The upcoming movie "Experimenter" is based on the true story of experiments held during the 1960s, in which it was proved that humans' inclination for obedience is great, despite having to inflict severe pain on another human being.
Such acts are akin to German soldiers killing during the Holocaust and ISIS terrorists torturing prisoners to obey their leaders.
The story of the "Experimenter" began when Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram decided to conduct a series of experiments in the 1960s in order to find out the truth with humanity's human reaction to authority. This was after he became troubled with the consequences of the Nazi regime
The experiments took place shortly following the trial of World War II criminal, Adolph Eichmann. He contested that he simply followed instructions from higher authorities when he killed millions of Jews in Nazi prison camps.
According to The Inquisitr, in his 1974 book "Obedience to Authority," Milgram asked, "Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?"
"A substantial proportion of people do what they are told to do, irrespective of the content of the act, and without pangs of conscience, so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority," he added.
The basis of 2015's "Experimenter" is from one of Milgram's most popular experiments.
In 1961, Milgram and his team conducted experiments to find out how far people would go for authority, even when it comes to torture.
According to About.com, Milgram utilized a special box composed of switches and dials to study the participants. They were called he "teacher" and was told to ask questions to a person in another room called the "learner." The "experimenter" tells the "teachers" to use electric shocks of varying intensities whenever the "learners" answered incorrectly.
Throughout the experiments, "learners" are heard shouting and crying in pain. Even as this happens and "teachers" tell the "experimenter" that they aren't comfortable anymore, when the "experimenter tells them politely to inflict further pain, the "teachers" do so.
The "experimenter" would respond to the "teachers'" hesitancies with phrases like "Please continue," "The experiment requires that you continue," or "You have no other choice; you must go on."
The shocking truth was that no "learner" was really electrocuted and they were simply actors. Despite this fact, the results are shocking, if not terrifying.
"'Experimenter' serves as a great retrospective on a society that accepts authority and the status quo without question. Now, with the wealth of information at our disposal, we don't accept any one person's word on anything. This was Milgram's goal, even though he never truly got around to figuring out a treatment for the problem," according to a review by theyoungfolks.com.
The "Experimenter" opens in theaters October 16, starring Peter Sarsgaard as Stanley Milgram and Winona Ryder as Sasha Menkin Milgram.
According to The Kansas City Star, Sarsgaard's approach in the "Experimenter" isn't his usual, where he would read a script and make up some of the acting.
"Experimenter" felt "different," Sarsgaard said, "We were trying to do something else than a normal biopic. A part like this, which is nice, is that I am not being asked to be a superhero. I am just a guy with faults, whatever they may be."
See photos of the "Experimenter" here and here.
Click here to see a video showing some original footage from Milgram's experiments in 1961.
To view a trailer of the "Experimenter," click here.
