New Alan Turing Film

[vienna]

I just recently heard about this film. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. Looks interesting:






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[Jimbuna]

Getting a lot of news reviews in the UK news.

[vienna]

Good or bad news and reviews, Jim? BTW, Cumberbatch just last week won the Best Actor Aware at the "Hollywood Film Awards" the first awards ceremony of the so-called "awards season" here in Hollywood, culminating in the Oscar Awards...


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[Eichhörnchen]

Benedict Cucumberpatch was always bound to get this part, but at the same time, I'm sure he was the best choice anyway.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by vienna

Good or bad news and reviews, Jim? BTW, Cumberbatch just last week won the Best Actor Aware at the "Hollywood Film Awards" the first awards ceremony of the so-called "awards season" here in Hollywood, culminating in the Oscar Awards...


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Good atm, it starts with his brief engagement to Joan Clarke and goes onward showing how they worked together.

[Otto Harkaman]

Oh Keira Knightley is in it!

I do have Codebreaker downloaded that I need to watch. I've been listening to a great audiobook by David Kahn "Seizing the Enigma" that I need to finish, amazing stuff. I just watched the old British movie "Sink the Bismarck!" I do think Bletchley Park had a big part in finding the ship.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Otto Harkaman

Oh Keira Knightley is in it!

I do have Codebreaker downloaded that I need to watch. I've been listening to a great audiobook by David Kahn "Seizing the Enigma" that I need to finish, amazing stuff. I just watched the old British movie "Sink the Bismarck!" I do think Bletchley Park had a big part in finding the ship.

Not sure what Bletchley's role would have been because Bismarck was sighted by a Catalina and shadowed by a further one until the Sheffield could take up a surface shadowing position.

A British Catalina aircraft of No. 209 Squadron, piloted by US Navy observer Ensign Leonard B. Smith, USNR (US Naval Reserve), spotted Bismarck at a range of about eight miles. While Ensign Smith flew the aircraft and evaded accurate German antiaircraft fire, his British copilot radioed a report of the enemy warship's location.

Upon acknowledging the contact report, cruiser Sheffield was detached from Force H and ordered to find and shadow the enemy. Later that day, naval observer Lieutenant James E. Johnson in a British Catalina from No. 240 Squadron, relieved Smith's plane and maintained contact with the German battleship until Sheffield took up a shadowing position.

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq118-1.htm

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by vienna

I just recently heard about this film. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. Looks interesting:






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Was interesting! My Christmas movie flick! Less factual and more cinematic with focus on the development of the machine; The view from 'behind the visor slits'; No problems for knowledgeable Enigma subsimmers at all. Any deviations were for necessary cinematic editing and continuity in a two hour film as are all history based flicks. Some use of WWII footage; and the first time I've seem Mr. Cumberbatch in a starring role-very impressive. Ms Knightly should get an Oscar nod. Siskel and Aktung:

[vienna]

The book from which "The Imitation Game" was derived, "Alan Turing: The Enigma", written by Alan Hodges, is also very good. I read it some years ago and when I first picked it up in the bookstore, I was a bit skeptical since the writer's bio made a bit of a point of stressing the write is a "gay activist". I rather expected to read a sort of 'hooray for our side' sort of biography one often finds when a life is described by someone with a particular and strong viewpoint that often results in some distortion of history or the role of the person depicted. This is not the case in this book. Rather than a heavy handed 'gay good, straight bad' hammering or a handwringing over the injustices suffered by the subject, the story is presented in a factual, well researched manner and adds to the importance and dignity of Turing and his accomplishments. If you liked the movie, I highly recommend the book...


EDIT:

I almost forgot: I came across an article from The Guardian dated in 2011 stating Leonardo DiCaprio was in the front running to star as Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game". The mind staggers at the thought...


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[Otto Harkaman]

^ wow, yes how off the mark Leonardo DiCaprio would have been. I would have chosen Jim Parsons who plays Sheldon on Big Bang Theory.


I have to wait tonight to watch the movie when girlfriend gets home but I did take a quick couple minutes peak and Cumberbatch seems great for the part.

I did watch the movie "Codebreaker" a couple weeks ago. It dealt with Turing's arrest and the aftermath to his life.

[Penguin]

^ yep, Jim Parsons would be a perfect fit.

What I find a bit overlooked is the role of the hundreds of ordinary Johns and Janes who worked at Bletchey Park. People who were recruited for their skills at solving crosswords, puzzles, etc and thus had the right training and mindset necessary to break code.

[Otto Harkaman]

^ Also if CCIP hadn't made me aware of the importance Wireless Direction Finding or also Wireless Traffic Analysis. I would have missed an important part of the intelligence puzzle. It gets lost I think in the current Alan Turing "Bombe" craze.

Here is a time link about Harry Hinsley in Secrets Of War, Shadows Of The Third Reich 07 The Ultra Enigma, which focuses on D/F


I said earlier I thought B.P. (Bletchley Park) was involved in the hunting of the Bismarck and Hinsley was at Bletchley but I am a little disappointed. Reading Beesly I couldn't wait to get to the chapter on the hunting of the Bismarck and I thought he would confirm to me that Bletchley was important in finding her. But right off he states "knowledge gained from cryptanalysis played a very minor part.

I am still not done with the chapter yet so...