His name was Alan Turing, and his
story is one of triumph and prejudice - and one that should be much more celebrated
than it is. With his latest film, Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (Headhunters) is leading the charge
against this suspicious absence, supported by a stellar cast comprised of
Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, and Charles Dance.
Cutting between three parts, The Imitation Game depicts integral
stages in the life of Alan Turing: his torturous boarding school days in 1928,
his slightly less torturous experience as a cryptographer at Bletchley Park from
1939-1945, and his darkest moment of all, being charged for gross indecency in
Manchester in 1952. In each of these parts, Turing is presented as a detached
genius, a man who nobody expects anything of and yet, as the script is sure to
keep reminding us, is capable of achieving things which nobody expects.
At times, as when it is driving
this message home, the script does come on rather heavy-handed. However, it is
testament to the acting ability on show that this does little to diminish the
emotional experience of watching the film. When the drama is dealing in
conflict, it is incredible to see Cumberbatch regress to the sort of fidgety-ostracised
schoolboy that is played so superbly by Alex Lawther in the depiction of Turing’s
early years. Instead of playing the sort of manic, fast-talking genius that one
may find in Sherlock, Cumberbatch delivers a bumbling, socially awkward
performance that subtly hints that Turing was perhaps somewhere on the autism spectrum.
The film succeeds in delivering
the story of one of Britain’s least understood and least celebrated heroes. It
is to the merit of the script that the film does not shy away from showing that
Turing could be a difficult man, who was forced into making difficult decisions
– whether in hiding his homosexuality from a prejudiced society, or playing the
role of God when deciding which German attacks should be stopped, and which
must be conceded. In the scenes concerned with Turing’s unconventional
relationship with Knightley’s Joan Clarke, both are shown to be
highly-intelligent outcasts. Indeed, both are snubbed by their society for not
adhering to the doctrinal norm, and both positively flourish in one another’s
company, highlighting the humanity and playfulness in Turing’s character
despite the severity of his situation and the image of the troubled genius he
wished to espouse.
Turing was a man obsessed by
puzzles. Following a controversial royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth II in 2013,
and the increasing awareness of Turing’s fundamental efforts towards ending the
war, this film continues to undo the puzzle as to why his story has been hidden
for so long.
