Figure 1.--Not only are there many technical mistakesbout Ultra in the 'Immitation Game, but there are outrightbmanufactured lies. The movie claims that Ultra director Alastair Denniston was incompetent and had Alan Turing arrested. This is not just a technical mistake, but an outright lie. The scene here is a complete ,alicious fabrication designed to besmerch the illustrious war time record of a remarkable, highly professional patriot who played a key role in the allied victory--Alastair Denniston. It is a typical Holywood poltically correct natative that the American and British establishment is incompetent and often dishonest. The truth is that Denniston was essential to Ultra and supported Tuering and Hut 8.

The whole story of Ultra and Alan Turing is both fascinating and an important part of World War II history. Ultra saved ten of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of Allied lives and speeded the defeat of the NAZI tyranny. The men and women who worked at Bletchly Park are heroes in a very real sense, fighting the NAZIs with their minds. Achieving a level of creativity that the German code breakers could not match. . A movie depicting events is long over due. We were interested upon hearing of 'The Imitation Game', although always a little dubious about Hollywood. You get scenes like in 'Brave heart' where the Battle of Stirling Bridge is depicted without the Bridge (which played a central role in the battle.

Historical Falsehoods and PC Narative

'The Imitation Game' exceeded all my very low expectations for Hollywood. I was truly appalled. Not only are their countless technical issues about Enigma and Ultra, including many major ones. The director and screen writer has turned the whole story on its head. They not only are wrong about technical matters, but they blatantly lied about the people involved. These are not merely mistakes about historical matters, but clearly designed to pursue an entirely false PC narrative. The depiction of both Turing and Denniston as well as others can only be described as Orellian Newspeak.

Why the British Suceeded

One of the fascinating aspects of Ultra is why the British were so effective at code breaking and the Germans such failures. The film does no only not address this, but leaves you wondering why if the British military establishment was so incompetent, why they succeed. Of course the reason is that the depiction of men like Denniston was an outright, prefabricated PC lie. (If you don't believe us, Google Alastair Denniston and see if there is any relationship to the man depicted in the film. And if he was so incompetent, why did he pick all the right people? The reason the British suceeded is that they were willing tontolerate excebtriciy in individuals as long as they were competent. The German military was not capable od entristing such vita; work on excentrucs and thus ruled out many highly creative people from involvenent in such work. Thus the films narative of Denniston is not only an outright lie, it masks the central reason whu the British suceded nd the Germans failed.

Trashing Turing's Character

And especially disturbing is the depiction of Turing. It is nothing like that provided in Andrew Hodges wonderful book or as described by his mother and friends. But worst of all in a film meant to show the evils of Homophobia, it actually adopts many of the trite stereotypes about gays, essentially depicting him as an Oliver-like pawn in an evil world. Nothing could be further from the truth. For example, the film depicts Turing as being blackmailed into not reporting the Soviet agent. That is nothing short of treason. (The U.S. and British government into the 1960s denied security clearances to gays out of just such fears.) In a world in which millions were dieing, this would have been an act of both cowardice and treason. It besmirches Turing patriotism and personal courage--and flat out never happened. I m amazed that the Gay Rights community is not up in arms about it. It was a typical manufactured PC lie, designed to paint Britain (and often America) in as negative a light as possible. And they even do the same later in the film when he is being grilled by the detective. The director, has him bringing up his war time achievements to get off the hook. This also did not happen. The Bletchely Code breakers did not talk abut their achievements until decades after the War. The real Turing would have never done this and did not do it. We know this because he freely admitted to the police after reporting a theft that he was gay. The whole scene was a manufactured lie.

Artisic Assessment

Now I am no film critic and can not artisically comment on the film in an artistic film-making sence with any authority. The whole film, however, strikes me (although onlynan amateyr movie goer) as a hackneyed pro forma murder mystery with police or private eye suddenly having an 'ah ha moment' with the little light bub going off over the head. Cracking Enigma was a long-term process begun by the Poles years before the War and achieved by Hut 8 painstaking over time. At first just a words and phrases came out and then gradually more. There was no single 'ah ah moment' on the part of Turing or any one else.

Reader Comments

A British reader writes, "Its a work of fiction with tiny grains of truth. There is very little truth in it. as accurate biography it is worse than you said. The conflict did not exist. Turin knew nothing of about the spy. He worked in a different department. Flower made the Collosus computer not Turing that was the biggest fib of all as the film is based around this creation. His home in Wilmslow did not have this computer in it which was supposed to be the mechanical reincarnation of his boyhood friend. The police did not have to find out Turing was guy. He told them in the interview when he reported the break in. It had stock film drama in which a none-academic says something unrelated but the idea is the break through the boffin need to go forward. The same situation accured in the 'Dam Busters', 'Madame Curie,' 'Dr. Erlich's Magic Bullet.' The personality of the head of Bletchley was rigid in his thinking and would have not selected such a diverse of personalities. Bletchley was successful because of this and the Nazis could never have put the same team together because of their rigid militarism. Can Hollywood get ever get British History right! Since when do suicide victims get dressede for bed before commiting suicide? Nor are they unlikely to have rational thought. They are deep in the blackness of their dispare and believe its the only way left. They are unlikely to make their death look normal for the sake of parents and family. A good fictional story none the less."

Created: 3:31 AM 1/20/2015
Last updated: 6:01 AM 1/25/2015