The Stanford Prison Experiment (film)

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The Stanford Prison Experiment
The Stanford Prison Experiment.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Written byTim Talbott
Based on The Lucifer Effect
by Philip Zimbardo
Produced by
  • Lauren Bratman
  • Brent Emery
  • Lizzie Friedman
  • Karen Lauder
  • Greg Little
Starring
CinematographyJas Shelton
Edited byFernando Collins
Music by Andrew Hewitt
Production
companies
  • Abandon Pictures
  • Coup d'Etat Films
  • Sandbar Pictures
Distributed by IFC Films
Release dates
  • January 26, 2015 (2015-01-26)(Sundance)
  • July 17, 2015 (2015-07-17)(United States)
Running time
122 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office
  • $660,561 (U.S.) [2]
  • $18,860 (worldwide) [3]

The Stanford Prison Experiment is a 2015 American docudrama psychological thriller film directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, written by Tim Talbott, and starring Billy Crudup, Michael Angarano, Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Thirlby, and Nelsan Ellis. The plot concerns the 1971 Stanford prison experiment, conducted at Stanford University under the supervision of psychology professor Philip Zimbardo, in which students played the role of either a prisoner or correctional officer. [4]

Contents

The project was announced in 2002 and remained in development for twelve years, with filming beginning on August 19, 2014, in Los Angeles. The film was financed and produced by Sandbar Pictures and Abandon Pictures, and premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, before beginning a limited theatrical release on July 17, 2015. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a psychological experiment to investigate the hypothesis that roles in social situations, rather than individual personality traits, cause participants' behavior. In the experiment, Zimbardo selects eighteen male students to participate in a 14-day prison simulation to take roles as prisoners or guards. They receive $15 per day. The experiment is conducted in a mock prison located in the basement of Jordan Hall, the university's psychology department building. The students who are guards become abusive, as does Zimbardo himself, as they immerse themselves in their assigned roles. Two students who play the role of prisoners quit the experiment early due to psychological meltdowns. After being chastised and roughly brought back to reality by his girlfriend Christina Maslach, Zimbardo abruptly stops the entire experiment after only six days.

Cast

Production

A film about the Stanford prison experiment was first announced in 2002 when producer Brent Emery signed Tim Talbott to write the script for the film. Problems beset and delayed the project for twelve years, including financing and the 2007 writers' strike. [5] In 2006, two competing films about the experiment were in development, one at Maverick Films and the other Inferno's The Experiment , [6] which was a remake of the German film Das Experiment from 2001. Maverick Films, having an ownership break up in August 2008, continued on as Imprint Entertainment Imprint was expected to start filming in January 2009 under producer Christopher McQuarrie. [7]

On August 19, 2014, Sandbar Pictures and Abandon Pictures came on board to finance the film. Kyle Patrick Alvarez was set to direct, and producers were Brent Emery, Lizzie Friedman, Greg Little, Lauren Bratman and Brian Geraghty. [5]

Casting

On August 19, 2014, it was announced that Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller and Michael Angarano would play lead roles. [5] On August 26, Jack Kilmer joined the cast to play Jim Randall, one of the student prisoners whose personality makes him a perfect subject to comply. [8] On August 28, Nicholas Braun joined the film to play Karl Vandy, an abusive and sadistic guard. [9] On September 4, Brett Davern was added to the cast, playing Hubbie Whitlow, an affable young participant whose failed escape attempt leads to grueling humiliation at the hands of sadistic guards. [10] On September 9, Jesse Carere joined the cast to play Paul Beattie, Prisoner 5704, a gangly man who counts smoking as his only vice. [11] On October 10, more of the ensemble cast was announced, including Olivia Thirlby as Dr. Christina Maslach, professor Zimbardo's future wife and fellow academic, Nelsan Ellis as Jesse Fletcher, Tye Sheridan as prisoner Peter Mitchell, James Frecheville as guard Matthew Townshend, Johnny Simmons as prisoner Jeff Jansen, and Ki Hong Lee as prisoner Gavin Lee. [12]

Filming

Principal photography began on August 19, 2014, in Los Angeles, and lasted 21 days. [5] [8] [13]

Release

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2015. [14] By coincidence, Experimenter , a film about another notorious psychological experiment, the Milgram experiment, had premiered at Sundance the day before. [15]

IFC Films acquired the US rights to the film on March 5, 2015. [16] The film was theatrically released on July 17, 2015, by IFC Films, [17] and on Blu-Ray and iTunes on November 17, 2015.

