I would think it is impossible to read the script for The Imitation Game and not come away from the experience knowing - THIS IS A MOVIE! It has everything: * An incredible Protagonist role any major actor would want to play. * An untold historical story of immense importance, both then (WWII) and now (computers). * Underdog story: Ragtag group of geniuses versus an 'enigma' seemingly unsolvable. * A story which engages the heart as well as the mind. * Deft handling of three time periods, intricate story structure. * A social issue -- homosexuality -- of historical interest and current relevance. * Distinctive characters - primary and secondary - where even the oppositional figures have their own 'legitimate' world views and rationales. * THEMES! Several of them, each interesting, in aggregate all interconnected. Wonderful stuff! And on and on it goes. Reading the scene-by-scene breakdown, it highlights how challenging it must have been for screenwriter Graham Moore to handle such a complex story structure. Not just one, not just two, but THREE storylines in THREE eras. I look forward to digging into this script which deservedly won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

I just read this during the week! Haven't seen the movie!! Great story. Very moving. You can really feel the human qualities at play. And yes Scott, the marrying of three different stories (time periods) is a tough task but well done by the writer. Important tool #1: the use of V.O. to hold it all together. Tool #2 You can move around the timeline to tell the different emotional parts of the story when your script demands it: e.g. Final sequence is in 1945, not later. Littered with symbolism: war (bonfires), violence (chess), remorse and regret, secrets ... it goes on. Interesting question in this spy/war movie: who's the trickster? A script I recommend you all read. So many good lessons on display in one place, and it will fly by when you read it.

One thing I noticed is the parallelism between... Alan/Christopher (protector)/bullies Alan/Joan (protector)/team Another thing that stood out is the similar dynamic that occurs in Up: Carl transfers his feelings of Ellie onto their house after her death; Alan transfers his feelings of Christopher onto his machine long after his death.

Re: who's the trickster From the pov of Alan, my take is Menzies and John the Soviet spy are tricksters.

Both of these are really great observations, John. When we think of characters in a movie, at a foundational level, we can think of them as carrying with them a narrative function. Hence my principle: Character = Function. And your first observation drives home that point about how there is a kind of tag team between Christopher and Joan relative to Turing's relations with groups who would seek to bully and squash him. Similarly with your point about the house in Up and the machine in Imitation Game: Both are physical objects with emotional meaning -- talismans. In both cases, the Protagonist projects a beloved deceased individual onto an object. Literally to the point of ascribing the name of the deceased in reference to the physical object. Great catch, John!