New Alan Turing Film

[Otto Harkaman]

^ Thanks for the FYI

[Rockstar]

my pleasure

here's another good site. Dirk Rijmenants' Cipher Machines and Cryptology

http://users.telenet.be/d.rijmenants/index.htm

[Otto Harkaman]

^ Oh that is good!

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by vienna

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






<O>

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...


<O>

[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...

[Otto Harkaman]

Originally Posted by CCIP

Although there is an interesting note on Sink the Bismarck! on Wikipedia...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sink_th...rical_accuracy



So perhaps there's a bigger role Bletchley Park played than I gave credit for. The Luftwaffe intercepts were certainly decoded much more quickly than the Kriegsmarine ones. Still, it seems that the key decision in finding the Bismarck was taken on the grounds of DF rather than reading any of the messages, and the content of its own transmission to Paris was not known, at least certainly not until after the Luftwaffe message was read.

I think it's great that the story of Bletchley Park has now become much better known and movies are being made about it. At the same time, one should also not forget the Admiralty's very effective DF network, which was pretty much of equal importance and effectiveness in the Battle of the Atlantic as the crypto work at Bletchley Park.

Well now that I've gotten to this part this is what Beesly confirms. The decrypting of the Luftwaffe signals helped them figure out the Bismarck was headed towards France. But as you stated the DF network was very important. Although Beesly states they did have a problem at this end run where at first the DF plotting was vague and confusing. The codebreaking did help confirm the Bismarck's intention to head for Brest after much confusion with the D/F fix.

Beesly does state that a Luftwaffe signal to a high ranking officer in Athens was decrypted saying the Bismarck was headed to Brest at this time. The next morning this then is where the catalina was able to confirm Bismarck's position.

I don't know its all pretty confusing because he then goes to emphasise again the cryptanalysis played a minor part.

[Rockstar]

Thing is everyone involved; humint, elint and sigint to one degree or another played a part in finding Bismark. And though one may have played more of a role over the other in finding her. The real prize is that if all three came to the same conclusions it provided hard evidence Brit intel sources were on the right track and working like they should.

[Otto Harkaman]

^ Yes I agree

[Otto Harkaman]

Well girlfriend was in a foul mood tonight so "Imitation Game" is on hold, I am going to watch (by myself) "Age of Heroes" which is about Ian Fleming's formation of the 30 Assault Commandos. I first became aware of the 30 Assault Unit from watching "Dieppe Uncovered" which I mentioned before. Beesly in his book gives a brief mention to the importance of "Pinch" raids to obtain Intelligence material. Supposedly according to David O'Keefe Dieppe was a "Pinch" raid to obtain one of the new naval Enigma machines. Obviously the "raid" went horrible wrong and it was covered up as a botched trial invasion.

Not expecting much from the movie, bad reviews, oh well need something to take my mind off of girls with caustic tempers.

[Sailor Steve]

Wow. I may actually have to go see this one in the theater.

[Cybermat47]

I would post the Beneficial Cucumber picture here, but I don't think it would be suitable

[Otto Harkaman]

Well watched a good bit of that "Age of Heroes" last night. As critics said it was very low budget.

I think more could have been done with camera shots and portraying actually infantry tactics. No white camouflage smocks, dark clothing, crossing miles of open countryside in the snow in broad daylight, walking directly on the ridge line in broad daylight etc. etc. I guess the cameraman and director thought these were pretty shots.

Yeah it was pretty bad but got me asleep.