Alan Turing—the British mathematician who cracked the Nazi Enigma code during World War II and is often acknowledged as the "father of computer science"—is the subject of Codebreaker, a 2011 docudrama that highlights Turing's incredible achievements and his heartbreaking downfall (and early death), attributed to the public disgrace he suffered after his homosexuality was revealed. The film is having a one-night screening on Tuesday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. at AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois St.
Codebreaker, which was nominated for Best Documentary at this year's GLAAD Media Awards, intersperses sessions that Turing had near the end of his life in 1954 with a psychiatrist with background biographical material and a list of Turing's achievements. By that point the tormented Turing (ably played by Ed Stoppard) had been convicted of "gross indecency" with another man and was undergoing forced chemical castration to reduce his sex drive. Turing's visits with Dr. Franz Greenbaum (essayed with great sympathy by Henry Goodman), in re-creations by screenwriter Craig Warner, reveal a man close to the psychological breaking point.
And no wonder. He faithfully served his country during WWII, and saw a brilliant career tarnished beyond recognition not long after by that same nation. Along with that, Turing's personal degradations (both physical and mental) make his presumed suicide at 41 (which came from ingesting a poisoned apple), in light of his earlier promise, seem a tragic foregone conclusion. Director Clare Beavan underscores the untimely waste of such a gifted man with a bevy of onscreen interviews with current technology and math whizzes (including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak), each attesting to the far-reaching effects that Turing's genius has had on modern society. Literally, every person who uses a computer, cellphone or virtually any computing device owes a debt to Turing.
Then, of course, there's Turing's work for British Intelligence during WWII in which the young wunderkind led a team that cracked the infamous Nazi Enigma code—a breakthrough that saved thousands, perhaps millions of lives—and for which Turing and his compatriots were sworn to secrecy and returned to civilian life without so much as a thanks. These and other broad details of Turing's life are detailed in Codebreaker, but the film also delves into little-known areas of his life that add color and even greater empathy to his ill-fated story (an intense friendship with a school chap who died accidentally that may have been sexual in nature and clearly marked Turing thereafter, for example). David Leavitt, Turing's definitive biographer, shares many of these little-known facts and insights into Turing's brilliance and, hauntingly, a apparent naive nature and trust in authority that almost certainly led to his downfall.
The contrasts between the lasting achievements that Turing's genius is credited with and his disgraceful treatment and harrowing downfall have the makings for a gut-wrenching biopic with Oscar written all over the performance of the actor who eventually plays him. (Benedict Cumberpatch is in serious talks for the role, stepping in for Leonardo DiCaprio, who was once attached.) Codebreaker—which does a good job at introducing audiences to this remarkable man but is a tad on the dry side—isn't exactly that film; however, as an initial cinematic homage to a great gay hero, it's a helluva good starting point.
Only advance tickets for the April 9 screening will benefit the Legacy Project (Turing's Legacy Walk plaque on Halsted Street is the only public acknowledgement of his being openly gay), the Queer Film Society and Reeling. Visit www.legacyprojectchicago.org .
Of related interest: Hitler's Children, another documentary from 2011 (this one from Israeli filmmaker Channoch Zeevi), also examines the lasting impact that individuals can have on the world. Only in Zeevi's film (which was made for Israeli television) the individuals were the infamous members of Hitler's inner circle—Goering, Himmler, Hess and others—whose murderous acts have forever stained the lives of the world and their luckless descendants. Talk about sins of the fathers!
Five surviving relatives of these acknowledged monsters wrestle on-camera in low-key interviews with their associated guilt, shame and conflicts, and try to come to grips with their relation to these infamous Nazi criminals. Each of the participants has struggled with this terrible legacy—some going so far as voluntarily sterilizing themselves to guarantee the end of their line—and in their willingness to share their ongoing shame and collective grief, the film is both chilling and powerful. Hitler's Children, which is available On Demand and is just being released on DVD, reaches its emotional high point when the grandson of Rudolf Hess visits Auschwitz for the first time and is closely questioned by surviving Jewish relatives and, in one case, an actual survivor. It's powerful stuff.
Film notes:
—TCM kicks off a new Friday-night series titled A Woman's World: The Defining Era of Women in Film on Friday, April 5. The series includes a slate of 17 movies handpicked by Cher, who co-hosts the series along with TCM's Robert Osborne.
The line-up starts with a bang with the grandmother of all mother-daughter movies—1945's Mildred Pierce, starring Oscar winner Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth. Stella Dallas, Penny Serenade and Bachelor Mother are on the fill the first night.
Highlights of subsequent weeks (April 12, 19, 26) include 1944's Since You Went Away with Claudette Colbert and daughters Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple bravely carrying on while the men are away at war; Rosalind Russell at her funniest as ace reporter Hildy Johnson (sparring with Cary Grant) in 1940's His Girl Friday; Bette Davis and Mary Astor (in an Oscar-winning performance as a bitchy concert pianist) concocting The Great Lie (from 1941 and helmed by gay director Edmund Goulding); and, of course, 1939's catty and very witty The Women (from another gay director, George Cukor). www.tcm.com
—Dyke Delicious returns with the next entry in its 10th-anniversary season. On Wed., April 10, and Saturday, April 13, Reeling and Black Cat Productions jointly present Atomic Mom, a documentary made by M.T. Silvia about her mother, Pauline, the only female scientist present during the atomic-bomb tests in the Nevada desert. The April 10 screening will be at Columbia College's Hokin Hall, 623 S. Wabash Ave., at 7:30 p.m., the April 13 screening at Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark St., with a 7 p.m. social hour preceding the 8 p.m. screening. www.chicagofilmmakers.org
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