The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game--Directed by Morten Tyldum/Screenplay by Graham Moore adapted from ‪the book about Alan Turing written by Andrew Hodges/starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, & Rory Kinnear/113 mins/rated PG-13

Bifocal Reviews by Ageless1der Barbara Rich & The Other Guy

(BR) Well, it’s about time! This is a story that is long overdue. After seeing The Imitation Game, I feel like I’ve been deprived from knowing about the tremendous part that Alan Turing played in history. Such genius, brilliance, and suffering through the life of Alan Turing deepened my admiration for anyone who’s had to keep secrets, whether it be personal or for espionage. I wish that I could reach into the afterlife and pull him back from the grave so that he could appreciate some of the many freedoms he was prevented from enjoying in his lifetime. As for this film, Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance was worthy of his Globe nomination. It was a perfect portrayal. We should also mention Keira Knightly’s pairing with Cumberbatch was so sincere and convincing. The two seemed very comfortable in the historical relationship that transcended the sexual. The ensemble cast and production crew, including writer, director and musical score completed this perfect movie going experience. In addition, Alan Turing should be acknowledged and heralded in the forefront of history (not the background) for the accomplishment of creating the modern computer. Without his unique perspective who knows where technology would be today? If he had lived longer and had the freedoms we have today, what other problems might he have solved? I give this film five binoculars.

(OG) The word, ENIGMA comes from the Greek word, meaning riddle (or most often an unanswerable riddle), and is found in literature in the story of the Sphinx who is said to have asked travellers to solve a riddle before allowing them to pass. If they could not answer, the Sphinx killed the traveller. During WWII the German army had invented a machine that was known as the Enigma because (they believed) it created an unbreakable code. The code was broken (as is depicted in this film) by perhaps the only person who could have done it, a man who had to live more than one lie throughout his life…Alan Turing. This film was, in a way an enigma unto itself, as the themes of homosexuality, truth vs. lies, the responsibility of having someone’s fate in your hands, adult autism, sexual equality, and types of love are woven into a standard spy thriller, based upon the true story of Alan Turing, the person who is given credit for developing concepts which led to the first computers. I liked the presentation, as even the most insignificant fact was later given importance as the story developed (Turing called his computer Christopher and his first love also had that name), or even after the movie was over and further research was completed. For instance, at the outset of the movie Alan Turing is found picking up cyanide off the floor by a police officer. At the end of the film and when I got home, I found that cyanide plays an important role at the end of Turing’s life, though the action in the film does not explain the poison. I liked this film enough to give it four and a half binoculars right now. Maybe tomorrow it will seem worthy of a five.