Alan Turing film celebrates
'difference'
The director of Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game has described the film as
"a tribute to being different".
Norwegian Morten Tyldum said he became obsessed with the British code breaker - a pioneer of
modern computing - after reading the script.
“I was completely blown away. Why wasn’t he
on the cover of every history book?” he said, at the Toronto Film Festival.
Turing - portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch
- is credited with decoding the Enigma machine and decrypting
German naval messages, in effect changing the course of World War Two.
But his later life was overshadowed following a conviction in 1952 for gross
indecency, at a time when homosexuality was illegal in Britain
He was chemically castrated
and committed suicide in 1954.
Tyldum said the film had "many
layers", insisting it was not just your average thriller: "It’s a
human rights [movie], a gay rights movie," he said.
"It’s a blessing to find a project you
feel you have to make or you’ll die," he told reporters at a press
conference.
Cumberbatch added: “If we do anything right
with this film, it is to bring Alan to a broader audience.
"There’s a lot of his story that comes
as a real shock to people.
"There was something subtle, uncompromising and unusual [about him], but
also very quiet and stoic," he explained.
"He didn’t knowingly martyr himself. He didn’t see himself as a victim or
a hero, he just did his work and behaved true to his nature."
The Imitation Game was shown at the
festival a couple of days after The
Theory of Everything, a biopic about physicist Stephen Hawking, starring
another Briton, Eddie Redmayne.
Both Cumberbatch and Redmayne have been
praised for their respective performances, with the suggestion of probable
Oscar nominations.
But the Sherlock star dismissed the notion
that the two films are competitors.
"I don’t like thinking of films being
in competition with each other," he said.
"It’s absurd. As long as they’re both
able to find an audience, it’s not a problem."
The actor admitted he had not seen
Redmayne’s film yet, but had high praise for the star.
“He’s a phenomenal actor – he’s been a
friend, but also a talent I’ve admired for a long time.
“I’ve always thought he was brilliant and
the rest of the world is catching up. I hear it’s just stunning, I can’t wait
[to see it].”
The
Imitation Game will open at the London Film
Festival next month and will be released in UK
Structure of the lead
How- he became obsessed with the British
code breaker after reading the script
Who- Alan Turing
Key words
biopic 傳記片
obsessed 癡迷
decrypt解碼
overshadowed 黯然失色
castrated 閹割
subtle 微妙
stoic 堅忍
martyr 烈士
nomination 提名
Without Alan Turing, WW II wouldn't end so fast, the life loss might increase then. However, when he was discovering the computer used to decrypt, many people against his invention instead of supporting it. But he cling himself to the end and wound up putting WW II to an end. This inspires me that never take others' criticism, stick to myself!
回覆刪除When I saw the trailer, I had desire to watch this film. I am facinated by its plot. It is about a man work hard to end World War Two. He also invented the first computer. However, although he was regarded as a hero changing the course of World War Two, his sexual orientation was not accepted by people then and he was castrated. Alan was miserable being treated so bad by the indifferent society, even though he saved so many people.
回覆刪除It was not fair to Alan.
回覆刪除He was a great people who tried his best to end World War II as soon as possible.
Although he was a gay, he saved the people who were tortured by the war.