The title of the film quotes the name of the game Alan Turing proposed for answering the question "Can machines think? The Imitation Game attempts to decode it. How vital was was the Enigma breakthrough? In the 1950s, Alan Turing proposed his influential test for machine intelligence, which involved a teletyped dialogue between a human player, a machine, and an interrogator. During his interrogation by Nock, Turing tells of his time working at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. The others were not. TIME ranked Cumberbatch's portrayal number one in its Top 10 film performances of 2014, with the magazine's chief film critic Richard Corliss calling Cumberbatch's characterisation "the actor's oddest, fullest, most Cumberbatchian character yet ... he doesn't play Turing so much as inhabit him, bravely and sympathetically but without mediation". Alan Turing and the Imitation Game. It also received nine BAFTA nominations and won the People's Choice Award at the 39th Toronto International Film Festival. 'Imitation Game' Oscar Ads Focus On A Hero", "Industry leaders recognize the genius of Alan Turing's contributions to the world. [49][50], Debuting in four cinemas in Los Angeles and New York on 28 November, the film grossed $479,352 in its opening weekend with a $119,352 per-screen-average, the second highest per-screen-average of 2014 and the 7th highest of all time for a live-action film. In 1928, the young Turing is unhappy and bullied at boarding school. [96] As the law and the disregard process applies only to England and Wales, groups in Northern Ireland and Scotland have campaigned for equivalent laws in their jurisdictions. Turing is difficult to work with, and considers his colleagues inferior; he works alone to design a machine to decipher Enigma messages. The overall plot arc in which the British cryptographers were stymied for the first few years of the war and then a sudden breakthrough enabled them to finally break Enigma. "[87] Computing historian Thomas Haigh, writing in the journal Communications of the ACM, said that "the film is a bad guide to reality but a useful summary of everything that the popular imagination gets wrong about Bletchley Park", that it "combines the traditional focus of popular science writing on the lone genius who changes the world with the modern movie superhero narrative of a freak who must overcome his own flaws before he can save the world", and that, together with the likes of A Beautiful Mind and The Theory of Everything, is part of a trend of "glossy scientific biopic[s]" that emphasize those famous scientists who were surrounded by tragedy rather than those who found contented lives, which in turn affects the way "[s]ome kinds of people, and work, have become famous and others have not. In the same interview, Turing's nephew Dermot Turing stated that Cumberbatch is "perfect casting. Did the Germans ever break the Allies' codes. A surge of new technologies developed during World War II, including early computers, space satellites and nuclear power, had captured the intellectual and public imagination. The Imitation Game presents a historically accurate graphic novel biography of Turing’s life, including his groundbreaking work on the fundamentals of cryptography and artificial intelligence. A hero", "Psyched about this combination of subject/actor. During World War II, the English mathematical genius. During their reception, Turing confirms his homosexuality to Cairncross, who warns him to keep it secret. Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch in … After the war, Menzies tells the cryptographers to destroy their work and that they can never see one another again or share what they have done. Backs Out of the Alan Turing Project", "David Yates Develops 'Dr. An espionage subplot involving Turing and Soviet spy. The final scene shows an on screen message saying, "After a year of government-mandated hormonal therapy, Turing committed suicide on June 7th, 1954. [85] L.V. The Imitation Game ( 2014) The Imitation Game. It isn’t accurate about any of them, but the least wrong bits are the 1928 ones. [27], Princeton University Press and Vintage Books both released film tie-in editions of Andrew Hodges' biography Alan Turing: The Enigma in September 2014. Who,' As Warner Bros Tempts Him With 'Imitation Game, "The Riddle Who Unlocked the Enigma - 'The Imitation Game' Dramatizes the Story of Alan Turing", "Sherlock's on the trail of a new movie blockbuster", "Harvey Weinstein Pays Record $7 Million For 'Imitation Game' Movie", "Alexandre Desplat Takes Over Scoring Duties on 'The Imitation Game, "Composer Alexandre Desplat Talks THE IMITATION GAME, Coming to the Project Late, Finding Continuity in His Scores, His Love of Conducting, and More", "Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in First Look at 'The Imitation Game' (Photo)", "In honor of today's Royal Pardon, please find the first still released from the upcoming film, The Imitation Game", "Benedict Cumberbatch