The Imitation Game

The problem that faced the screenwriters for this film was, presumably: How does one, in a video presentation of acceptable length, present a coherent characterization of a man who made unparalleled contributions to science and technology, whose work helped the allies win the Second World War, and yet who was dragged down by the prevailing societal horror of a condition that we today accept as commonplace if not necessarily "normal"? Alan Turing was an intellectual giant whose accomplishments and insights have had a most profound effect on our lives over the past seventy-odd years. The producers of this film should be commended for trying to bring this man "to life". Did they succeed? I don't know Turing's entire story in enough detail to comment authoritatively, but suffice it to say that, as far as I can tell, the story presented in the film seems to conform in all important aspects with the historical record. If I were writing the script for this film, would I tell the story in the same way with the same emphases? Given that I am perhaps more aware of the immensity of Turing's scientific accomplishments and their impact on our way of life than most, I would probably choose to put more emphasis on this aspect rather than the consequences of his homosexuality. But it is a fact that in the '40s, '50s, '60s, and even into the '70s, the fact that one's homosexuality had to be concealed was a vulnerability that would be grounds for the denial of a security clearance. This film is a valuable history lesson; go and see it, and then go digging into the written record for more detail.