This review has spoilers, but you really should know the historical facts before watching this movie.
I've always been hesitant about "historical" film because I was afraid I'd eventually watch a movie like this. The Imitation Game purports to tell the story of Alan Turing, a renowned computer scientist and a key codebreaker in WW2. Not long before his death, Turing was convicted of sexual relations with another man and forced into inhumane hormone treatment to avoid prison. By the end of The Imitation Game, I was actually rather shaken up by its emotional depiction of Turing's life. It's certainly well-acted, and the story is engagingly presented.
Then I read the Artistic License – History entry on this wiki, and suddenly felt rather stupid and frustrated.
Benedict Cumberbatch ostensibly portrays Alan Turing, but he's really channeling Sherlock. There's no better way to describe it; he's a neurotic, antisocial Insufferable Genius with Hollywood Autism who gets away with insulting his peers and superiors because of his alleged importance. The real Turing had friendly relationships and was well-humored, and got along with his colleagues who assisted greatly with his work. In particular, Turing's superior, Commander Alastair Denniston, is portrayed as an obstinate threat to Turing's work, even though there's no historical record of this. Denniston's real grandchildren criticized the film's portrayal as a smear of their grandfather. It's rather disturbing and maddening that Hollywood could possibly do the same thing to me after I'm dead, and there's nothing I could do about it.
And it's more than Turing and Denniston that's problematic. One melodramatic scene depicts Turing and his colleagues physically fighting over how to use intelligence to properly save lives while avoiding tipping the Germans off. They subsequently agree to conceal info from their higher-ups to do so. Even though such a decision was not historically on them, but on the administrative level which actually did understand the issue. Then Turing runs into Soviet spy John Cairncross, and the movie morphs into a spy blackmail flick involving Turing's sexuality (this, of course, was not real).
The film ends with Turing being forced into chemical castration (this did happen), rendering him unable to think (this did not) and committing suicide (this is disputed). The real Alan Turing continued to work and make innovative discoveries in mathematical biology near the end of his life.
This film deceitfully exploits artistic license in a manner disrespectful to Turing, Denniston, and many others. To me, The Imitation Game is a fittingly titled movie and a reminder that Hollywood is an industry that has mastered emotional, inspiring, and mendacious storytelling.
Spoofing Attack
This review has spoilers, but you really should know the historical facts before watching this movie.
I've always been hesitant about "historical" film because I was afraid I'd eventually watch a movie like this. The Imitation Game purports to tell the story of Alan Turing, a renowned computer scientist and a key codebreaker in WW2. Not long before his death, Turing was convicted of sexual relations with another man and forced into inhumane hormone treatment to avoid prison. By the end of The Imitation Game, I was actually rather shaken up by its emotional depiction of Turing's life. It's certainly well-acted, and the story is engagingly presented.
Then I read the Artistic License – History entry on this wiki, and suddenly felt rather stupid and frustrated.
Benedict Cumberbatch ostensibly portrays Alan Turing, but he's really channeling Sherlock. There's no better way to describe it; he's a neurotic, antisocial Insufferable Genius with Hollywood Autism who gets away with insulting his peers and superiors because of his alleged importance. The real Turing had friendly relationships and was well-humored, and got along with his colleagues who assisted greatly with his work. In particular, Turing's superior, Commander Alastair Denniston, is portrayed as an obstinate threat to Turing's work, even though there's no historical record of this. Denniston's real grandchildren criticized the film's portrayal as a smear of their grandfather. It's rather disturbing and maddening that Hollywood could possibly do the same thing to me after I'm dead, and there's nothing I could do about it.
And it's more than Turing and Denniston that's problematic. One melodramatic scene depicts Turing and his colleagues physically fighting over how to use intelligence to properly save lives while avoiding tipping the Germans off. They subsequently agree to conceal info from their higher-ups to do so. Even though such a decision was not historically on them, but on the administrative level which actually did understand the issue. Then Turing runs into Soviet spy John Cairncross, and the movie morphs into a spy blackmail flick involving Turing's sexuality (this, of course, was not real).
The film ends with Turing being forced into chemical castration (this did happen), rendering him unable to think (this did not) and committing suicide (this is disputed). The real Alan Turing continued to work and make innovative discoveries in mathematical biology near the end of his life.
This film deceitfully exploits artistic license in a manner disrespectful to Turing, Denniston, and many others. To me, The Imitation Game is a fittingly titled movie and a reminder that Hollywood is an industry that has mastered emotional, inspiring, and mendacious storytelling.