MovieChat Forums > The Imitation Game (2014) Discussion > Are British a superiorly intelligent rac...

Are British a superiorly intelligent race? Why torture a genius hero?

posted 9 years ago by roraio
23 replies | jump to latest

At least that's the inference I got after watching this film. Alan Turing, Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawkins etc. they're all British and geniuses of all time who have impacted the whole world. Never heard of Bulgarian or Kosovan geniuses, for example. Do you think British are a particularly intelligent race?

As intelligent as they are, the Brits also prove to be the most horrible in some regards - some of their old laws. Why was Turing tortured to the point of suicide? (I personally see chemical castration as torture now in 21st century) The film sort of conveyed that Turing was a homosexual but also sexually abstinent (after losing his school friend). Wasn't there a pardon he could get for the unimaginable help he provided to the UK government during the war? Wasn't his helping to save a whole nation enough? He would have probably done more for science and his country had he lived longer! They killed one of their own geniuses and war heroes! Having a distinct lifestyle does not render one indecent! What were the Brits thinking back in the 50s?

[–] gibbering-baboons 8 years ago

Your mistake is in thinking this was an historically accurate film, it wasn't. At all. Not even remotely. The hormone treatment he underwent did not cause him to commit suicide, nor did it prevent him from working as depicted in the film. He committed suicide over a year after hormone treatment ended, and some people think his death may even have been accidental (One thing the film did allude to was him working with the cyanide that killed him).

Your suggestion of a pardon did actually happen a few years ago.

You mention a british 'race'. There are technically no different 'races' within humanity. It would be better to refer to the british culture, and it is in there that you may find answers.

[–] aurorak 8 years ago

Superior race?

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[–] Stirchley 8 years ago

Yes, I do think we British are a "particularly intelligent race". :)