THE IMITATION GAME

UK, 2014, 114 minutes, Colour.
Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Mark Strong, Charles Dance, Alan Leach, Tuppence Middleton, Rory Kinnear, Steven Waddington, Matthew Beard.
Directed by Morton Tylden.

A fine, interesting drama.

Over the years, there has been great interest in the story of Bletchley Park, the team assembled to work on the Enigma code, the elaborate Nazi code for transmitting information during World War II. Michael Apted directed a somewhat fictitious fashion, Enigma (2000). Television offered a series, Bletchley Park.

But, not only is the breaking of the Enigma code something significant in war history, the breaking was the work of mathematician, Alan Turing. This film is a tribute to a brilliantly intelligent man, with some autism characteristics, something of a personal loner, who had his own personal secrets at the time, his sexual orientation and behaviour, which led to his death in 1954.

All these aspects are covered in The Imitation Game.

The film uses the framework of a police investigation of Turing the early 1950s. We are introduced to Turing, having experienced a break-in at his flat, arrested and interrogated by the police. Because the documents of his war activity are classified as top secret, the police are suspicious of him, possibly as a traitor (the era of Burgess and Maclean’s defection to the Soviet Union), and his strange personality. He finds it difficult to collaborate with the police. During the action in the 1940s, the screenplay does come back to this 1950 situation as a more sympathetic investigator (Rory Kinnear) is able to access more documents and understand him.

This offers a more ambiguous opening to the portrait of Turing. As he is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, we are offered a complex portrayal of Turing’s complexities. He makes quite some impact when he goes to an interview for work at Bletchley Park, not given to modest understatement about his abilities, his success at school, at Oxford University, his university tenure in his early 20s. The subsequent drama, the conflict between Turing and the military establishment, as highlighted by the performance of Charles Dance as an officer with more knowledge about rules and pomposity than what was required for the job. Also at the interview is the head of MI6, played with some sinister sympathy by Mark Strong.

While most of us will not understand the technical details or the technological requirements workings of the machine to break Enigma, there is enough drama, sequences in the computer room, discussions amongst the workers, a kind of antipathy towards Turing and his seemingly smug superiority, that we get a great feel for what happened, what was demanded for breaking the code, for Turing’s contribution and the eventual collaboration which broke the code.

Turing wants some collaborators and sets up a crossword puzzle test through the newspapers to find minds who are quick at codes and think laterally. One of those who emerges years is Joan, played by Keira Knightley, doing an intelligent variation on her English rose performances.

Of course, there is great suspense as to how the code will be broken, with Turing coming to the realisation that it needs a machine to break a machine. In fact, in looking back at the history of computers, Turing has a singular place in his contribution to the building of computers and understanding their intelligence and their achievements.

During the film, there are some flashbacks to his days at school, where he was bullied, but made great friends with a young boy, Christopher, after whom he called his machine. There is insight into Turing’s character, his understanding of himself, his self-confidence, and his emotional dependence on Christopher.

At the end of the film, there is explanation given about Turing and his sexual orientation, the use of ‘chemical castration’ medication, the effect of secrecy and possibilities of criminality on his consciousness and his death. The film tries to give some acknowledgement of him and his achievement and the information that a pardon was extended by Queen Elizabeth in 2007.

While the whole cast is very strong, this is yet another achievement for Benedict Cumberbatch, who has shown his wide range in his performance in the Sherlock series, as the voice of Smaug in the Hobbit trilogy, his villain in Star Trek, his portrayal of Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate.


1. Audience knowledge of and interest in World War II, Bletchley Park, the importance of the Enigma Code and the solving of it?

2. The focus on Alan Turing, audience knowledge of him, his work at Bletchley Park, as a person, after the war, his sexuality, police intervention, his suicide?

3. The structure of the film: the war experiences, the flashbacks to Alan’s life as a boy at school, the influences, skills? 1951, the aftermath of the war, the secrecy about Alan, the police investigation and arrest? The effect of the placement of the interconnections?

4. The focus on the post-war era, the mystery about Alan? The police inspector, Nock and his superior officer, treatment of Alan, the attack on his flat, the puzzles, the evidence? The interviews, the officer and his research, finding ways of getting secret documents, coming up against a brick wall? Alan, living alone, his work, the machines in his flat? His personality? Attitude towards the police, the truth, the attack on the flat by the man he picked up? The damage, the secrecy?

5. The flashbacks to the past, his age, family background, clever, class, games, the teachers and and his work in class, their comments on him, the boys mocking and bulling? His friendship with Chris, affection, sharing, the discussions, affection, the codes and their meanings? Chris not returning, illness and death? The headmaster and information? Alan, secret, sexuality?


6. Information about his career, studies, his degrees, his position at Cambridge, at a young age? Alan and his interest in the war effort, going to the interview, Denniston and the traditions, stiff and manner, and unimaginative? The rules? Blunt answers? The reaction of Denniston? Dislike? Denniston’s interventions later, disapproving of the money made available for the machine? Firing Alan? The group standing up against Denniston? Denniston and his being overridden?

7. Menzies, MI6, listening, impressed, hiring Alan? Explaining Enigma? The need to solve the puzzles and break the code, the number of deaths of those saved? Approving Alan’s appeal to Churchill for the money? The discussions? Cairncross and his being the mole? Alan being arrested, Denniston feeling justified, Menzies knowing the truth, freeing Alan, keeping a control on Cairncross and the information given to the enemy?The members of the staff, Hugh Alexander, arrogant, the ladies’ man, antagonism towards Alan, insulting him? The boycotting? Cairncross and his position, Peter and his brother in the merchant Navy? Dislike from the group, Alan as a loner, answering rally, as regards, John, trying to tell a joke? The anger of the men? The change, growing admiration, collaboration, dedication and time given?

8. Building the machine? The size, the intricacies, the puzzles? Getting ideas, reminding them? Functioning? The initial phase?

9. Increasing the staff, the crossword puzzle to be solved, the advertisement, the applications, supervising the tests? Joan, not being allowed in because she was a woman, allowing her to do the test, the results? The background and abilities? Getting lodgings with the other women, the cover job, friendship, supplying ideas? Eliminating possibilities to streamline the problems in the code? The meetings with, her friend, her friend interested in Hugh? The friendly talk, romance, sex? The engagement? As cover? Good friends, but the truth, eventually having to tell Joan the truth? Are understanding and patience and acceptance? Later meetings?

10. The teamwork, the timing, Alan accused by Denniston, the truth about John?

11. The deadline, Denniston and his intervention? Attention, the success? The discussions about not letting people know? Because the Germans could change the code? The dramatic point of Peter and his brother being on the ship which was to be destroyed?

12. Ensuring, achievement, the team at Bletchley Park?

13. After the war, this quiet life, legislation in the UK, homosexuality as a crime, the police, the arrests, interrogations, processes, chemical programs, chemical castration, enduring this, the growing impossibility? His suicide?

14. The 21st century, acknowledgement and his work, Queen Elizabeth pardoning him?