Review of The Imitation Game (2014) by Dannyg — 04 Jan 2015

A Gay Man Saves 14 Million Lives Throughout the World....by shortening humanity’s worst war of all time by at least two years! He may even have saved the life of my own beloved grandfather who worked in the Brooklyn (New York) Navel Yard all throughout World War 2! A military target that would have eventually been within reach of German submarines.

If it wasn’t for Alan Turing’s genius, integrity and perseverance all of history would have been changed for the worse. Another minor footnote: He’s also the father of the modern computer and one of the greatest mathematicians who ever lived.

Despite being one of the giants of the 20th century, few people outside those with a passion for history or computing have ever heard of the man until now. No universities or streets are named after him. No statues or portrait honor him anywhere in the world all because he is gay. In fact, it took the Queen of England to the year 2013 to issue him a pardon for having consensual sex - in the privacy of his home - with another man! In 2013! That’s an abomination. The Queen of England is sitting on her throne in one piece because of this man! She should have laid a wreath on his grave decades ago!

I’m not ashamed to admit it, but I sobbed at the end of this movie! This is a most profound story about love! YES! LOVE! Intense, passionate love is not limited to just heterosexuals!

It’s also a story about sex. I was born in the 1960’s and consensual sex - in the privacy of one’s home - between men was legal in the State I was living in when I turned 18. But the stigma of being a sexual minority remains in way too many places – and affects me greatly in my own personal life to this very day. The pain I – and others – have suffered for being “different” is indescribable. This story validates my experiences and the experiences of millions of other sexual minorities – from around the world - both living and deceased.

The cruelty Alan Turing experienced from his classmate is similar to what I had to endure in high school. But I was lucky; I never had to worry about having consensual sex with another man in the privacy of my own home. But in Alan Turing’s case you get to see a good man who gave so incredibly much to the world be ripped apart by pure evil that was 100% legal back in the 1950’s! It’s so ironic too! Watch closely. The police officer breaks the law and he is the one who should be legitimately imprisoned! It’s not just in the United States that police officers feel they are above the law they supposedly serve!

Memo to Hollywood: This shows you know how to make great movies. Sure, you won’t make billions every time, but you’re gonna make a tidy profit by doing a spectacular job. Wouldn’t you rather make a film people will be watching 500 years from now on another planet in another solar system then making trash, like The Hobbit trilogy, that no will care about once it leaves the theaters?

One more point to ponder: Michelangelo is considered by most people to be the greatest sculptor who ever lived. He was a gay man and he lived centuries ago - in peace - till he reached 88 (Yes 8-8).