WWII history buffs: great new movie "The Imitation Game"

[vigil617]

Son and I saw this at a local theater yesterday: the recently released "The Imitation Game" about the breaking of the Germans' Enigma code by a team of Brit cryptographers led by the visionary but troubled Cambridge mathematician Alan Turing. Their way of cracking the code was a mechanical device with, effectively, digital properties (like a computer) that had been visualized by Turing but had never been built before. Considered one of the first computers, it goes by the name "Christopher" in the movie, but actually was known as "The Bombe" when it was built and used at Bletchley Park during the war.

The film is getting very good reviews, and both my son and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There are some historically inaccurate parts, as tends to be the case in cinema, but the storyline is compelling, with a moving and tragic substory about Turing's own personal challenges before, during, and after the war before his suicide in the early 1950s.

If you remember the book "The Ultra Secret," you'll especially enjoy this movie about how the Enigma cryptology -- which was changed daily and contained 158 million million million possibilities each day -- was broken in a way that highlights both the brilliance of Turing and his team as well as the hubris of the Nazis in their daily encrypted traffic what eventually was a key to its downfall.

Highly recommended; five stars!

 

[the ringo kid]

Ive been wanting to see this movie. Thanks for the reviews...

 

[mtgianni]

I enjoyed it also.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Thanks for the reviews, I will probably pick up the DVD as I habitually re-watch anything touching on World War II. I know that I am not the only one on this forum that has memorized "World At War". Ultra was a good book, required for WWII buffs, even if it dragged in parts.

 

[vigil617]

Thanks for the reviews, I will probably pick up the DVD as I habitually re-watch anything touching on World War II. I know that I am not the only one on this forum that has memorized "World At War". Ultra was a good book, required for WWII buffs, even if it dragged in parts.

Rick, it'll probably be on DVD before too long, as there have been less than a couple dozen folks at both showings I have attended. Which is a shame, because I think that the performance of Benedict Cumberbatch is worthy of an Oscar nomination at the very least. I think you would enjoy this in a theater setting instead of at home, but whatever you decide, it's a great film.

 

[rlongclu]

Thanks for the reviews, I will probably pick up the DVD as I habitually re-watch anything touching on World War II. I know that I am not the only one on this forum that has memorized "World At War". Ultra was a good book, required for WWII buffs, even if it dragged in parts.

I agree about the Ultra Secret being a good book. An even better one, in my opinion , is "A man Called Intrepid." It encompasses the breaking of the German code along with much more. If you liked Ultra, you will love this.

 

[max]

PBS has had a fictional series on "Bletchley Circle." It deals with how they found these ladies who were amazing at math or some other skill and used them to help break codes. After the war, they were sworn to secrecy and turned loose. Too bad, they should have kept them on.

The girls get bored and use their skills to help solve crimes. It was pretty interesting.

 

[sipowicz]

Kind of sad that he saved so millions of lives by ending the war early, but couldn't live his own life the way he wanted to.

 

[loknload]

On the top of my list to see, glad to hear you enjoyed it!

 

[vigil617]

Kind of sad that he saved so millions of lives by ending the war early, but couldn't live his own life the way he wanted to.

More than kind of sad -- it was tragic, and a travesty.

The British government held the secret of the breaking of Enigma -- the Ultra secret -- for fifty years, which is mind-boggling to me, mostly because of how strongly the people who knew the secret respected the need to keep it hidden.

The movie illustrates how Alan Turing -- one of the truest heroes of World War II, right alongside many of the ones who fought on the battlefields -- could have lived out the rest of his life as a quiet mathematics professor and inventor, had it not been for having his home robbed and, in the course of the ensuing investigation, becoming suspected of being a Soviet spy due to his military record having been erased.

One leaves the movie sobered by the injustice of it all -- a genuine British hero and architect of what shortened World War II by at least two years (according to historians), saving millions of lives, who was publicly humiliated and exposed for what today is considered by the medical profession as a natural condition that occurs in a portion of the population.

Given the choice by a judge of either going to jail for two years (and being unable to continue his important and pioneering work) or undergoing "hormone treatment" (chemical castration), Turing opted for the latter. It was undoubtedly a factor in his suicide a year later.

In 2013 he was granted a pardon by Queen Elizabeth II and honored (belatedly) for his amazing achievements.

I am glad his story is being told.

 

[the ringo kid]

Rick, it'll probably be on DVD before too long, as there have been less than a couple dozen folks at both showings I have attended. Which is a shame, because I think that the performance of Benedict Cumberbatch is worthy of an Oscar nomination at the very least. I think you would enjoy this in a theater setting instead of at home, but whatever you decide, it's a great film.

Norm now is about 2-3 months. A few weeks ago--I already saw that Fury is being released or about to be released.

 

[old bear]

We went to a matinee on the second, and there was not an empty seat in the screening room. The average attendee's age must have been 55+. Kind of nice to be in a room full of folks who remember to conduct themselves in public.
Don't expect light entertainment with this movie, and can be very dark and thought provoking at times. Yet it is well worth the time and cost.

 

[16thVACav]

Great movie ....... recommend it highly!!!

 

[the ringo kid]

I think ill try watching it this friday. Im always looking forward to anything Clint Eastwood has his hands involved in.

 

[BigCityChief]

^You will enjoy it!^


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[vigil617]

I think ill try watching it this friday. Im always looking forward to anything Clint Eastwood has his hands involved in.

Ringo, I think you're thinking about a different movie....this one doesn't have an Eastwood connection that I can discern. Director was from Norway, and Clint wasn't in the movie....

 

[vigil617]

Heard today it's up for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actress (Keira Knightley), and Best Director (Morten Tyldum).

 

[Bkreutz]

Ringo, I think you're thinking about a different movie....this one doesn't have an Eastwood connection that I can discern. Director was from Norway, and Clint wasn't in the movie....

Eastwood is involved with "American Sniper" (I think as a Producer).

 

[LVSteve]

I might go and see this tomorrow.

Another good film on the subject, but entirely fictional, is Enigma.

 

[LVSteve]

Just went and saw this movie. I was absolutely blown away by the style and Cumberbatch's superb acting. As somebody born in Britain and raised with stories of WWII, you may guess how affected I am by this film.