Reception

Director Kyle Patrick Alvarez at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival Kyle Patrick Alvarez at Sundance 2015.jpg
Director Kyle Patrick Alvarez at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival

Upon its premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, The Stanford Prison Experiment received a positive response from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes indicates an 84% approval rating, based on reviews from 103 critics, with an average score of 7/10. The site's consensus states: "As chillingly thought-provoking as it is absorbing and well-acted, The Stanford Prison Experiment offers historical drama that packs a timelessly relevant punch." [18] On the review site Metacritic, the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [19]

Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, writing: "For all its flaws it's a rich, thought-provoking film which, while challenging, is not without humor and visual pleasures." [14] Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars and judged that "Director Kyle Patrick Alvarez deserves all the praise in the world for the way he cranks up this pressure cooker script." [20] Edward Douglas in his review for ComingSoon praised the film, remarking: "While this is going to be a polarizing and divisive film, it's one that people will talk about after seeing it, almost as if it was made as an experiment itself." [21]

However, Justin Chang of Variety criticized the film, saying "The combination of relentless forward drive and gruesomely fastidious detail, while audacious and admirable in theory, begins to pay dwindling returns in a picture that feels rather longer than its 122-minute running time." [22]

Accolades

List of accolades
Award / Film festivalCategoryRecipient(s)Result
31st Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize (U.S. Dramatic) Kyle Patrick Alvarez and Tim Talbott Nominated [23]
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Won [24]
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award (U.S. Dramatic)Tim TalbottWon [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford prison experiment</span> Controversial 1971 psychological experiment

The Stanford prison experiment (SPE) was a psychological experiment performed during August 1971. It was a two-week simulation of a prison environment that examined the effects of situational variables on participants' reactions and behaviors. Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo managed the research team who administered the study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Zimbardo</span> American social psychologist (1933–2024)

Philip George Zimbardo was an American psychologist and a professor at Stanford University. He was an internationally known educator, researcher, author and media personality in psychology who authored more than 500 articles, chapters, textbooks, and trade books covering a wide range of topics, including time perspective, cognitive dissonance, the psychology of evil, persuasion, cults, deindividuation, shyness, and heroism. He became known for his 1971 Stanford prison experiment, which was later criticized. He authored various widely-used, introductory psychology textbooks for college students, and other notable works, including Shyness, The Lucifer Effect, and The Time Paradox. He was the founder and president of the Heroic Imagination Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting heroism in everyday life by training people how to resist bullying, bystanding, and negative conformity. He pioneered The Stanford Shyness Clinic in the 1970s and offered the earliest comprehensive treatment program for shyness. He was the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and many awards and honors for service, teaching, research, writing, and educational media, including the Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science for his Discovering Psychology video series. He served as Western Psychological Association president in 1983 and 2001, and American Psychological Association president in 2002.

<i>Das Experiment</i> 2001 German thriller film by Oliver Hirschbiegel

Das Experiment is a 2001 German drama thriller film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel. It is based on Mario Giordano's novel Black Box and deals with a social experiment which resembles Philip Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment of 1971.

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Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<i>The Experiment</i> British documentary on a psychological experiment

The Experiment is a 2002 BBC documentary series in which 15 men are randomly selected to be either "prisoner" or guard, contained in a simulated prison over an eight-day period. Produced by Steve Reicher and Alex Haslam, it presents the findings of what has subsequently become known as the BBC Prison Study. These findings centered around "the social and psychological consequences of putting people in groups of unequal power" and "when people accept inequality and when they challenge it".

