L'Expérience

Original title: Das Experiment

2001
16
2h

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

98K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer1:41

8 Videos

89 Photos

Psychological Drama Psychological Thriller Drama Thriller

For two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without... Read allFor two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without using physical violence.For two weeks, 20 male participants are hired to play prisoners and guards in a prison. The "prisoners" have to follow seemingly mild rules, and the "guards" are told to retain order without using physical violence.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

98K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 14 wins & 14 nominations total

Videos8

Trailer 1:41

Das Experiment

Clip 0:59

Das Experiment: Scene3

Clip 1:19

Das Experiment: Scene6

Clip 0:33

Das Experiment: Scene2

Clip 0:19

Das Experiment: Scene1

Photos88

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Although no one died in the Stanford Prison Experiment on which the movie was based, the experiment was prematurely ended after six days out of a planned two weeks. The college students assigned (randomly) to be prisoners were "withdrawing and behaving in pathological ways" as a result of the degrading treatment they received. Quite a few scenes in the movie actually happened in the original experiment, including the early fire extinguisher scene and the prisoners being forced to clean the toilets by their bare hands.

Goofs
On the film poster Tarek is wearing number 82, but in the film he is number 77.

Quotes
[last lines]
Nachrichtensprecher: [voiceover - spoiler] The tragic outcome: two dead, three injured, among them project leader Professor Klaus Thon. Clearly, the experiment went out of control after two days. The district attorney is investigating two possible manslaughter charges and several charges of abuse and negligence. One of the test participants has been arrested. The project direction will probably have to answer to a court. According to statements by one of the scientists, the escalation might have been prevented by aborting the experiment earlier.

Alternate versions
The first cinema version had an insert in the beginning of the movie which stated "This is based on the Stanford Prison Experiment". Since Prof. Philip Zimbardo wasn't asked by the filmmakers - and the movie doesn't really show the true experiment, but an exaggeration, the insert was changed to say "This movie is based on the novel Black Box"

Connections
Featured in Visionado obligado: El experimento (2012)

Soundtracks
One Step Closer
Chester Bennington / Rob Bourdon / Brad Delson / Joseph Hahn / Mike Shinoda
Linkin Park
Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der
Zomba Enterprises Inc. / Zomba Songs Inc. / Rob Bourdon Music
Nondisclosure Agreement Music/Big Bad Mr.Hahn Music / Kenji Kobayashi Music
(all adm. by Zomba Songs Inc.) und der Wea Records, ein Geschaftsbereich
von Warner Music Germany GmbH

User reviews189

Featured review

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.