The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch

[mnhtnbb]

My husband wanted to go see this last night.

Fascinating story. We had seen an Enigma machine on display in London at Churchill's War Rooms
last May when we were there.

Some info: http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_enigma.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_machine

I did not know anything about Alan Turing, although my husband had read a book about him.



Benedict Cumberbatch's performance is superb. Really well done.


Alan Turing:
Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.



Apparently, the relationship with Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley) is overdramatized, although
they did have a short engagement.


For some of the controversy surrounding the depiction of Turing's relationship with Joan Clarke:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2346828/Film-WW2-codebreaker-Alan-Turing-attacked-biographer-exaggerating-love-affair-woman-gay-says-Keira-Knightley-glamorous.html


And Keira Knightley's view about it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/26/keira-knightley-imitation-game_n_6221196.html


Anyone else see it?

[Hoppy]

1. Tuesday is cheap night. I will see it then.

[mcar]

2. Just saw it today

A wonderful film. The performances were excellent all round.

[SMC22307]

3. Haven't seen it yet, but it's in my Netflix queue...

because 1) the history is fascinating, and 2) Benedict Cumberbatch.

[question everything]

4. We saw it a few days ago

Both the movie and the actor deserve an Oscar. (OK, we have not seen many movies these years..)

I found it interesting that when Joan showed up to the "test" after solving the puzzle, she was told that "secretaries should go upstairs."

What I found touching was that after they broke the code, they had to decide how to handle it.

And, of course, the fact that in many parts of the world, homosexuality is still considered a crime, punishable by death.

[mnhtnbb]

5. I was curious about how the movie varied from the real story

and did a little on-line searching.

Joan ran in to considerable misogyny as a woman working in a 'man's' world. Apparently,
there were very different pay scales for women--doing the same work--and she
ended up being classified as having translation skills--even though she didn't--as a result
of some of her male friends helping to do an end run around the pay scale inequities. And
she was not nearly the 'looker' that Keira Knightley is. Typical Hollywood.

I had a hard time following the story because it was back and forth so much in time,
and I never really 'got' that it was an investigation into a burglary at Turing's apartment in the early 50's
that 'uncovered' his homosexuality which resulted in the charges against him--and ultimately
his suicide--even though all his war colleagues were aware of it. Talk about invasion of privacy! And by the way, no thanks for help with ending WW II.

[question everything]

6. Lat month TIME magazine had a story about Alan Turing

The True Story of The Imitation Game

http://time.com/3609585/the-true-story-of-the-imitation-game/

Alan Turing’s first love, Christopher, died at a young age

Ruling: Fact

Alan Turing was a closeted gay man

Ruling: Fact

Joan Clarke is invited to Bletchley Park, the home of the government’s code breaking operation, after completing a crossword puzzle

Ruling: Fiction

Joan’s parents didn’t want her at Bletchley

Ruling: Fiction

Turing named the code breaking machine “Christopher”

Ruling: Fiction

John Cairncross threatens to expose Turing’s sexuality if Turing reveals he’s a spy

Ruling: Fiction

Turing asked Clarke to marry him

Ruling: Fact

The government thought Turing might be a Soviet spy

Ruling: Fiction

Turing underwent chemical castration after his conviction

Ruling: Fact

[mnhtnbb]

8. I don't read TIME so I missed it. But my on-line research

turned up the answers to all the fact/fiction items.

[question everything]

7. The Price of Genius

This is what I read in TIME, by Walter Isaccson

http://time.com/3596955/the-price-of-genius/

Alan Turing, the man who pioneered computing, also forced the world to question what it means to be human

Alan Turing, the intellectual father of the modern computer, had a theory. He believed that one day machines would become so powerful that they would think just like humans. He even devised a test, which he called “the imitation game,” to herald the advent of computers that were indistinguishable from human minds. But as Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance in the new movie The Imitation Game shows, Turing’s heroic and tragic life provides a compelling counter to the concept that there might be no fundamental difference between our minds and machines.

[ellenrr]

9. Saw it last night. loved it!

based on the book by Andrew Hodges: Alan Turing: The Enigma.
now I want to read the book.

There was an interview with Hodges last week on NPR also on pacifica. The one on Pacifica can be heard here:
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/podcast/letters-politics-kpfa-94.1/id406769844?mt=2

Either 12/30 or 12/31


https://itunes.apple.com/nz/podcast/letters-politics-kpfa-94.1/id406769844?mt=2

[AtomicKitten]

10. My absolute favorite movie of the year.

Benedict Cumberbatch's performance was superb.

[bigwillq]

11. I thought it was outstanding.

Cumberbatch was fantastic.

[Lex]

12. Saw it tonight. A terrific movie.

Brought a tear to my eye at the end.

[Callmecrazy]

13. I watched from my sofa...

What a great movie.
After that I watched American Sniper. Another good movie. Great performance by Bradley Cooper, but the ending was kind of abrupt.
You can find a lot of great movies for free at this site:
http://www.thedarewall.com/tv/ . Go to the boxoffice pull down and browse all the available films.

[bigwillq]

14. I watch a lot of movies that way:

From my couch!

But I watch on a different site.

Watched Boyhood last night and started Wild today but didn't finish.

LOVED BOYHOOD!

I disliked the ending to American Sniper and I hated Sienna Miller. Thought it was good but not great. Cooper was outstanding.