3.5 Edifying-tales-of-British-success out of 4
Collaborations between talented artists never go unnoticed. When strong actors, moving directors, and smart writers come together to produce something wonderful, audiences never fail to recognize the magic they’re witnessing. However, modern cinema has come to face a dilemma in the ever-raging battle between talents. In its simplest form, modern Hollywood has come to ask: how can we guarantee that a work of art will be great?
In an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, three characters argue over the Jean-Luc Godard-directed Breathless. A character suggests that the film succeeds because of Francois Truffaut’s writing, while two others argue that Godard’s involvement as director leads the film to success. This comparison – the suggestion that one person’s involvement can contribute to a work of art’s success – is a firmly rooted notion. To us, any one person can make a difference, and it is therefore reasonable to assume that one person’s involvement can be the difference between triumph and disaster. The truth is far removed from this assumption.
Far from offering any meaningful conclusions to the argument, The Imitation Game, by director Morten Tyldum, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role, and written by Graham Moore, is an actor’s film. Certainly, the efforts of Tyldum and Moore are necessary in producing a strong final product, but the film lives and dies by its cast’s acting. When Cumberbatch speaks, Tyldum’s camera intently focuses on his body, capturing his face and ensuring that the audience pays complete attention to his words. In Tyldum’s film, circumstance is less important than delivery, and situation is far less important than character.
Thanks largely in part to its core cast of actors – Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, and a brief appearance by Charles Dance and Mark Strong – The Imitation Game is a fascinating look at neuroses-driven genius. Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing, the British mathematician whose work on the Enigma Code would lead the Allied forces to victory, and the human species one step closer to creating computer technology and artificial intelligence. The film looks at hints from Turing’s life, suggesting that his love for puzzles stems from a childhood attraction to a schoolmate.
Through Moore’s script, the audience is afforded insight into Turing’s talented, terrifying mind. Otherwise, we’re left to decipher the film through Cumberbatch’s performance. So gratifying is the actor’s work in this film that his performance only serves to further cement his place in the hall of cinematic legend. When Turing grins, when he hisses, when he pushes his associates away, Cumberbatch makes the audience feel his emotion. The same is often true for the rest of the film’s cast.
Tyldum’s direction mostly consists of simple framing; long-shots and close-ups interact in a simple union, and there is very limited camerawork of note. He is a director who recognizes when his shots need flair and when his scenes need restraint. However, without its actors, The Imitation Game would be a rather dull affair, and it’s only thanks to Cumberbatch and his cohorts that there is anything of note to witness.
In other works of art, the collaboration debate asks who we should truly think of when we think of great works of art. In film, the debate forces us to challenge the notion of cinema, asking ourselves why great movies are great movies instead of great plays or radio dramas.
Ultimately, it is fairly obvious that The Imitation Game is an actor’s film. It’s also reasonable to suggest that this film would have been successful if any number of restrained directors were at the helm. The same can be said for the film’s editor and cinematographer – William Goldenberg and Oscar Faura – whose work is simple and satisfying. As for Moore, his script could have been brought to life in any number of manners, and still retained its grounded characters and its human dialogue. Interestingly enough, his writing may actually have been better suited to a live setting, where audiences would have been able to internalize his words without being distracted by production value.
The Imitation Game is, for all intents and purposes, an absolutely delightful film that serves as a fascinating look at a spellbinding man. Turing’s work, his contributions to society, and his efforts to prevent the continuation of the Second World War were all eventually classified shortly after his death, as a result of an investigation into his romantic life. Turing was eventually pardoned by Queen Elizabeth in 2013, but it is truly thanks to Cumberbatch that the world may yet remember the portrait of the enigmatic man who broke Enigma.