Breaking the Code (1996)

Although the story of Alan Turing should be well known to everybody I put in a spoiler alert..Alan Turing's life is shown in this film, his fascination for mathematics started as a lifeline for his homosexual feelings.The whole story is centered around Alan Turing being burglarized .. which leads eventually to his arrest for being homosexual... And his suicide..But it shows how secrecy over wartime activities in Bletchley Park has haltered many brilliant minds in their civilian careers. The tragedy of not being able to enjoy what was his due... Although Alan was awarded an OBE his work was kept secret for years... And did not protect him in his personal life... sadly.It is also testament to how an open society which does not shun those that are different from important positions (like the code breakers) beats a totalitarian regime like Nazi German. I also recommend you try to find the BBC -Code breakers, Bletchley park lost heroes- which shows 2 even more hidden geniuses, who worked at Bletchley. It is a touching story, well acted (Derek Jacobi is always brilliant in his acting)

On Octuber 7th, the United States went to war with Afganistan and tried to learn as much about the Tiliban as possible. Yet a decade later, America is no closer to victory than when it began. One of the Principal reasons for the slow progress is because the American military has banned it's gay cryptographers from service to it's country. It seems little has been learned from past mistakes such as the Brisish made during world War II. Back then it was a remarkable individual named Alan Turing, a British mathematician and cryptanalyst who Broke the mysterious German Egnima Machine and thus brought the War to a speedy end. In this film called " Breaking the Code " Derek Jacobi, plays Alan Turing who's insights and expertise solved that elusive problem. The life of Turing is prime example of what world government can do to destroy people who threaten the moral fiber of a country. Yet the movie itself is a half baked attempt to render the great man's life on film. Glossing over his life, it jumps from his youth to his later life stopping briefly to remind audiences of his hidden world as a reclusive gay individual. Alun Armstrong plays Mick Ross a British Inspector who investigates a minor robbery and discovers Turning's homosexuality, causing him to lose his anonymity and thus brings him to the pubic's attention, bringing him shame and ridicule. William Mannering plays a youthful Alan Turing, living with his mother who learns of his personal problems and the legal effects of the law. The film tries it's best to mix his past with his war-time achievements and falls short due to it's half handed attempt. Still, Jacobi is brilliant as the misunderstood scientist who has to undergo Chemical castration as part of his criminal sentence. This is a must movie for all his fans and I found it extremely well done. I easily recommend it to anyone studying the life Alan Turning. ****

I'm not interested in mathematics. Or the history of the computer. Or indeed, homosexual politics. But I am concerned with the talents, vicissitudes, suffering, blossoming, and achievements of human beings. And this is a tale full of humanity - and drama, as that humanity, and the talents and nature of Alan Turing are beaten down. The assault and damnation of his sexual orientation amount to a pervasive crime. It's about as dramatic a dynamic as you can find. And at the centre of it all: Derek Jacobi's remarkable performance. Forget I Claudius and Hamlet, this is his finest hour. Characteristically, he effortlessly takes us into the heart of Turing and allows us to feel his cleverness and his pain. His tender, acutely-observed performance induces us to rage, rage against the moon as this heroic character is beleaguered by the mores of the era, and in doing so, the deft Jacobi has somehow made the example of Turing one to benefit, push and shame mankind, as well as to inspire it to greater aspirations. A magnificent story, a magnificent, classic production, and an insurmountable performance at its heart.

Although excellent drama in its own right, with stellar acting and directing, the film is also one of the few insightful portrayals of creative genius. The film gets it all right, from depictions of Turing's precocious (yet difficult) boyhood, to accounts of the actual creative process. This is a must see film.