The Bit Player

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Aug 26, 2020 I found the movie fascinating. It helped explain a complicated man/story. The production quality was good and it flowed in good order. See more Jul 22, 2020 While my technical background probably predisposes me to be fascinated by both the contributions of Shannon to information theory and to have a cursory understanding of them, I do think anyone can enjoy this film. "The Bit Player" intersperses present-day interviews of knowledgeable people with re-creations of pivotal moments in Shannon's career and life, and glues it all together with accessible animations to explain the concepts. I know the re-creations sound hokey, and easily could have been executed poorly (e.g., like hyper-dramatic Real Crime television shows), but the acting, direction, and filming tricks (to make the historical sequences credible) made these scenes the centerpiece of the narrative rather than the interviews. John Hutton and Judith Ivey, as 1980s-era Shannon and wife, respectively, inhabit their roles with warmth, charm, and credibility. Earlier scenes of wartime Shannon, particularly one where Shannon and his first-wife-to-be jitterbug in his apartment, effectively showcase the most productive portion of his career while not losing sight of his humanity. The film itself attempts to be as playful as Shannon apparently was, with an upbeat, jazz-themed score and entertaining animation that slyly teaches as it amuses. Director Levinson teases so much more out of the material than one might reasonably expect, walking the fine line between docudrama and documentary. He innovates on his approach in "Particle Fever" (a real-time documentary on the discovery of the Higgs Boson) to keep viewers' interest in both the subject matter and the personalities pursuing their quests for knowledge. Claude Shannon may be the most important mathematician you've never heard of, and Mark Levinson may be the best filmmaker to give researchers and their quests multidimensional and entertaining expositions. See more Read all reviews

The Bit Player

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