Themes: Love Triangles, Women During Wartime, Traitorous Spies/Double Agents
Director: Michael Apted
Main Cast: Matthew MacFadyen, Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Saffron Burrows, Jeremy Northam, Nikolaj Waldau
Release Year: 2001
Country: UK
Run Time: 117 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The true story of a major breakthrough in intelligence technology created during World War II provides the backdrop for this blend of mystery, romance, and espionage, based on the novel by Robert Harris. Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) is a gifted mathematician who is working with the British government on the development and maintenance of the Enigma machine, an electronic device that allows Allied intelligence agents to decode scrambled messages sent by Germany military officers. But the emotionally fragile Jericho is buckling under both the pressure of his work and the collapse of his relationship with Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows), a co-worker with whom he's fallen deeply in love. After suffering a minor breakdown, Jericho is sent on a leave of absence, but when he returns to work, a crisis awaits: it seems the Germans have instituted a new code that the Enigma is not yet able to crack, and Jericho is needed to help unravel Axis communiqués before an important convoy of troops and materiel sets sail. It is also suspected that a German undercover agent has infiltrated the Enigma project, and Wigram (Jeremy Northam) is determined to ferret them out. In the midst of all this, Jericho receives troubling news that Claire has gone missing -- and that a file of German messages waiting to be decoded was found at her home. As Jericho works against the clock to crack the new German code, he forms an initially uneasy alliance with Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet), Claire's roommate and a fellow member of the Enigma project, as they try to discover Claire's whereabouts. Enigma was co-produced by Mick Jagger, who has a keen interest in the history of the real-life Enigma project, and even owns one of the original Enigma decoding machines. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Despite its old-fashioned moral compass and tendency to disguise hugh chunks of unwieldy World War II exposition as dialogue, this docudrama manages to entertain on the strength of its plucky heroine, haunting femme fatale, and aura of innocence lost. Kate Winslet, glammed down and hiding behind spectacles, is the mystery-obsessed gal Friday for whom it's impossible not to root. Saffron Burrows, in a series of alluring flashbacks, is the real enigma haunting tortured mathematical genius/hero Dougray Scott. The sexual tension between Winslet's Hester Wallace and Scott's Tom Jericho is strictly pro forma, as is the eventual whodunit denouement. In-between, though, there are fascinating glimpses of cryptological history, plenty of period detail, and enough tweed-garbed mucking around in the English countryside to fill an entire PBS miniseries. Ultimately, veteran director Michael Apted's picture is an absurd anachronism, but one that holds onto the strength of its convictions, resulting in a watchable enough piece of historical fluff. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Tom Hollander - Logie; Corin Redgrave - Admiral Trowbridge; Robert Pugh - Skynner; Tom Fisher - Upjohn; Edward Hardwicke - Heaviside; Angus MacInnes - Commander Hammerbeck; Nicolas Rowe - Villiers; Donald Sumpter - Leveret; Michael Troughton - Mermagen; Tim Bentinck - U-Boat Commander; Mary Macleod - Mrs. Armstrong; Emma Buckley - Land Army Girl; Adrian Preater - RAF Corporal; Richard Leaf - Baxter; Ian Felce - Proudfoot; Bohdan Poraj - Pinker; Paul Rattray - Kingcome; Richard Katz - De Brooke; Anne-Marie Duff - Kay; Rosie Thomson - Duty Clerk; Mirjam De Rooij - Lady Lodger; Edward Woodall - Bletchley Brain; Hywel Simons - Male Lodger; Emma Davies - Pamela; Martin Glyn Murray - RAF Officer
