(Photo courtesy slate.com)
By Mayur Somalinga – Staff Reporter
“The Imitation Game”, the 2014 war/drama film loosely based on the novel “Alan Turing: The Enigma” by Andrew Hodges, details British mathematician Alan Turing’s monumental contributions to the Allies’ victory during World War II.
[WARNING: This review contains spoilers for “The Imitation Game.” Read ahead at your own risk.]
The film opens rather ambiguously with Turing (portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch) inside an interrogation room where his opening speech is meant to be for Detective Nock (played by Rory Kinnear), but also for the audience, as well. The main story, however, begins with Turing being interviewed by, head of GC&CS, Commander Denniston (played by Charles Dance) to be involved with a top-secret project at Bletchley Park during the darkest days of World War II. It is quickly evident to Turing during the interview, and, therefore, the viewers, that the top-secret project is known as Project Enigma, which aimed to decipher Nazi communications, which were assumed to be unbreakable. However, Turing was not to do this job alone, as Commander Denniston had already appointed other talented intellectuals, for example, British cryptanalyst, Hugh Alexander (played by Matthew Goode), for the task and expected them to work together as a team. Turing might have been, while he wouldn’t admit it himself, a mathematical prodigy, he found the very idea of having to work with those who have a similar intellectual prowess as himself, repulsive, even saying, “I’m afraid these men will only slow me down,” upon hearing the proposition. Turing was not initially liked by his fellow code-breakers, however, he eventually wins their favor as a valued team member, that paves the path for them to break Enigma, and as a friend, as well.
This movie, while taking place amid World War II, is not entirely a war movie, but, rather, also a tale of alienation and the efforts made to overcome it – something everyone can relate to. Turing was one of the greatest mathematical minds Great Britain, not to mention, the world had ever seen at the time, becoming a fellow at Cambridge University at age 24 and publishing his first official paper at age 23. However, those as intellectually gifted as Turing seldom find it easy to mingle with others, and in his case, he was on the autistic spectrum. This was well-displayed in the movie through Cumberbatch’s flawless representations of Turing’s social-awkwardness through his mannerisms, speech, and overly-literal interpretations of the things said to him. Although this accurate depiction of Turing’s introversion makes for some intense scenes, it also leads to a level of comedy in the thick of the cold, callous arithmetic of war with the banter-laden dialogue, oftentimes from Turing unintentionally, and sarcasm that Turing usually fails to pick up on.
“The Imitation Game” does an exceptional job of presenting activism for issues that were unpopular at the time. For one, it dabbles in the realm of Women’s Rights as Turing, at first, can’t stand to work with his peers and seeks to control those that he has to work with, so he contacts Prime Minister Winston Churchill and requests to be put in charge of his group, and once his request was confirmed, he swiftly fired those that he felt weren’t skilled enough to be there. As a result of the lack of personnel in Turing’s group, Turing set up a “help wanted ad,” of sorts, that consisted of a crossword puzzle in the newspaper. The candidates were thereafter asked to solve some sort of puzzle within a confined time limit, and the only female candidate, Joan Clarke (portrayed by Keira Knightley), was the first to finish the task in a room full of men. This scene was particularly powerful because she was almost not allowed to try completing the task on the account of her being a woman, and was even asked if she completed the crossword puzzle on her own and was labeled as a secretary by the security guard near the door, that is until Turing stepped in and let Clarke take a seat. Clarke and Turing became immensely close and their relationship seemed to improve Turing’s sociability with others. At one point, Clarke threatens to leave Project Enigma because her parents are worried that she hadn’t gotten married yet, so, to get Clarke to stay, Turing proposes to Clarke with a make-shift ring constructed out of wire. While everyone saw this as wonderful news, Turing found it daunting not because he didn’t like Clarke, but because he was gay. In fact, he was gay in a time when it was illegal to be as such, so he felt obligated to marry Clarke to make her happy and to protect himself from society and the law, but, in the end, he couldn’t pretend. This struggle that Turing faces mirrors what a lot of closeted minors, and, even, adults experience and allows them to find comfort in his triumphs and defeats.
The film lacks any glaring weaknesses as the cast expertly delivers the story that plays to both the heart and the mind. It does, however, depict one of Great Britain’s greatest atrocities committed toward a war hero, which is quite unsettling. As the secret of Turing’s homosexuality surfaces, he is charged with “indecency” and is given the choice between two years in prison or chemical castration. Turing chooses chemical castration because it would allow him to continue his work, but, the hormonal treatment he receives causes an imbalance in his brain and led him to commit suicide at the relatively young age of 41. However, in September of 2009, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown publicly apologized to Turing for the mistreatment he faced, and although it was 55 years too late, it was an act of redemption on Great Britain’s part.
“The Imitation Game” is, by no means, a traditional war film, as very little combat, is shown, and most scenes take place in an edifice and not on a battlefield, but the spirit of war is very much evident in Turing’s team as they fight the odds stacked against them, and prove to everyone that, “Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.”
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
(Some information courtesy of imdb.com)
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