Hey folks, Harry here with a report on DAS EXPERIMENT, a film that we heard extremely cool things about at this year's Seattle International Film Festival and whose trailer can be grabbed here! I really can't wait to check this one out. Here ya go...
Das Good!
Cliff Homewood here. Harry, you kindly published my previous review of Dog Soldiers, so here’s another. First, did you know DAS EXPERIMENT is available to rent from Blockbusters in the UK? Although subtitles isn’t indicated on the box, which will catch people out.
DAS EXPERIMENT
Sometimes a film is so intense emotion overwhelms me, things have escalated far beyond what you want, it’s out of control and you have to sit there and watch till the end of the film. It’s rare to be emotionally involved by a film at such a level where your emotions wash over you. For a point of reference the end of THE FLY also did this; (old Ford Cortina style spoiler) where Brundle wants her to kill him, but she can’t kill the man she loves, but he puts the gun barrel up to his head and she does. That’s the gut level we are talking. We are talking about a film showing the degradation of human beings, attempting to break a man’s spirit. Now perhaps that is what prisons are all about, but watching this it felt more like a concentration camp. This film leaves SCUM behind and starts towards BATTLE ROYALE territory, that’s the degree of brutality and realism we are talking. When the film started I found myself admiring its visual beauty, neon lights glimmering in the dark, and I wondered how Prison Guards are meant to keep control of a prison without using physical violence. For that is what they have to do.
Isn’t it good to see a film, which earns its 18 certificate?
Das Experiment takes its concept from real experiments. It started in the 1970s with theStanford Prison Experiment, the idea being to separate volunteers randomly into two groups, one group were made prisoners, the others wardens. The warden group became very sadistic and the prisoners got the wrong idea, according to the scientists, that they couldn't quit the experiment, so put up with the cruelty. It was meant to run for 2 weeks, but after 4 days it was stopped in case the viciousness traumatized some of the prisoners. But what if they had allowed the experiment to continue?
It was never allowed to be performed again until now. The BBC screened a new version this year, called ‘The Experiment’. They got a team of 7 independent psychologists to monitor the prisoners’ mental health. They weren't needed. What happened this time is the wardens were too soft, letting the prisoners walk over them. The prisoners loved it, testing how much they could push the wardens, and scheming a prison rebellion. It was very entertaining and funny watching the prisoners manipulate and test the guards.
The creators of Das Experiment seemed to have the idea of combining the rebellious prisoners of the second version with the sadistic guards of the first. Although Das Experiment starts out filmic when it gets to the prison it turns documentary style, superbly portraying the reality of a jail type situation.
And here's PI with a different take...
Hi Harry!
Read Clint's review of Das Experiment just now and wanted to send you a different take on the film.
Now, Das Experiment is an ok film, not groundbreaking or a masterpiece and certainly nothing like Battle Royale. I have a few problems with it, but overall it is worthwhile.
The opening scenes are a bit pretentious and absurd (the "special" glasses seemed a bit too out of place for me) but once all the guys are in their cells, things start to roll.
Without spoiling anything, I just want to say that there are a few scenes towards the end where I thought the film got much too brutal for its own good. I say that because the first half is a bit glossy and not as serious as the last half. Then we switch into repulsive mode and sometimes, frankly, what's onscreen is a bit unbearable to watch. In my opinion, the director hadn't earned the right or the trust of the audience to go so far. It just turned me off the whole thing.
But then again - that's how it WOULD happen in real life. And there's nothing I can say to that. The film is based on a true story, so it's pointless for me to talk about how "unrealistic" it was - this is what really happened (well, up to a certain degree).
I wouldn't really recommend Das Experiment. It left me feeling too uneasy and depressed, but at least it left me feeling something. It is a powerful movie, but I don't think the power was used the right way ... I can't really explain it in English, as it is not my first language ... Well, lets just say that Das Experiment is compelling and brutal and that it is not for all tastes.
_pi_
