Give Benedict Cumberbatch some credit. A lesser actor would have enjoyed the fan adulation that comes with appearing in a major television series, resting on his laurels and taking easy and unvaried roles to solidify his starring status. He might have nodded to a prestige picture now and then, leading to the inevitable Oscar nomination, but his career would have been as uninteresting as many A-listers nowadays. Instead, Cumberbatch continues to take different and interesting roles, dabbling in everything from returning to the BBC to play Richard III in The Hollow Crown, to stopping the Nazis in his next film, The Imitation Game.
In The Imitation Game, Cumberbatch is Alan Turing, an English cryptanalyst attempting to decode the Nazis’ Enigma machine for the British during World War II. The film focuses on Turing and his colleagues’ work at Bletchley Park, where they attempt to break Nazi codes to turn the tide of war for the British. It also spans some of Turing’s pre and post-war activity, including (presumably) his conviction for “gross indecency” that resulted from his admission of maintaining a homosexual relationship.
In the latest clip from The Imitation Game, Turing explains the nature of human difference and the similarity of minds to machines. It’s a quiet, subdued scene, but showcases Cumberbatch’s undoubted talent to hold a camera with his eyes and voice.
In addition to the clip, we also have a little featurette for The Imitation Game. Here, the cast and crew explain Turing’s role in the Grand Alliance of World War II, as well as the resonance of telling a true story. This is a history often ignored in films about World War II, and it’s wonderful to get to see it dramatized.
The Imitation Game will hit theaters on November 28th. After watching the clip above, check out the featurette below. It is well worth the time.