outwits Nazis in 'The Imitation Game' -- FIRST LOOK", "New Stills Of Benedict Cumberbatch And Keira Knightley In The Imitation Game", "June, summer, and Princeton University Press in the movies", "The Imitation Game will open the 58th BFI London Film Festival", "New Teaser Poster For The Imitation Game Arrives Online", "Zuckerberg, Weinstein Play 'The Imitation Game' With Tech Titans: Oscar Watch", "Mark Zuckerberg Interview: Breakthrough Prizes and Turning Scientists Into Heroes Again", "THE IMITATION GAME: Bletchley Park opens exhibit after Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley film there", "Crossword blog: Alan Turing was no crossword fiend", "Could you have been a codebreaker at Bletchley Park? What'd it feel like to be Alan Turing? "[89], In January 2015, Cumberbatch, comedian-actor Stephen Fry, producer Harvey Weinstein, and Turing's great-niece Rachel Barnes launched a campaign to pardon the 49,000 gay men convicted under the same law that led to Turing's chemical castration. Strange", "Broken Codes, Both Strategic and Social", "The Imitation Game cracks code to win People's Choice Award at Toronto 2014", "Review: The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything", "Review: Cumberbatch cracks Oscar's code in 'Imitation, "Telluride: Benedict Cumberbatch Leads Weinstein's 'Imitation Game' Into Oscar Fray", "Toronto sings Cumberbatch's praises as WWII code-breaker", "The Imitation Game review: Knightley and Cumberbatch impress, but historical spoilers lower the tension", "The Imitation Game, review: 'clever, calculated, "The Imitation Game is strangely shy about Alan Turing's sexuality", "The Imitation Game: inventing a new slander to insult Alan Turing", "How Accurate Is The Imitation Game? Joan Clarke, a Cambridge graduate, passes Turing's test but her parents will not allow her to work with the male cryptographers. Featuring an outstanding starring performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as war hero Turning and supporting acts from a brilliant cast including Keira Knightley, Charles Dance and Mark Strong, 'The Imitation Game' is a powerful and eminently well-made biopic that illuminates the facts whilst respecting the story it is based upon. Much of mathematician Alan Turing's life was shrouded in secrecy for years. The prize/s will be awarded to entrant/s who crack the code and submit their entry the fastest. [84] Journalist Christian Caryl also found numerous historical inaccuracies, describing the film as constituting "a bizarre departure from the historical record" that changed Turing's rich life to be "multiplex-friendly". In the scene where Joan Clarke arrives at Bletchley park for the first time she travels there on a coach with vehicle registration HOD 75. The original game used text-based responses, whereas this experiment generates emotional ones. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as British cryptanalyst Alan Turing, who decrypted German intelligence messages for the British government durin… IMDb takes a look at Gal Gadot's biggest roles and the parts she never got the chance to play, including a major role in the James Bond franchise. Turing was pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013. A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. Honor this movie. In the 1950s, Turing is convicted of gross indecency and, in lieu of a jail sentence, undergoes chemical castration so he can continue his work. Promotional stills were taken by photographer Jack English, who also photographed Cumberbatch for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. [43] It had its European premiere as the opening film of the 58th BFI London Film Festival in October 2014. [20] The film is also a recipient of Tribeca Film Festival's Sloan Filmmaker Fund, which grants filmmakers funding and guidance with regard to innovative films that are concerned with science, mathematics, and technology.[21]. She comforts him by saying that his work saved millions of lives. The film expanded into additional markets on 12 December and was released nationwide on Christmas Day. (2014). [80], While praising the performances of Cumberbatch and Knightley, Catherine Shoard of The Guardian stated that the film is "too formulaic, too efficient at simply whisking you through and making sure you've clocked the diversity message". The Imitation Game is a 2014 historical drama film directed by Morten Tyldum and written by Graham Moore, based on the 1983 biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges. Today, we call them computers. [72][73] Foundas of Variety wrote that Cumberbatch's acting is "masterful ... a marvel to watch", Manohla Dargis of The New York Times described it as "delicately nuanced, prickly and tragic" and Owen Gleiberman of the BBC proclaimed it an "emotionally tailored perfection". While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. The suggestion that Enigma was the only German cipher broken at Bletchley Park. This page was last edited on 10 December 