The Imitation Game

Director: Morten Tyldum Morten Tyldum

Overview

During the winter of 1952, British authorities entered the home of mathematician, cryptanalyst and war hero Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to investigate a reported burglary. They instead ended up arresting Turing himself on charges of ‘gross indecency’, an accusation that would lead to his devastating conviction for the criminal offense of homosexuality – little did officials know, they were actually incriminating the pioneer of modern-day computing. Famously leading a motley group of scholars, linguists, chess champions and intelligence officers, he was credited with cracking the so-called unbreakable codes of Germany's World War II Enigma machine. An intense and haunting portrayal of a brilliant, complicated man, The Imitation Game is the story of a genius who under nail-biting pressure helped to shorten the war and, in turn, save thousands of lives.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/31/2015
UPC:	0013132622507
Original Release:	2014
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:54:00
Sales rank:	5,803

Special Features

Feature commentary with director Morten Tyldum and screenwriter Graham Moore; The making of The Imitation Game; Deleted scenes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Benedict Cumberbatch	Alan Turing
Keira Knightley	Joan Clarke
Allen Leech	John Cairncross
Rory Kinnear	Detective Robert Nock
Mark Strong	Stewart Menzies
Matthew Beard	Peter Hilton
Matthew Goode	Hugh Alexander
Charles Dance	Commander Denniston
James Northcote	Jack Good
Tom Goodman Hill	Sergeant Staehl
Steven Waddington	Superintendent Smith
Jack Tarlton	Charles Richards
Alex Lawther	Young Alan Turing
Tuppence Middleton	Helen
Dominic Charman	Sherborne Student 1
Charlie Manton	Sherborne Student 3
Andrew Havill	Teacher
Laurence Kennedy	Headmaster
Tim Van Eyken	MI6 Agent
Miranda Bell	Margaret
Tim Steed	Electrical Assistant
Jack Bannon	Christopher Morcom
Victoria Wicks	Joan's Mother
Alexandre Desplat	Composer

Technical Credits

Graham Moore

Morten Tyldum	Director
Graham Moore	Screenwriter,Executive Producer
Teddy Schwarzman	Producer
Ido Ostrowsky	Producer
Nora Grossman	Producer
Nina Gold	Casting
Jason Troughton	Special Effects Supervisor
Suzie Shearer	Production Manager

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The Imitation Game
1. Chapter 1 [7:37]
2. Chapter 2 [7:05]
3. Chapter 3 [5:15]
4. Chapter 4 [6:04]
5. Chapter 5 [7:35]
6. Chapter 6 [7:16]
7. Chapter 7 [5:41]
8. Chapter 8 [6:34]
9. Chapter 9 [5:47]
10. Chapter 10 [5:42]
11. Chapter 11 [:02]
12. Chapter 12 [5:22]
13. Chapter 13 [8:14]
14. Chapter 14 [7:24]
15. Chapter 15 [6:05]
16. Chapter 16 [4:51]
17. Chapter 17 [4:30]
18. Chapter 18 [8:28]
19. Chapter 19 [4:06]

Menu

Disc #1 -- The Imitation Game
   Play
   Setup
      Audio Options
         English 5.1 Dolby Digital
         Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
      Captions & Subtitles
         English Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired: On
         Spanish Subtitles: On
         Subtitles: Off
   Scenes
   Bonus
      Feature Commentary With Director Morten Tyldum And Screenwriter Graham Moore
         Commentary: On
         Commentary: Off
      The Making Of The Imitation Game
      Deleted Scenes
         Play All
         Nock Is Being Followed
         Nock Discovers Alan

Editorial Reviews

If you watch Morten Tyldum's The Imitation Game without any knowledge of who pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing was, the odds are good that you'll never forget his name when it's over. A deft mix of spy-film tension and a sensitive portrait of the mind of a social misfit, the movie is a thoroughly engaging experience -- thanks in large part to first-time feature scribe Graham Moore's ingeniously tight script and a charismatic lead performance by Benedict Cumberbatch. The film juggles three different timelines in Turing's life. In the earliest, he's a teenager at boarding school, where he's cruelly bullied by classmates and finds solace in his close relationship with his only friend. In the furthest timeline, he raises the suspicion of police detectives after his home is burgled and he has no interest in pressing charges. A determined inspector starts digging, thinking that Turing is hiding something and is possibly a spy. However, most of the movie is spent in the middle timeline, in which Turing works on building a machine that will crack the German Enigma code, arguably doing more to help the Allied Forces win WWII than any other single individual. The Imitation Game covers a great deal of material, but never bogs down thanks to the superb script. Moore's dialogue and structure allow Tyldum to touch on military history, the birth of computer science, and the legal persecution that homosexuals faced in mid-20th century Britain without the movie ever feeling self-important or preachy. At heart, it's an old-fashioned spy thriller, and it works perfectly in that manner while also presenting a three-dimensional profile of the complicated man at its center. Cumberbatch fills the role perfectly. He's basically playing a more repressed version of his Sherlock Holmes, the TV part that made him a star; the scenes in which Turing's social cluelessness and smug superiority alienate his fellow code-breakers feel like they could have been lifted from that series. But Turing is a far more complex figure than the famed fictional detective. He hides so much from so many people, and suffered so greatly as a boy for his otherness, that he stammers when he's flustered. Turing is forced to quash his sexual urges, and if you pay attention to when Cumberbatch makes his stammer more pronounced, you'll appreciate how a first-rate actor can seize on a particular tic to reveal someone's inner life. It's a wonderful piece of technical acting that Cumberbatch makes completely natural -- and makes the film worthy of repeated viewings. The entire cast are spot-on. Keira Knightley plays a fellow code-breaker who faces constant prejudice because she's a woman, and that social stigma allows her character and Turing to form a deep bond (and even become engaged). Matthew Goode warms up the film as Hugh Alexander, who becomes the closest thing to a male friend Turing has during his years in intelligence work; Hugh's charm stands in stark contrast to Alan's prickliness. Mark Strong plays the code-breaking group's MI6 contact, and his typical menace is used to great effect: You have no problem believing that he knows more horrible truths than anyone else onscreen. Accusing The Imitation Game of being "Oscar bait" misses the point. Yes, it's obviously a film designed to get good reviews and to serve up the kind of history and moral lessons that usually click with Academy voters, but it never does this at the expense of being a terrific thriller. Even if you are familiar with Turing and the breaking of Enigma, the movie still enthralls due to the rich performances, snappy dialogue, and economical script. It's a genuinely entertaining film that doesn't announce its significance, but instead allows viewers to learn for themselves how important Turing was to modern society.

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert