Alan Turing's trouble with convention

[powerdriller10]

Jacobi was not the right actor for impersonating Turing, not because Jacobi acting is not great --he is of course--; but, because he is loaded by his past great plays in the mind of the viewers, while the Turing impersonation required and deserved somebody new and not only great. Turing was a hell of a man and a hero destroyed by an immensely sorrily tragedy. Viewers needed to focus in Turing without interfering back flashes that Derek Jacobbi was constantly inducing.

[Aannan]

I want to go out and find the movie now. Two wonderful actors and such an intriguing script. Thanks for uploading.

[D119heavy]

Slavery & Homosexuality

Guess which one the Bible says is okay.

[kylecoriza]

@D119heavy Umm, Slavery?

[GeoffWilkins]

Derek Jacobi is great in the Turing role, but the star of this scene is undoubtedly Richard Johnson as Dilly Knox.

[acbulgin2]

Woe be unto those who edited this clip in such a lamentable way. AT: "Absolutely bugger all was being done about it!" DK: "I know! And I know *crap edit* you did the wrong thing." No, in its unedited context, DK was making the point that in choosing to write directly to Winnie for more support, Turing did the right thing but possibly in the wrongest fashion. Frankly I do not see how else things might have been sped up while still satisfying egos and politics. The two rarely go together.

[helstontvx]

Typical of bloody England....persecute the hero, such talent, such vision..and then prosecuted by the small minded spiteful authorities ....its enough to make you weep.

[andrewzot]

i like the wittgenstein quote

[nasilemak2008]

Is it really progress that people can display all kinds of perversions in public? Whether heterosexual or homosexual or anything in between, why does sexuality have to be paraded about? It is not an issue for politicians. It is an issue for private individuals.

[eutuve]

I am homo myself and regardless of your preference, you put it greatly ...and I agree 100%

It is a private matter ..as James Bond would say

"For your sheets only "

[nasilemak2008]

You have just had the tragic case of Stephen "Boyzown" Gatley. His lifestyle contributed to his death. When you think he was supposed to be married, and yet he allowed his wife/husband to go to bed with another man. What kind of behavior is this? Is that something we want to parade about and celebrate. Something for the kiddies to admire and emulate?

[eutuve]

Gatley ' life style ?

Yes, if you consume drugs, you are risking a cardiac arrest.

His being gay has nothing to do with his death.

Your kiddies knowing what happens in somebody's bed is your fault letting them access the filthy media.

I am not parading or celebrating anything !!

I am just saying that Turing was a genius and that had not the war be over, H.R.M. and the UK would have closed their hypocritical eyes !!

pregnancy and reproduction ??

Do you ever masturbate, Mrs. Nasile ?

[TroyOi]

@eutuve I'm not so sure there weren't many in the UK, especially in the upper echelons of power, who weren't willing to turn their eyes. If this biographical account is at all accurate, Turing's mistake was to let the police know he was a practicing homosexual. The police did... well, they did what police do: they went by the letter of the law, for whatever motives. Once that train got rolling, & everything was out in public, it was difficult for anyone to stop it.

[acbulgin2]

When I see a pregnant woman with her husband and two other young children in tow, it is reasonable to assume that there is a great deal of screwing going on between the two adults. It is unlikely in most cases the children would be the result of IVF. That does amount to a sort of parading about of one's sexuality, but it does not bother me. People need to realize that THEIR reactions to the behavior of others are THEIR problem unless said behavior harms them in some material way.

[nasilemak2008]

But surely there is nothing more natural than a pregnant woman? That is the result of reproduction.

[raeffray]

@acbulgin2 Great thesis with an nefarious argumentation.

[raeffray]

@acbulgin2 Great thesis with an nefarious argumentation.

[raeffray]

@acbulgin2 Great thesis with an nefarious argumentation.

[acbulgin2]

It all depends on how you define the notion of "parading one's sexuality about."

[nasilemak2008]

In an Elton John kind of way...you know, swinging their handbags and wearing tight pants..saying "hello honky tonks, how are you?"...

[MeBeMat]

It's progress that people needn't be made to feel ashamed of their sexuality, they're not made to "parade" it, some choose to just as some heterosexual couples do.

It's progress that people can no longer be arrested for it as Turing was.

It's progress that children are being taught acceptance, and from that indifference to someone's sexuality, as opposed to being told they must fight their sexual instincts in later life if it contradicts what they've been told is the correct way to be.

Yes.

[CHMATOSO3]

We have history, history, history....history....

and the stupidity of the human being doesn't stop.

