News

Enigma R2 DVD
Release - August 5, 2002. Starring Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet.

 
Buy the DVD.

Enigma a real brain teaser Wonderful review marking the play of Enigma in Canada. 20.July.

Enigma DVD for Rental ONLY According to the R2 Project the Enigma DVD will be available to rent on April 8, 2002 in the UK. 1.April

New York Film Premiere of Enigma Kate Winslet and Jeremy Northam to attend. 8.March

Enigma Clearly Hits $1.1 in first weekend. 4.October

Enigma Heads to The Hamptons Enigma to close festival. 2.October

First Weekend Box Office Enigma comes in at fourth. 2.October

Decoding Romance Enigma Yet another positive review. 27.September

'Enigma' story a puzzle for author Robert Harris on his book. 10.September

Codebreakers Come Forth Hear the codebreakers talk about Enigma. 9.September

Hopes are High in Toronto Enigma highlighted as part of the Toronto Film Festival. 6.September

Authorist Attacks Hollywood Enigma writer Robert Harris expresses disgust over 'Americanizing' of movies. 20.August

Code: Love A true love story from Bletchley Park. 19.August

Shame I Missed the Game Daily Records adds detail about the gala. 19.August

Kate Windswept Daily Records says Kate looked 'interesting'. 19.August

Winslet in Corsets for Latest Film Reuters talks to Kate about her role as Hester. 18.August

Kate Attends Premiere Ananova reports on the premiere. 18.August

New Review! The Scotsman throws their review in the ring. 17.August

Costume Drama Queen Brief interview with Kate Winslet on Enigma. (photo) 12.August

'Highly Watchable' Small review of Enigma in an EIF feature. 12.August

Enigma Poster Art Thank you Steven! An amazing poster covering the publication materials for the London Premiere of Enigma. All proceeds will go to Prince Charles' Trust. 10.August

NO US Victory Jagger scolds the American film industry. 7.August

Secret Life of a Rock Star Jagger reflects on making Enigma. 5.August

Lady C The Sunday Mirror says Kate Winslet, Dougray, and Mick to attend. 6.August

Enigma Stars to Attend Ananova reports on Scott, Jagger, and Northam's attendance at the upcoming EIF. July 25, 2001.

An Enigma Wrapped in a Trailer CHUD reports on the new Enigma trailer which was found online today by Dougray Scott in Focus. July 24, 2001.

History in the Making An up close and personal look at Dougray Scott. July 18, 2001.

Updates

The Synopsis

In March 1943 the code breakers at Bletchley Park, Britain's top secret Station X, are facing their worst nightmare: Nazi U boats have unexpectedly changed the code by which they communicate with each other and German High Command. An Allied merchant shipping convoy crossing the Atlantic with 10,000 passengers and vital supplies is in danger of attack. The authorities turn for help to Tom Jericho, a brilliant young mathematician and code breaker.

Unknown to his colleagues, Jericho has another equally baffling enigma of his own to unravel: Claire, the woman with whom he has fallen in love, has disappeared from Bletchley just when the authorities suspect there may be a spy at the Park.

To get to the bottom of both mysteries he enlists the help of Hester, Claire's best friend. Together they keep one step ahead of the secret services and investigate Claire's mysterious life, reaching a conclusion that uncovers international and personal betrayals.

About the Production

Director - Michael Apted

Director Michael Apted was a vital piece of the jigsaw in putting the production together. Says Jagger, "Michael's a documentary maker of great repute and so, as well as having a superb eye for narrative, he's able to deal with the authenticity of the historical background." Adds Lome Michaels, "Michael is a director that actors want to work with, the key that unlocked a lot of doors." Apted was intrigued by the historical period of the story. "That's the era when I was bom and, now that I live in America, I find myself drawn to that period of recent history. It's interesting to tackle a project in the same territory as James Bond, but from a totally different point of view - dealing with true heroics." For Apted the challenge of telling the story is in achieving the right balance between explaining the intricacies of codebreaking without making it so complicated that the audience might give up on it, and keeping them intrigued by the parallel love story. Says Apted, "What Stoppard's script has done, even more than the original novel, is to put the two stories in synch, so that if you decode the love story, you find the key to the enigma code at the same time." Apted also acknowledges the relevance of the code-breaking to today's audiences. "It's a generational thing," he says, "Young people were breaking codes almost in defiance of their elders, just like today's older generation, many of whom refuse to understand new technology."

Dougray Scott as Tom Jericho

Casting Tom Jericho, the young Cambridge mathematician whose enforced leave of absence is brought on by the lethal combination overwork and unrequited love for the mysterious Claire Romilly, Apted wanted to find a young British actor who could carry a film, and make an international impact. Dougray Scott, who had recently finished filming Mission: Impossible II with Tom Cruise, was an early casting choice. "It's Dougray's moment," declares Apted. Adds Jagger, "When we cast him we felt he was on the edge of enormous fame."

""I was intrigued by the period, and the character appealed to me because Jericho's not like anyone I've played before. He's cerebral, a genius, and I needed to get inside his head and discover what makes him tick. As an actor I'm always interested in finding something to learn as a craft to help understand the person, and the enigma machine and the breaking of codes was something I could explore. I worked on it for over five months while waiting to begin shooting, so now I understand the mechanics and can operate an enigma machine." says Scott.

He describes the codebreakers of Bletchley Park as reluctant heroes. "What they did was extraordinary. They were not brave in a physical sense, but they exhausted themselves in their efforts to decipher the German communications. They were so dedicated that, even now, over fifty years later, many of them are reluctant to reveal exactly what they did during the war. So many people, at the end over 12,000, were thrown together in this small area, near Milton Keynes about 40 miles north of London, so they created their own environment to make the war bearable, forming social clubs, music societies and sports clubs.""

  

Kate Winslet as Hester Wallace

Kate Winslet had been approached early on to play the role of Hester Wallace but originally it clashed with Therese Raquin in which she planned to star and take the role of executive producer. When Kate discovered she was pregnant, her own production was put on hold and Jagged Films was happy to fill the gap in her schedule. Jagger describes Winslet as "an actress who interprets Stoppard's script very well. Hester is an intelligent woman, who knows herself to be underused." Michael Apted explains, "The character of Hester has to be slightly anonymous at the beginning of the story, but her beauty, charm and sexiness creeps up on you. Kate is a brilliant chameleon- she can dazzle you or be quite ordinary, and the latter is a quality the audience can identify with - an ordinary girl who becomes heroic. " He adds, "Kate makes intelligent choices in her acting roles, and I think she'll enjoy a long successful working life." says Apted. Kate Winslet was attracted by the wartime setting of the story.

"It's an adventure story set in such a sexy time - with young people determined to live for the moment. In some ways I compare my character Hester to George in Enid Biyton's The Famous Five - she enjoys adventure and won't stop till she gets a result and, in the end, she helps save the day."

Winslet deliberately did not delve into understanding the mysteries of deciphering the enigma machine. "Although Hester works at Bletchley Park, her job is more administrative, and so she wouldn't have known all about the mysteries of code-breaking, so I didn't want to understand things that Hester wouldn't have known."

As research, Winslet did meet a lot of the people who worked at Bletchley during the war. She says, "Most of them loved the work they were involved with then, and quite a few met their partners and married there. Incredibly, many of them didn't realise the importance of the work until long afterwards because of the code of secrecy in the Park. For instance, Hester and Claire worked in different Huts, so they never knew exactly what each other did."

From the Official Intermedia Production Notes
Copyright © 2001 MeesPierson Film C.V.