THE IMITATION GAME OF MR. ALAN TURING
THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE FILM
The movie title quotes “can machines think?” from a 1950 seminal paper, “computer machinery and intelligence.” The film is based on the author who is a wartime code breaker and computing genius- the legendary crypt-analyst Alan Turing. Though this movie is set during the World war, it is rather unusual than the mainstream World war movies, i.e you cannot find big explosions, gunfight scenes, action heroes and no big plot twist that leaves you hanging till the next film release. Turing, the genius helped bring WWII to an end, saving millions of lives, ending Nazi Germany which led to the rise of computer science which changed the world and gave it a whole new dimension.
The movie’s end shows his most significant contribution, which now has become an inseparable part of our lives — Computers. The sheer fact that he considered a computing machine when people had no idea about something of that sort (that too during one of the most brutal wars in the history of mankind) to solve a problem (decoding the Nazi Enigma machine) that other highly talented people attempted to solve, failed and then considered unsolvable, which he claimed could be made to think as well, that now inspires AI, shows that people like him can see far further than anyone can even vaguely imagine at the time.
This movie not only portrays one of the most revolutionary wartime inventions but also stays true to the fact that it is a biopic and also delves into the contrasting personal life of Alan Turing which leaves a strong message for the viewers. Alan Turing was never given the right to exist the way he wanted to live his life, rather was treated like a second-class citizen and ended up committing suicide. We’ll never know what one of the greatest minds would have achieved if not for the ignorance of the British government and their laws against homosexuality.
Alan Turing- The Anachronist!
Today, Turing would have been able to thrive in a more tolerant world, and would have had the support of many. Every kid should learn from Turing namely what he achieved, how an individual must not be treated based on gender, religion, race, or sexual preference. This man was a gift to the world, and the world treated him like dirt in return for all he gave us.
In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II granted Turing a posthumous Royal Pardon, honoring his unprecedented achievements. Historians estimate that breaking Enigma, shortened the war by more than two years, saving over 14 million lives. It remained a government-held secret for more than 50 years. Turing is considered by many as the father of the modern-day computer and various academic institutions paid tribute by naming their buildings and other things after him.
The cognizance of this film
The entire movie takes place during the time period of World War II. The crew took the whole studio to Bletchley. But the truth was Bletchley Park which has been a museum for the Alan Turing’s records and work, where he cracked the Enigma cipher machine. The “Alan Turing’s Bombe” replica present at Bletchley Park was photographed and measured which helped the crew create another replica for the movie. The replication of “bombe” took around five weeks to complete and cost them around $48,000. The replica ended up being a foot or two taller than the original “Bombe.”
Screenwriter Graham Moore was impressed by the biography of Alan Turing. When he met his agents for writing the story of the English mathematician who created ‘Christopher’, they objected against writing the script. On the contrary, he signed up to write the script for free. He made the script of the movie as a puzzle to get us to understand Alan’s mind.
One of the most touching part in Imitation Game is the moment when Turing tells Joan Clarke that he named his machine ‘Christopher’, but the real machine was called, ‘Bombe’ and his lifelong pursuit of artificial intelligence was all about bringing Christopher back. Naming the machine Christopher was a dramatic way of showing his lifelong obsession.”
A bridge and a road in Manchester have been named after him. This statue had the message, “Father of computer science” . Apple Inc’s first official logo (1997–1998) — the half-bitten rainbow apple was created to pay homage to Alan Turing’s achievements. The bite mark was a reference to his method of suicide by consuming a Cyanide infused apple.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE — THE IMITATION GAME:
On a literal level, the film’s title relates to some of Turing’s most important work, but it’s at best peripheral to the film’s plot.
Alan Turing has stated that his question ”Can machines think?” can only be answered if we could clearly understand the definitions of the words ‘Machines’ and ‘Think’. If the meaning of the words are to be found by examining how commonly they are used, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the meaning and the answer to the question, is to be sought in a statistical survey. Instead of defining these words, Alan Turing came up with a test that could answer his question, which he named “Imitation game”.
The game is played among 3 players A, B and C. Players A and B are in a separate room and player C is in another room. A is a male and B is a female. The job of A is to convince C to believe he is of the opposite sex and the job of B is to assist C to make the right decision. C can post questions to A and B. As tone of voices of the players A and B may not help the interrogator, the answers should be written or better, typewritten.
Now, what would happen if A is switched with a machine? If it was able to convince the interrogator, we can conclude that “Machines can think”, because C is at liberty to ask any question.
Alan Turing stated, “It might be urged that when playing the ’Imitation game’ the best strategy for the machine may possibly be something other than the imitation of the behavior of a man. This may be true, but I think it is unlikely that there is any great effect of this kind. In any case, there is no intention to investigate the theory of the game, and it will be assumed that the best strategy is to try to provide answers that would naturally be given by a man.”
Looking at the relevance of the machine in this game with Alan Turing, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch, one could interpret the title as a metaphor for Turing’s inability to truly understand and relate well to other people. Perplexed by the tangled web of social interactions, intimations and subtext, Turing often discusses his difficulty with human interactions. Alan Turing being homosexual, struggled to fit into a society in a time where being sexually attracted to other men was considered to be a crime. So, he had to force himself to pretend that he was someone else. Imitating a straight man, he played the imitation game himself.
The sorcery of Benedict Cumberbatch and Morten Tyldum
In the movie, without any question, Cumberbatch is up to the task of bringing to life an unusually brilliant man. Turing is multi-dimensional with his emotional depths layered. He is by far, the best part of this enjoyable, if flawed, film.
The movie used real footage from WWII to convey several important subplots of the story. An ensemble of brilliant direction, script, acting, music & cinematography makes this movie a must-watch for everyone. In an entertainment perspective, “The Imitation Game” has loads to it. It features strong performances from the artists and does a fine job of explaining the ideas behind cryptography.
On one hand, this is a tense World War II thriller about a stellar team of Britons who cracked Nazi Germany’s Enigma code. On the other hand, it is an examination of the tragic circumstances that befell Alan Turing, the film’s protagonist, who brings victory to the allies by inventing a revolutionary machine that would give birth to the computer era. He would later be publicly vilified and savagely punished for engaging in homosexual activity, which was criminalized in England at the time.
What makes The Imitation Game stand out among the other films is that it helps the world to recognize just how much of Turing’s genius insight and vision truly affected all of us because of the stirring direction which pictured all the causes, deprivation and circumstances of the invention. For all, Turing created and sacrificed himself, this film is a brilliant, monumental step in the right direction at giving credit wherever it is due, albeit posthumously, to one of the world’s most innovative minds and courageous heroes proving the director to be the beat for it…
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