What more need to happen to we learn that there is no perfection and accept each other.

[eutuve]

Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were also " FAGOTS"

but , the bigot Roman Church was not stupid as the hypocrite England.

Why do I say hypocrite ?

The British Mothers do not breed queers !

Nor does the Royalty !!

[nasilemak2008]

Homosexuality was illegal in the UK at the time. He did the crime, he almost did the time but was given treatment instead. In other words because of who he was he was given a lighter sentence. Other people less well connected went to prison for their crimes. Homosexuality is still considered anti-social by most people even in the so-called liberal UK. If homosexuals could keep a lower profile then problems wouldn't occur. Noel Coward was an example of how you can be high profile but discrete.

[huggins22884]

His "treatment" was hormone injections and the destruction of his personal and public career. Once again short sighted heterosexuals prey on anyone different dispite the cost in human lives or national security. You seem to think what happened to him was fine and that he got what he deserved, but NO ONE deserves that.

[eutuve]

You are as hypocrite as the UK was and is.

UK' PM has just apologized Today about how Alan Turing was treated.

Everybody knew he was homosexual but he was needed by his country and they closed both eyes ( very Hypocritically ) !!

The war was over..he was a War HERO and he was treated less hard when he got into "problems"

Was that not fair towards "common" fagots ?

Anyhow, he commited suicide. His loss and UK's loss. He was a fag GENIUS and could have served Uk and YOU greatly

[JustB3NJI]

It's easy to say then when the shoe isn't on the other foot. I understand where you coming from and Gay or straight i think discretion=respect. However it depends where you draw the line....Is hugging a man keeping a low profile? Living together? Talking effeminate? When people hold the opinion you hold it's not hard for them to put gay people in a situation where they can never win. be it 2 men hugging in public or the nosey cow across the road who sees too much through a gap in the curtains.

[jmm1233]

Alan is the true bred cyberpunk :)

[halfondat]

The shame of Britain the way this great man was treated.

[eutuve]

Gordon Brown has said he is sorry for the "appalling" way World War II code-breaker Alan Turing was treated for being gay.

A petition on the No 10 website had called for a posthumous government apology to the computer pioneer.

[fenric71]

@halfondat very much agree! he basically won us the war and we treated him like sh*t. Just because of sexuality.

[crash669]

You can see why Turing was both a genius and such a difficult man to work with. I can imagine, were I to work in the same lab as him, I'd find him an obnoxious individual but he is a tragic example of how this country (England) so mistreats those most valuable and who contribute most to our very survival and willingly throw them into the rubbish heap without so much as a second thought. The conservatism and small mindedness of this country makes me weep at times it is so bleak for our future.

[JustB3NJI]

Be optimistic, find your inner fairy! The UK has come a long way and gay rights have never been safer. OK we still have a way to go and we should never forget how easy we can lose things, but we have to look onwards and upwards not be wieghed down by the travisties of the past.

[metteholm75]

Sorry. I meant: believe :-)

[metteholm75]

I beleave, I once, - many years ago saw Johnson as one of the important men at the court of Elizabeth I. English production.

However, he is absolutely brilliant as Knox.

[BeatBuddy]

Not only was Turing gay, but Derek Jacobi is gay too, and very open about it.

[metteholm75]

Thankyou, Julianmsmith.

I found out. His name is Richard Johnson, - but Harold Pinter is brilliant too. They all are, - and I finally got hold of the CD. Joes Classics had it.

[julianmsmith]

Sorry, you're right. (I saw it a while back and got the characters confused.) So this is someone real - Dilly Knox - rather than the "John Smith" (presumably fictional) played by Pinter.

[BeatBuddy]

Richard Johnson made a few Hollywood films. He starred with Kim Novak in The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders.  He plays a scoundrel, and was damn good at it.

[rnorththorn]

Alan Turing, a genius, however he was just born 50 years to early.

[kjdavey]

Actually it is quite fortunate that he was born when he was. Perhapes he did not accomplish all that he would have otherwise, but his place in history was very important

[metteholm75]

Who was Jacobis co-player? He was just as brilliant.

[julianmsmith]

Harold Pinter

[xx6xwickedx9xx]

where did this video come from? i want to see the whole film

[nancyd560623]

"Breaking the Code" by Hugh Whitemore. Derek Jacobi originated the role of Alan Turing on stage in London then brought the play to Broadway before this film was made.

[newsboysrok]

I thought this was an excellent film. A bit shaky much of the time, but Jacobi carried it through.

Incidentally, I thought the writers did a magnificent job on the dialogue, but much of the time, I was lost.