My topic for this research project is Ultra and the artifact that I have chosen and that relates to the topic is the film The Imitation Game. The Imitation Game is a biopic of Alan Turing (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) that follows him in his attempts to try and crack the Enigma code and decipher Axis messages that would prove to be invaluable during the second world war. The film was directed by Morten Tyldum and was released on November 28, 2014. My film connects to two themes in Humcore: costs of war and remembering/representing war. The film demonstrates that although the Allies had broken the Enigma code they couldn’t possibly fend off every single German attack without raising their suspicion. Thus the Allies had to sacrifice hundreds of lives in order to maintain the secret that the Enigma code had been broken. The film also manages to connect to the theme of remembering war. This is because the entire film is basically a representation of the events that actually happened during the second world war. Therefore, the film can be seen as one way in which the events are remembered since the film does take some liberties with its accurateness.
Two ways in which I have decided to analyze my artifact is a historical analysis and film analysis. By using historical analysis, I am able to see how much the film actually stuck to history and how much they actually exaggerated. With that being said, the film has several historical inaccuracies and is something on which the article “Testing Turing’s Legacy” touches on. The article provides detailed information of the inaccuracies and also revises the film’s inaccuracies so that they are accurate. Furthermore, a second approach I have decided on is a film analysis which would help me see what emotions, messages, and thoughts the film was trying to create in its viewers through its various cinematic techniques. Reading through various reviews I can see that the film was well received by its audience which means that the film was doing something right that made the viewers happy and content.
These thoughts lead me to ask several questions about the film. The first question for which I am trying to find an answer for is: How and why did the Film present a slightly inaccurate version of the story (Historia) rather than actually portray the events as they actually happened (Res Gestae)? Other than the fact that the they wanted to provide an entertaining film, what other purpose did altering historical events and facts serve if any? This leads me to my second question: what emotions and thoughts did the film create in its audience? How did it achieve this? Why did they want their audience to feel that way?
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