10 thoughts on “The Imitation Game vs. Breaking the Code

    1. Ah, that’s right! Totally forgot — it’s been a long time since I’ve seen “I, Claudius.” Still couldn’t find a historical explanation for adding the stutter to Turning, but yeah, a Jacobi-ism.

    2. The historical Claudius actually had a stammer, along with numerous physical issues. Not sure why Jacobi brought that into his portrayal of Turing, though.

  1. Thank you for this! I adored Breaking the Code when it aired on PBS back in the day and wondered how The Imitation Game—which I haven’t seen—would measure up. I’ll take Jacobi over Cumberbatch any day.

  2. Although it doesn’t feature Turing directly–he is mostly off-stage–the film Enigma, with Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet,goes quite a way to show how Enigma was broken and the inner workings of Bletchley Park. A bit dramatic in parts, but certainly authentic in most. Winslet should win a prize for pure wartime dowdiness.

    1. Yes! Enigma is a fabulous film, even despite it never mentioning Turing once. *shakes head*

  3. I’ve seen both treatments — the one with Derek Jacobi was presented under the Masterpiece Theatre aegis on PBS. And I’ve seen an actual Enigma machine (it helps to live near Washington DC where there’s a cryptological museum — right next to NSA HQ!). I can’t say which version of Turing’s story I liked better since they were so different. Jacobi’s version was much more intellectual and inward compared to Imitation Game. But I enjoyed the period clothing of the latter — and had to laugh at the period haircuts! Anyone who’s also seen “The Bletchly Circle” (right after WWII) can groan at the “fashions,” which were similar.

  4. Derek Jacobi was too old to be portraying Alan Turing . . . even in 1996. Benedict Cumberbatch, was almost too old.

    As for the productions being historically accurate, I see no reason to make a big deal of the matter. I once read a book on how to write a novel. In regard to historical fiction, it had one rule – if historical facts get in the way of the story you want to tell, change it. I’m serious.

  5. I saw Breaking The Code first and enjoyed it (I guess I like talky).
    I have also seen the BBC series The Bletchley Circle, I also worked for the DoD (american dept of defense) so I was aware of this and found the British shows informative.
    Imitation Game is what it is, a movie; not a documentary, not history. It is a 2 hour impression of what “happened”. It is well done for its genre.

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