6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In 1961, famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram begins a series of innovative behavior experiments designed to explore the psychology of obedience. The outcome is shocking, and Milgram becomes a controversial figure.
Starring: Peter Sarsgaard, Winona Ryder, Jim Gaffigan, Kellan Lutz, Taryn ManningBiography | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Experimenter explores the life and work of social psychologist Stanley Milgram, whose
"obedience experiment" stunned the world when its results were first reported in the press in
1963, not long after the execution of Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Holocaust whose
defense was that he was just following orders. Milgram had originally expected his experiment to
demonstrate that a democratic society like America's inculcates moral "checks and balances" in
individuals, so that a similar submission to malevolent authority could never happen here. When
the results showed the opposite, Milgram became the center of a fiery controversy from which he
never managed to extricate himself—and which continues to this day. Both his findings and his
methods were attacked, and Milgram himself was accused of being an unethical monster who
deliberately tortured his own subjects.
The film's title also applies to its writer/director, Michael Almereyda, an experimental filmmaker
best known for his radical screen adaptations of Shakespeare (e.g., reimagining Hamlet, with
Ethan Hawke, as a battle for control of a modern corporation). In Experimenter, Almereyda
abandons realism and employs techniques borrowed from documentaries, tabloid re-creations,
old movies, even staged drama, to convey a sense of the world as Milgram saw it: a giant puzzle
of social relations to be investigated. Rear projection replaces realistic sets, sometimes in color
and sometimes in black-and-white. Milgram, as played by Peter Sarsgaard, repeatedly turns to the
camera to explain what is happening and why it is important. The "elephant in the room" that
Milgram's experiment became is represented by an actual elephant that follows Milgram down
the hall as he addresses the viewer.
Experimenter was inspired by Almereyda's reading of Milgram's Obedience to Authority,
published in 1974, and also by viewing films that Milgram made to show in his university
classes, including a documentary about the obedience experiment itself. Almereyda was struck by
Milgram's own skill as a filmmaker and by his urbane presence onscreen, which the director
compared to Rod Serling hosting The
Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock on his TV shows. As
Almereyda has said: "[I]t's sort of odd to make a movie about an intellectual . . . . Milgram is
very much a guy whose life was spent reading, writing, and thinking, so his experiments become
the movie's essential action—a primary way Milgram interacts with other people, even as he
observes them from a distance." The style of Experimenter allows Milgram (as portrayed by
actor Peter Sarsgaard) to present his work on his own terms, even as Almereyda also gives voice
to his numerous critics.
Experimenter premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015. The film was later
acquired by Magnolia Pictures, which released it in October 2015 through VOD and in theaters.
Magnolia is now issuing it on Blu-ray in a first-rate presentation.
Experimenter was shot by Ryan Samul (Cold
in July, Dark Was the Night
). Specifics about the
shooting format were unavailable, but the cameras seen in behind-the-scenes footage appear to be
digital. Post-production was completed on a digital intermediate from which Magnolia's 1080p,
AVC-encoded Blu-ray was presumably sourced by a direct digital path.
The Blu-ray image has a textured appearance that is almost film-like, which is probably a result
of post-processing to create a period look and to incorporate Experimenter's many photographic
effects. Despite occasional softness, the image is finely detailed, faithfully reproducing the period
clothing and decor, including the reproduction of Milgram's testing rooms and equipment. (By
contrast, the equipment used for the CBS Playhouse 90 production suggests low-budget sci-fi.)
The color palette is typically cool and detached ("serene" is the term used by the production
designer), which has the effect of intensifying the emotional pitch of scenes such as the
"obedience test" sequences. An exception is the Milgram home in the Bronx, where warm colors
predominate. Rear projections and other stylized photographic effects stand out immediately, but
this is clearly intentional. No visible distortion or interference has been added as part of the Blu-ray mastering.
Magnolia has mastered Experimenter with an average bitrate of just over 25 Mbps, which
appears to be sufficient for this unusual mixture of drama and documentary.
Experimenter's 5.1 sound mix, encoded on Blu-ray in lossless DTS-HD MA, is an understated affair, as befits a story set in labs, offices and college classrooms. A subdued environmental ambiance can be heard in most scenes, but rarely does it intrude on the dialogue, which is always clear. Occasional sounds such as telephones, typewriters or the faked electric shocks stand out. The most memorable element of the soundtrack is the unsettling, jazz-inflected score by Brian Senti (Almereyda's Cymbeline), which adds a mournful, detached undertone to Milgram's inquiries.
The results of Milgram's "obedience experiment" may seem less controversial to a contemporary
audience, but that is just a measure of how thoroughly Milgram's work has been absorbed into
the social sciences and seeped into popular awareness (e.g., in Ghostbusters, which opens with
Bill Murray administering a parody of Milgram's test). One of Experimenter's many
accomplishments is how it captures the youthful enthusiasm of Milgram's team, their initial
excitement as they encounter intriguing and unexpected results, and the incomprehension that
Milgram experienced when his results generated such angry reactions. Everyone wants to believe
they're a good person, but Milgram's work revealed just how fragile a bulwark "goodness"
provides when people are put to the test. Highly recommended.
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