I saw it but it was so long ago I'm not sure my memory is any good.
Jacobi's Turing as written was less offensive and vain than the movie's. Jacobi made a lot of the stuttering, as you might imagine if you've seen Jacobi in almost anything else. The play focused more on characters than the film's somewhat trumped-up idea of story: whether the bombe--the device called "Christopher" in the film (nonsense!)--work, the Bletchley folks' machinations as to release of information (more nonsense), the Soviet spy (sort of true, but not as told in the film), etc.
The overall structure was the same, starting with Turing's arrest for homosexuality, telling his past during the war, and then the quick climactic coda of Turing's after war life, the hormone treatments, and his death. The play relates the death to Turing having seen as a child the Disney film of "Snow White" which somehow motivated his suicide by eating an apple tainted with cyanide. (Can I be recalling this right? I found the play moving but now that I write about the "Snow White" trope, I'm a little appalled.)
I recall in general that the scenes(s) with Turing and his sex partner were rather touching and well-written. His relationship with his boss at Bletchley played by Michael Gough in the play, who was excellent, was charming--totally fictional I'm sure.
Many historians have complained on the 'web and in print about the film's inaccuracies. Having read Hodge's biography of Turing, I would say the film was "inspired" by it, not "based" on it. But "Breaking the Code," was perhaps less inaccurate because it had less detail in every way.
Sorry, this is not much help but it's the best I can do. There is a TV movie of "Breaking the Code," starring Jacobi. I've not seen it but if you're really interested, there you are. If you're good with torrents, the film seems to be on the internet. Of course, downloading it would be stealing.
|