Credit
Abi Leland - Musical Direction/Supervision; Tom Lucy - Stunts; Michael Apted - Director; John Barry - Conductor; John Barry - Composer (Music Score); John Beard - Production Designer; David Brown - Co-producer; Ate de Jong - Associate Producer; Mick Jagger - Producer; Rod McLean - Art Director; Lorne Michaels - Producer; Stuart Rose - Art Director; Shirley Russell - Costume Designer; Rick Shaine - Editor; Jenny Shircore - Hair Styles; Jenny Shircore - Makeup; Alan L. Stewart - Additional Cinematography; Tom Stoppard - Screenwriter; Richard Styles - Unit Production Manager; Richard Styles - Second Unit Assistant Director; Michael White - Executive Producer; Arthur Wooster - Second Unit Director; Ian McFadyen - Draftsman; Dan Rose - Musical Direction/Supervision; Lionel Selwyn - Foley Artist; Cathy Sandrich - Casting; Nigel Sinclair - Executive Producer; Guy East - Executive Producer; Mary Selway - Casting; Amanda Mackey-Johnson - Casting; John Jordan - Focus Puller; Hanno Huth - Executive Producer; Seamus Mcgarvey - Cinematographer; Stef Tijdink - Cinematographer; John Hayward - Re-Recording Mixer; John Midgley - Production Sound; John Midgley - Sound/Sound Designer; Nick Heckstall-Smith - First Assistant Director; Cliff Kohlweck - Music Editor; John Ireland - Foley Editor; John Ireland - Foley Supervisor; Nigel Mills - Supervising Sound Editor; Raymond Hall - Grip; Thomas Garvin - Executive Producer; David Broder - Location Manager; Jeanney Kim - Associate Producer; Paul Carr - ADR Mixer; Nicholas Powell - Stunts; Nicholas Powell - Stunts Coordinator; Derek Lea - Stunts; Carlos De Carvalho - First Assistant Camera; Carlos De Carvalho - Focus Puller; Anita Burger - Hair Styles; Peter Heslop - Production Manager; Ray L. Nicholas - Stunts; Winnie Wishart - Production Coordinator; Gordon Seed - Stunts; Robert Harris - Book Author; McDonald & Rutter - Publicist; Graeme Purdy - Properties Master; Cathy Doubleday - Script Supervisor; Daryl Jordan - First Assistant Editor; Josh Winget - Music Editor; Fiona Weir - Casting Assistant; Rob Ireland - ADR Editor; Susan Howard - Hair Styles; Susan Howard - Makeup; Jaap A. Buitendijk - Still Photographer; Andrew Blustain - First Assistant Editor; Brenda Coxon - Production Accountant; Antony Hunt - Visual Effects Producer; Charity Hobbs Wood - Production Assistant; Angie Wills - Visual Effects Producer; Paul Edwards - Steadicam Operator; Robert Aarts - Executive Producer; Robert Aarts - Co-Executive Producer; Angie Wills Production - Production Manager; Gordon Antell - First Assistant Editor; Mark Archer - Stunts; Fransje Bannenberg - Production Coordinator; Joep Bannenberg - Production Manager; Joost Brouwer - Electrician; Paul Brown - Electrician; Glen Bruijntjes - Electrician; Tracey Caudle - Stunts; Philip Coleman - Grip; Trevor Coop - Camera Operator; Gary Coulter - Supervising Animator; Jo Dale - Second Assistant Editor; Pete De Winton - Assistant Location Manager; Patrick Dekker - Electrician; Marc Dresens - Electrician; Helga Fitzner - Research; Toby Flesher - Electrician; Sarah Franzl - Stunts; Linda Gamble - Unit Publicist; Marijhe Geheniau - Hair Styles; Marijhe Geheniau - Makeup; Valentina Giambanco - Second Assistant Editor; Jon Henry Gordon - Hair Styles; Steve Griffin - Stunts; James Grogan - Stunts; Richard Hammett - Stunts; Jeff Harlacker - Post Production Supervisor; Paul Harris - Electrician; Nina Hartstone - Dialogue Editor; Joris Hetsen - Electrician; Paul Higgins - First Assistant Director; Polly Hope - Script Supervisor; Gary Hutchings - Grip; Gary Hutchings - Dolly Grip; Jelani Isaacs - Location Manager; Tidd James - Stunts; Miranda Jones - Post Production Supervisor; Kristjan Knigge - Second Assistant Director; Uwe Kuipers - Gaffer; Suttirat Larbarb - Assistant Art Director; Wouter Thorn Leeson - Production Assistant; Chris Lloyd - First Assistant Editor; Katherine Lofting - Production Assistant; Stephen Mathie - Electrician; Eric Melville - Electrician; Lieuwe Mulder - Electrician; Mark Neale - Second Assistant Editor; Sharon O'Brien - Hair Styles; Sharon O'Brien - Makeup; Steve O'Donoghue - Electrician; Bianca Olijerhoek - Assistant Hair; Victoria Pearman - Executive Producer; William Pennings - Grip; Julian Plunkett-Dillon - Associate Producer; June Prinz - Boom Operator; Leon Renkes - Electrician; Ezra Reverda - Electrician; Seon Rogers - Stunts; Tony Sale - Technical Advisor; Paul Sharp - Electrician; Suzie Shearer - Assistant Production Coordinator; Malcolm Sheehan - Grip; Philip Sindall - Camera Operator; Eliza Solesbury - Set Designer; Eliza Solesbury - Set Decorator; Marius Speller - Electrician; Anna Stacey - Stunts; Camilla Stephenson - Assistant Location Manager; Jo Stones - Research; Ruth Sullivan - Foley Artist; Natasha Tahta - First Assistant Director; Peter Talbot - Cinematographer; Olivier Ter Kuile - Electrician; Isobel Thomas - Executive in Charge of Production; Joe Tolen - Electrician; Dianne Twiddy - Production Accountant; Wilko Van Amerongen - Sound Mixer; Martijn Van Broekhuizen - Electrician; Richard Van Der Oord - Grip; Kim Van Honschooten - Electrician; Diederik Van Middlekoop - Musical Direction/Supervision; Jaap Verburg - Art Director; Piers Vuure - Electrician; Lee Walters - Gaffer; Lesa Warrener - Hair Styles; Lesa Warrener - Makeup; Angela Noakes Wharton - Script Supervisor; Tim Wooster - Camera Operator; Tony Wright - Storyboard Artist; Leo Zandvliet - Assistant Art Director; Marion Zilversmit - Casting; Baz Irvine - Additional Cinematography; Simon Emanuel - Second Second Assistant Director; Anthony Wilcox - Second Unit Assistant Director; Anthony Wilcox - Third Assistant Director; Andrew Garnet-Lawson - Scenic Artist; Suttirat Anne Larlarb - Assistant Art Director; Louis Elman - Sound/Sound Designer; Louis Elman - ADR Voice Casting; Catherine Buyse Dian - Costumes Assistant; Allan Hay - Costume/Wardrobe; Mike Elliott - Second Unit Assistant Director; Andrea Slater - Third Assistant Director; Pete Myslowski - Grip; Kevin Tayler - Foley Mixer; Herman Verschuur - First Assistant Camera; Herman Verschuur - Focus Puller; George Walker - Second Assistant Director; Michael King - Buyer; Paul De Bruijn - Construction Foreman; Nick Shuttleworth - Runner; Erik Bannenberg - Focus Puller; Ben Chads - Focus Puller; Simon Heck - Focus Puller; Andrew Stephens - Focus Puller; Phil Clarke - Runner; Dirk Tolman - Properties Master; Demetri Jagger - Video Playback; Marc Siegel - Production Assistant; Sarah Robinson - Art Department Coordinator; Dave Jackson - Production Assistant; Paul Stewart - Gaffer; Jon Duncan - Assistant Location Manager; Tim Battersby - First Assistant Camera; Nick Milner - Set Dresser; Rogier Bos - Set Dresser; Otto Kruysdijk - Set Dresser; Marcel Van Velden - Set Dresser; Ron Weverling - Set Dresser; Bob Sherwood - Set Dresser; Brian Read - Buyer; Ruben Rosen - Standby Carpenter
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