Under the controversy of person–situation debate, situationism is the theory that changes in human behavior are factors of the situation rather than the traits a person possesses. Behavior is believed to be influenced by external, situational factors rather than internal traits or motivations. Situationism therefore challenges the positions of trait theorists, such as Hans Eysenck or Raymond B. Cattell. This is an ongoing debate that has truth to both sides; psychologists are able to prove each of the view points through human experimentation.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Maslach</span> American psychologist

Christina Maslach is an American social psychologist and professor emerita of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, known for her research on occupational burnout. She is a co-author of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Areas of Worklife Survey. Early in her professional career, Maslach was instrumental in stopping the Stanford prison experiment. In 1997, she was awarded the U.S. Professor of the Year.

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<i>The Lucifer Effect</i> Book by Philip Zimbardo

The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil is a 2007 book which includes professor Philip Zimbardo's first detailed, written account of the events surrounding the 1971 Stanford prison experiment (SPE) – a prison simulation study which had to be discontinued after only six days due to several distressing outcomes and mental breaks of the participants. The book includes over 30 years of subsequent research into the psychological and social factors which result in immoral acts being committed by otherwise moral people. It also examines the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib in 2003, which has similarities to the Stanford experiment. The title takes its name from the biblical story of the favored angel of God, Lucifer, his fall from grace, and his assumption of the role of Satan, the embodiment of evil. The book was briefly on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller and won the American Psychological Association's 2008 William James Book Award.

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References

  1. "The Stanford Prison Experiment (15)". British Board of Film Classification . May 31, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  2. "The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)". Box Office Mojo. July 19, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  3. "The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)". The Numbers . Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  4. Philip G. Zimbardo (January 17, 2013). "Philip G. Zimbardo". Social Psychology Network. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Sneider, Jeff (August 19, 2014). "Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano to Star in 'Stanford Prison Experiment'". thewrap.com. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  6. DiOrio, Carl (October 30, 2006). "Stanford pics in stand-off". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  7. Schneider, Michael (August 8, 2008). "Maverick Films splits". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Yamato, Jen (August 26, 2014). "Jack Kilmer Joins 'Stanford Prison Experiment'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  9. Yamato, Jen (August 28, 2014). "Nick Braun Heads To 'Stanford'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  10. Yamato, Jen (September 4, 2014). "'Awkward's Brett Davern Heads To 'Stanford'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  11. "Jesse Carere Takes Part In 'Stanford Prison Experiment'". Deadline Hollywood. September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  12. Yamato, Jen (October 10, 2014). "'Stanford Prison Experiment' Adds Olivia Thirlby, 'True Blood's Nelsan Ellis, More". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  13. Warner, Kara (July 21, 2015). "'Stanford Prison Experiment' Director Talks Film's Shooting Schedule". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Felperin, Leslie (January 26, 2015). "The Stanford Prison Experiment': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  15. Seemayer, Zach (January 22, 2015). "9 Sundance 2015 Films We Are Dying to See". ET Online.
  16. Pedersen, Erik (March 5, 2015). "IFC Films Locks Up 'Stanford Prison Experiment'; JB Blanc Joins 'Arms And The Dudes' — Film Briefs". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  17. Moore, Debi (April 6, 2015). "Take The Stanford Prison Experiment in Theaters this July". Dread Central. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  18. "The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  19. "The Stanford Prison Experiment". Metacritic. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  20. Hoffman, Jordan (January 30, 2015). "Sundance 2015 review – The Stanford Prison Experiment: notorious behaviour test becomes masterful film". The Guardian. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  21. "Sundance Film Festival Diary – Day 5". ComingSoon.net. January 27, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  22. Chang, Justin (January 27, 2015). "Sundance Film Review: 'The Stanford Prison Experiment'". Variety. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Here Are Your 2015 Sundance Film Festival Winners" . Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  24. "Sundance Institute and Alfred P. Slan Foundation Award" (PDF). Retrieved January 26, 2014.
Awards
Preceded by Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winner
2015
Succeeded by