Movie Analysis Essay: The Imitation Game

Essay 'Imitation Game'
Discuss the extent to which you agree with the following statement:
'For a text to be appealing, the audience must see the protagonist in conflict.'(respond critically by making close analysis with the text.) To be completed by the first week of the holidays.

"The Imitation Game" by Morten Tyldum, is a handsomely engrossing and poignantly melancholic thriller about code-cracking World War Two thrills. Alan Turing successfully attempts to break the enigma code which lead to 14 million lives being saved and the war being shortened by 2 years. Conflict is all over this film emotionally and physically, externally and internally especially in the protagonists case, Alan Turing, who isn't exactly a straight forward character.

Alan Turing being the protagonist of this film undergoes many scenes of conflict which makes the film more appealing to the audience by allowing them to either relate to him or sympathise for him. There are many scenes where Turing is advised to keep his gender preference under the radar or even black mailed to keep quiet under the threat of telling authorities that he is a homosexual. There is a scene where Turing finds the Soviet Spy in Bletchley Park who turns out to be John Cairncross. Cairncross catches Turing before he spreads the secret and says "if you tell them my secret I'll tell them your's". Another example of black mail is when Stewart Menzies, who is in on Cairncross's undercover work, finds out of Turing's knowledge and blackmails Turing in the same way Cairncross did. These examples of the protagonist being seen in conflict makes the film more appealing to the audience by making the character seem more relatable as everyone in life come across different types of conflict and it is appealing to see how other people overcome their

This entertainment draws the audience in and keeps them on the edges of their seats for the whole movie as they worry about what will happened next. An example of this is Turing's forever changing and developing friendships with his co-workers. Hugh Alexander is frustrated with Turing's "stupid machine" and tensions rise turning words into actions which lead in Alexander punching Turing in the face. This rise in tone and tension mixed with a punch to the face and a few objects thrown around form heart racing entertainment for the audience. All of this happens because the protagonist is seen in conflict which makes the film more entertaining and appealing to the audience.

For a text to be appealing, the audience must see the protagonist in conflict. I fully agree with this statement as it applies extremely well with the film "The Imitation Game". Seeing Turing, the main protagonist, in conflict; allows the audience to see his character develop throughout the film, shows that he isn't perfect and does encounter conflict along the road, allows for a certain type of entertainment or action which can pull the audience in and keep them on the edges of their