2020, at 14:29. The Imitation Game true story confirms that on March 31, 1952, British authorities put Alan Turing on trial for indecency because he had homosexual relations with a 19-year-old man named Arnold Murray, twenty years his junior. [26] On what would have been Turing's 102nd birthday on 23 June, Empire released two photographs featuring Mark Strong and Charles Dance in character. The scenes depicting Turing's childhood friend, including the manner in which Turing learned of Morcom's illness and death. Spent a good deal of time @umich on Turing machines, computability", "Telluride Film Festival lineup includes 'Wild', 'The Imitation Game, "Amazon.com: The Imitation Game (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet): Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Rory Kinnear, Matthew Goode: Movies & TV", "The Imitation Game cracks UK box office, Interstellar keeps high orbit", "Specialty Box Office: 'Imitation Game' Nabs Top Theater Average of Fall Awards Season", "Imitation Game, Interstellar make AFI best films of the year", "A Most Violent Year named best film by National Board of Review", "Box Office: Thanksgiving Holiday Moviegoing Plummets", "True and Tragic, 'The Imitation Game' Is an Intimate Look at the Life of Alan Turing", "New 'THE Imitation Game' Trailer Keeps It Quick and Cumberbatchian", "The Imitation Game, film review: Benedict Cumberbatch gives Oscar worthy performance", "Benedict Cumberbatch foils Nazis in Oscar-caliber 'Imitation Game, "The Imitation Game - NEW Official UK Trailer", "Fall Festivals: Critics Pick Favorites From Venice, Telluride and Toronto - Variety", "Telluride 2014: Cumberbatch is Remarkable in 'The Imitation Game, "Review: The Imitation Game: Dancing With Dr. A Mumbai teenager reflects on his life after being accused of cheating on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". When Britain declares war on Germany in 1939, Turing travels to Bletchley Park. Was this review helpful to you? [119], This article is about the 2014 film. I couldn't think of anyone better." "[54] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". You don't fact check Monet's Water Lilies. Rated PG-13 for some sexual references, mature thematic material and historical smoking, Why 2021 could be a good year for UK distributors and the filmmakers they support, Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim Make Late Entry Into Awards Race With STXfilms’ ‘The Mauritanian’ (Exclusive), Rlj Entertainment & Shudder Acquire Neil Marshall’s The Reckoning for 2021 Release, Top 100 Movies as Rated by Women on IMDb in 2016, The Top 200 Movies as Rated by Women on IMDb in 2018, IMDb 25: Most Iconic Movie Quotes from the Last 25 Years. [59] Kaleem Aftab of The Independent gave the film a five-star review, hailing it the "Best British Film of the Year". In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II granted Turing a posthumous Royal Pardon, honoring his unprecedented achievements. [97][98], During production, there was criticism regarding the film's purported downplaying of Turing's homosexuality,[99] particularly condemning the portrayal of his relationship with close friend and one-time fiancée Joan Clarke. Can we create the experience of sort of "Alan Turing-ness" for an audience based on his life? Attendees of the screening at Los Altos Hills, California included Silicon Valley's top executives, such as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Airbnb's Nathan Blecharczyk, and Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. The paper starts shifting gears, Turing has our attention and wants it all on the core of the game itself. [68][69] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times declared Turing "the role of Cumberbatch's career", while A.O. Desplat uses continuous piano arpeggios to represent both Turing's thinking mind and the workings of a mechanical machine. It was released theatrically in the United States on November 28, 2014. Its opening was 107% higher than that of Argo, 81% higher than Philomena and 26% higher than The Iron Lady following its debut. The naming of the Enigma-breaking machine "Christopher" after Turing's childhood friend, with Turing the only cryptographer working on it while others either did not help or outright opposed it. The 1948 book "Cybernetics" coined the prefix "cyber" and wondered whether it wo… [31] In addition, Cumberbatch and Zuckerberg presented the Mathematics Prizes at the Breakthrough Awards on 10 November 2014 in honour of Turing. "We are proud to honor the stars and filmmakers of The Imitation Game for bringing the captivating yet tragic story of Alan Turing to the big screen", HRC president Chad Griffin said in a statement. In a January 2015 interview with The Huffington Post, its screenwriter Graham Moore said in response to complaints about the film's historical accuracy: When you use the language of "fact checking" to talk about a film, I think you're sort of fundamentally misunderstanding how art works.