't matter compared to the issues raised by the experiment depicted here. Laurence Olivier would have disappeared behind this story.

Milgram's experiment involved convincing a subject that he or she was testing another subject (who was actually not, but was performing out of sight, and could obviously be heard) by supplying info and then asking questions. A wrong answer from the hidden subject required the real subject to administer a shock, and each successive wrong response got a higher-voltage shock, up to "The Tenth Level", which was lethal.

Somehow, even more shocking were the results of the tests, which were done all around the world and are revealed at the end of the show.

Somebody tell Shatner to get this put on a DVD (or do a remake!) because it is that important. I have never forgotten it, and sincerely doubt that anyone else who saw it forgot it, either.

Of course this movie is astounding if you watch it closely. And I could not prevent myself to think of Henri Verneuil's I COMME ICARE sequence which has so much in common with this film subject. This TV feature focuses only on the experiment and its whereabouts, and of course Bill Shatner's character, who is terrific as an obsessed professor so involved in his task, his life purpose. The Verneuil's film only spoke about it, but it was mainly about many things else, political matters, more complex actually. I would say not more ambitious, because this one is, but yes more vast and complex. It may have been shot in video technicals and it has never been shown, aired in France, too complex for home audiences, housewives... So shame.

I sat transfixed, even through the commercials (made for TV, I think), and it affected me on a deep emotional level. I loved it, but unfortunately, it must have been deemed too powerful, as I have never seen it aired again. I have not talked with anyone else who has seen it, other than the person who viewed it with me originally. I wish I could find a copy of it, as I would like to share it with others. I guess it is not available anywhere, and that is indeed a shame.

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of The Tenth Level recently. I've watched it three times since then and it continues to chill my blood each time. Others I have shared this gem with have felt the same way. This is a story that works on many deep psychological levels, and sends a clear message which manages to transcend both time and the dated production values. This is truly a case where effective story-telling conquers all, and causes the viewer to forget they are watching something made on a shoestring budget 30 years ago. The story is cleverly woven in such a way that the viewer is compelled to put themselves in the place of the test subjects and left to wonder what choices they themselves would make. The real life statistics which are finally presented are absolutely frightening. If you ever have a chance to see this chilling glimpse into the human psyche, you MUST take advantage! You won't regret it.