Comparison Of Orlando And The Imitation Game

In Sally Potter’s Orlando (1993), and Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game (2014), society’s expectations around gender and sexuality develop the crucial motivations behind the central character’s decisions throughout both films. As these characters attempt to conform to the accepted definitions of masculinity and femininity in society, they find themselves ultimately unable to reach fulfillment in their own lives. By comparing and contrasting these two films, audiences can explore how social conventions can inhibit an individual’s wellbeing, and provide insight into how Orlando achieves satisfaction in his/her life in a way Alan Turing does not.
Throughout both films, the central female characters are seen to challenge and overcome the societal
Similarly, in The Imitation Game, Joan Clarke also challenges the prejudices against females through Tyldum’s use of exhibiting Clarke’s achievements that ultimately helped to win the war. Although the Second World War encouraged women to join the workforce to compensate for the amount of soldiers who were fighting abroad, they were still seen as inferior to men, and were payed considerably less than their male counterparts (Miller, 2014) (Hill, 2006). For Joan, her intelligence is constantly doubted by society, despite gaining a double first in mathematics (Tyldum, 2014; 34:56 – 34:58). When Turing advertises a job opportunity to anyone who can successfully complete a crossword puzzle of his own invention, before Joan even has an opportunity to exhibit her talent for mathematics, an agent dismisses her intelligence because of her gender. “Miss, did you really solve this puzzle yourself?” (Tyldum, 2014; 30:02 – 30:06). Despite the officer’s incredulity, Joan is the first to complete the puzzle, faster than even Alan Turing (Tyldum, 2014; lala). This misogyny that Joan endures is disproven constantly throughout the film by her contributions to breaking the enigma. In a scene where Alan and Joan are working on