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The Tenth Level

Name: The Tenth Level
Director: Charles S. Dubin
Released: 1976
Duration: 102 min

Representation Score

3.4/10

Limited

1976

Director

Charles S. Dubin

Runtime

102 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The Tenth Level serves as a psychological procedural that deconstructs the mechanics of authority and obedience. Using the Milgram experiment, it examines how individuals bypass personal morality within a structured hierarchy. Though the film lacks explicit characters who reflect more than one aspect of diversity or identity-based characters, its intellectual focus provides a departure from status-quo-affirming media. It prioritizes a critique of systemic rules and institutional power over traditional character-driven drama. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its sociological critique, challenging the stability of Western social structures by framing adherence to systemic orders as a potential vehicle for profound moral failure.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Tenth Level have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. Its focus is on the psychological dynamics of obedience and authority.

How does The Tenth Level portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on the power dynamics between Professor Turner and his students, exploring how individual ability to act is subverted.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Tenth Level?

Fair

The film addresses historical racial trauma through its exploration of Nazi complicity and the Holocaust, though the specific racial composition of the cast is not detailed.

How does The Tenth Level represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The film critiques Western social institutions and the morality of following orders, adopting a skeptical stance towards institutionalized science and social hierarchy.

Does The Tenth Level include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the film, nor is such representation used as a plot device.

Present on Screen

The film offers a sophisticated critique of institutional power and the fragility of individual ethics.
It delves deeply into historical themes of systemic failure and the consequences of blind obedience.

Limited or Absent

The narrative lacks explicit characters who reflect more than one aspect of diversity or diverse identity-based character arcs.
There is no representation for LGBTQ+ or disabled communities within the story.

Official Synopsis

Inspired by the Stanley Milgram obedience research, this TV movie chronicles a psychology professor's study to determine why people, such as the Nazis, were willing to "just follow orders" and do horrible things to others. Professor Stephen Turner leads students to believe that they are applying increasingly painful electric shocks to other subjects when they fail to perform a task correctly, and is alarmed to see how much pain the students can be convinced to inflict "in the name of science."

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