The Stanford Prison Experiment (film)

This article is about the 2015 film. For the psychology experiment, see The Stanford Prison Experiment. For the American punk band, see Stanford Prison Experiment (band).
The Stanford Prison Experiment

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Produced by
Written by Tim Talbott
Starring
Music by Andrew Hewitt
Cinematography Jas Shelton
Edited by Fernando Collins
Production
company
  • Sandbar Pictures
  • Abandon Pictures
  • Coup d'Etat Films
Distributed by IFC Films
Release dates
Running time
 121 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $649,690[1]

The Stanford Prison Experiment is a 2015 American thriller film directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez and written by Tim Talbott. The film stars Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Olivia Thirlby, Nelsan Ellis, Ki Hong Lee, Tye Sheridan, Miles Heizer, Michael Angarano, Jack Kilmer and Nicholas Braun. The plot tells the story of the Stanford Prison Experiment in which students play the role of a prisoner or a prison guard conducted at Stanford University under supervision of Psychology Professor Philip Zimbardo in 1971.[2]

The project was announced in 2002 and remained in development for twelve years, with principal photography beginning on August 19, 2014, in Los Angeles. The film is financed and produced by Sandbar Pictures and Abandon Pictures. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2015, before being given a limited theatrical release on July 17, 2015. Upon its release at Sundance, the film received positive reviews from critics, who commended the direction, screenplay, and acting.

Plot

Stanford University psychology professor Philip Zimbardo conducts a psychological experiment to test the hypothesis that the personality traits of prisoners and guards are the chief cause of abusive behavior between them. In the experiment, Zimbardo selects fifteen 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. Two students who play the role of prisoners quit the experiment early, and Zimbardo abruptly stops the entire experiment after only six days.

Cast

Production

A film project about the Stanford prison experiment was first announced in 2002, when producer Brent Emery assigned 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.[3] In 2006, two competing films about the experiment were in development, one at Maverick Films and the other Inferno's The Experiment.[9]

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 would be Brent Emery, Lizzie Friedman, Greg Little, Lauren Bratman and Brian Geraghty.[3]

Casting

On August 19, 2014, it was announced that Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller and Michael Angarano would play lead roles.[3] On August 26, Jack Kilmer joined the cast to play Jim, one of the student prisoners whose personality makes him the perfect subject to comply with all that is asked of him.[5] On August 28, Nicholas Braun joined the film to play Vandy, an abusive and sadistic guard.[6] On September 4, Brett Davern was added to the cast. He plays Hubbie Whitlow, an affable young participant whose failed escape attempt leads to grueling humiliation at the hands of sadistic guards.[7] On September 9, Jesse Carere joined the cast to play Paul, Prisoner 5704, a gangly young man who counts smoking as his only vice.[8] On October 10, more ensemble cast was announced which include Olivia Thirlby as 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 Townshend, Johnny Simmons as prisoner Jeff Jansen, and Ki Hong Lee as prisoner Gavin Chan.[4]

Filming

Principal photography began on August 19, 2014, in Los Angeles, and lasted 21 days.[3][5][10]

Release

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2015.[11] IFC Films acquired the US rights to the film on March 5, 2015.[12] The film was released on July 17, 2015, by IFC Films.[13] The film was released on Blu-Ray and iTunes on November 17, 2015.

Reception

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 gave the film a "certified fresh" rating of 85%, based on reviews from 74 critics, with an average score of 6.9/10. 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."[14] On Metacritic the film has a score of 68 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]

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."[16] Kyle Smith of the New York Post felt that "Tim Talbott's dense script provides much to discuss and argue about, providing both left and right with talking points."[17] 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."[18] 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."[19]

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."[20]

Accolades

List of accolades
Award / Film festival Category Recipient(s) Result
31st Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize
(U.S. Dramatic)		 Kyle Patrick Alvarez Nominated[21]
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize Won[22]
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award
(U.S. Dramatic)		 Tim Talbott Won[21]

References

  1. ↑ "The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)". Box Office Mojo. 2015-07-19. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
  2. ↑ Philip G. Zimbardo (January 17, 2013). "Philip G. Zimbardo". Social Psychology Network. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sneider, Jeff (August 19, 2014). "Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano to Star in 'Stanford Prison Experiment'". thewrap.com. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Yamato, Jen (October 10, 2014). "'Stanford Prison Experiment' Adds Olivia Thirlby, 'True Blood's Nelsan Ellis, More". deadline.com. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Yamato, Jen (August 26, 2014). "Jack Kilmer Joins 'Stanford Prison Experiment'". deadline.com. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Yamato, Jen (August 28, 2014). "Nick Braun Heads To ‘Stanford'". deadline.com. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Yamato, Jen (September 4, 2014). "'Awkward's Brett Davern Heads To 'Stanford'". deadline.com. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Jesse Carere Takes Part In 'Stanford Prison Experiment'". deadline.com. September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  9. ↑ DiOrio, Carl (October 30, 2006). "Stanford pics in stand-off". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  10. ↑ Kara Warner (July 21, 2015). "‘Stanford Prison Experiment’ Director Talks Film’s Shooting Schedule". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  11. ↑ Leslie Felperin. "The Stanford Prison Experiment': Sundance Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  12. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (March 5, 2015). "IFC Films Locks Up ‘Stanford Prison Experiment'; JB Blanc Joins ‘Arms And The Dudes’ — Film Briefs". deadline.com. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  13. ↑ Moore, Debi (2014-06-20). "Take The Stanford Prison Experiment in Theaters this July". Dread Central. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  14. ↑ "THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  15. ↑ "The Stanford Prison Experiment". Metacritic. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  16. ↑ "‘The Stanford Prison Experiment': Sundance Review". Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Thriller ‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’ will give you chills". Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Sundance 2015 review – The Stanford Prison Experiment: notorious behaviour test becomes masterful film". Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Sundance Film Festival Diary – Day 5". Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Sundance Film Review: ‘The Stanford Prison Experiment’". Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Here Are Your 2015 Sundance Film Festival Winners". Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  22. ↑ "Sundance Institute and Alfred P. Slan Foundation Award" (PDF). Retrieved January 26, 2014.

External links

Awards
Preceded by
I Origins		 Alfred P. Sloan Prize Winner
2015 		Succeeded by
TBD
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