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'The Imitation Game' - Review News: other

Posted By	Film
Posted On	25th Nov 2019
Author	David Corish
Location	Iontas Theatre

'The Imitation Game' - Reviewed by David Corish

‘The Imitation Game’ recounts the devastatingly sad story of Alan Turing, the “father of Computer Science” A genius, maltreated by the British government, who saved countless lives and significantly shortened World War II.

Here, Turing is portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch who turns in a thoroughly fascinating performance. He fully inhabits the role of this Sherlockian character, bringing not only an aura of extreme confidence and intelligence but an expertly averted gaze that hints at a profound vulnerability to this seemingly arrogant and unfeeling man. Keira Knightley brings some levity and her character, Joan, contrasts Turing’s distant persona with delightful warmth. The cast is rounded out by a similarly superb Charles Dance as Commander Denniston with his trademark authoritative voice as booming as ever; one needs only wait and listen for a pin to drop whenever he appears on-screen.

The film centres around Turing’s breaking of Enigma. The codebreaking is vastly simplified for a Hollywood audience; however, the stakes are kept suitably high. Scenes of ‘Christopher’ working to crack the German’s messages are interspersed by footage of the war raging on. The clicks of the rotors resemble a clock’s ticking, something of a countdown to annihilation. Every second that goes by, another life is lost. A deft hand is applied in both the editing and cinematography, although a little more creativity would have been appreciated.

Alexandre Desplat’s masterful main theme employs an almost mechanical use of repeating piano arpeggios. These fantastically convey the fast movement of Turing’s mind and are suitably computerised but do not sound electronic. As the main theme continues, the arpeggios begin to layer representing numerous strands of thought running at once. It feels calculated yet musters in the listener an enjoyment of said calculation. The bass line is melancholic, a solemn hymn-like sound filled with gravitas. We are reminded of the tragic circumstances in which this calculation is taking place. War is coming. Several motifs are also heard throughout the film, Christopher’s theme is especially a highlight and the short childhood motif is joyously nostalgic.

It is worth noting that the film takes major liberties with its source material. This is not simply taking some minor artistic license; in many parts, it is almost entirely fiction. Computing historian Thomas Haigh once remarked that the film is a “useful summary of everything that popular imagination gets wrong about Bletchley Park.” A shame as Turing’s story is already compelling. Broad strokes do remain intact and audiences may consider themselves somewhat educated on his contributions to the war but a documentary, this is most certainly not. Also, was the framing device of a detective investigating Turing really necessary? No, it is muddled and confusing, serving only to distract from the main event.

Historical inaccuracies aside, “The Imitation Game” is most definitely worth a watch, especially if you are unaware of Turing’s contributions to the war effort. Cumberbatch’s performance of a tortured, brilliant man is riveting and serves as an excellent tribute to an astonishing man.