Codebreaker tells the remarkable and tragic story of one of the 20th century's most important people. Alan Turing set in motion the computer age and his World War II code breaking helped turn the tide of the Second World War. Instead of receiving accolades, Turing faced terrible persecution. In 1952, the British Government forced him to undergo chemical castration as punishment for his homosexuality. In despair, Turing committed suicide. He was only 41 years old. Documentary elements seamlessly interconnect with drama scenes in Codebreaker to offer a three dimensional picture of Turing, his accomplishments, his tragic end, and his lasting legacy.
E**N
Superb docudrama!
What a great film! Even though the British government recognized Alan Turing posthumously, it does not diminish the injustice that was done to him after his heroic service to the government during WW II.The film is first class. The acting by Ed Stoppard as Alan Turing is excellent as he talks to his psychiatrist. Live footage from actual events and interviews give an authenticity to the film. We really get to know the man, his accomplishments and his unfortunate suffering at the hand of the British government.The computer world we live in today can be attributed to this remarkable man. Learning about him makes for an interesting and informative evening of entertainment.Don’t miss this 5 star film!
K**R
An Excellent Film and Documentary Rolled into One
Quite frankly, this is one of the best films I have seen. It smoothly manages to be both a film and a documentary and is fascinating. You don't have to love math, coding or war for this to be captivating. It is simply a great life story with an illumination into one of Great Britain's darker social trends, which closely reflects how the U.S. handled the same issues.
K**Y
This is a great documentary of Alan Turing
This is a great documentary of Alan Turing. It seems to project a unbiased account of his life during WWII without the sensationalizing that we often see in popular movies. He seems to have been remarkable man whose true character did not come through in the recent, popular film.
R**A
Not to be missed. Dialogue taken from Turing's own ...
Not to be missed. Dialogue taken from Turing's own words and interviews with people who knew him. The sections which attempt to recreate his work with his psychologist (who ended up being a dear friend) are sensitively acted and moving. How much longer are the right wingers who demonize gays going to turn a blind eye to world changing positive contributions made by so called "degenerates"?
G**E
Codebreaker
An "OH MY GOD" story of Alan Turing. What was done to this man is beyond imagination. I saw it with friends and we were reeling afterwards. I though about this poor man for days. Just think what difference in the world he could have made had he lived.A great production Ed Stoppard was very good playing against the Dr. played by Henry Goodman.
R**N
Alan Turing, computers, and WWII
This is a very nice mix of drama and documentary. It illustrates how mathematics can be a tool in modern warfare. It also demonstrates that even if you're a genius you can still have personal problems. ne of the better films I've seen about that period of history.
L**D
Four Stars
Fascinating documentary combined with standard movie story telling.
E**R
The dvd was defective. I know this is a good movie, but didn’t play for me, it had a factory defect.
I’ve seen this movie beforehand, and it’s excellent. But the one that I received was defective and kept stopping in the middle. And I bought it new onnAmazon prime.
P**T
THE REAL STORY
The Docudrama medium is relatively rare, and even rarer when done as well as this one.A brilliant choice of actor, to play Turing, who captures the different aspects of his charactor, while in different situations. He was far from being a two way odd ball, although they only touched on a few of his excentricities, eg cyling to 'work' with his Pyjama trouses on under his 'norms'. With personal recollections of Turing, the man, And, anecdotes taken from letter's etc, gives much credulity to the new and personal revelatons of the great man, as related to his Psychiatrist. The change from acted scenes, to revelations from other sources is smooth and enjoyable. This Docudrama was made for TV, and released some years before the ''Imitation Game',Film, And, this is, in my opinion, a far superior, portrayal of Turing's charactor.
P**N
Good docu-drama. If you want to understand Turing as a human being
There are several films that dramatise the wartime contribution of Turing - all ultimately innacurate if entertaining. Because of British secrecy laws the full true story will never be known as so many of those who died had their secrets die with them. This story trys to let us understand what Turing, the man, was like. It's part part dramatic reconstruction, part fact, part 'fill in the gaps' fiction. Enjoyable but limited.
F**F
Very well done
Well this is a surprisingly well produced and acted Docudrama.Brilliant insights, interviews, and inventive thought is revealed by those that knew him well.Some matters are already known. But the piecing together of this complex and conflicted person is brought out in a glaring light.Very well done.
M**S
Less is more
This is an understated yet powerful account of the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of a brilliant mind. I have one criticism, however, hence its four stars. There are two versions of the film on this DVD, one of about 80 minutes, and the other of about 50 minutes. It is not made clear as to why there are two, and which is which. I ended up watching both, but the shorter one was not different enough to warrant the time spent watching. The main characters said very little- they did not have to - because their facial expressions, tone of voice and body language spoke volumes. It would be unfair to compare this with "The Imitation Game" as it had a slightly different emphasis. Well worth watching, though.
I**A
The story of a remarkable man
A documentary of Alan Turing's life told by people who were close with him. I've always been fascinated by his story and saddened by what they did to him. I really liked the movie, there are interviews with the actual people that new him and dramatization of parts of his life. I recommend it to everyone that is interested to learn more about Alan Turing's life and what kind of person he was.
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