Stay weird.
That was the message from Graham Moore when he won the little bald naked man for his screen adaption of The Imitation Game.
It’s the story of Alan Turing, the man credited for inventing the first analogue computer - a machine that led to the cracking of the Nazi’s ‘unbreakable’ secret cypher during World War Two.
“Alan Turing never got to stand on a stage like this and look at these faces and I do - and that’s the most unfair thing I’ve ever heard.
“So I want to use this moment to say this - when I was 16 I tried to kill himself because I felt like I didn’t belong.
“And now I’m standing here, and I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit anywhere: Yes, you do. I promise you do .’
“Stay weird, and when it’s your turn and you’re standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the same person who comes along … stay weird and different and when you’re up here, pass it along.”
COLIN FALCONER
On a wintry day, perfect for channel-surfing the television, I happened upon “Codebreaker,” a documentary about Alan Turing that was made before the movie came out. I knew some information about the man, but not all and decided to watch it. Afterward, I was left with a sick feeling. For a man of such genius, who helped save lives in the war through his brilliant codebreaking work, and later contributed so much to science, then to be treated so badly by the government and labeled a criminal because he was homosexual, was quite disturbing. He committed suicide in 1954, and in 2009, the British government publicly apologized for their treatment of him — but it was all too little and too late.
I’m not sure if “Stay Weird” should be the proper phrase. I believe “Be True to Yourself” is more appropriate.
Regards,
Glenn
The movie that Moore wrote was very moving and I thought deserved more awards than it received. Birdman was all smoke and mirrors - Imitation Game was a much better movie for mine. I think he used ‘weird’ because staying true to himself as a kid made Moore feel quite different to everyone else and I think a lot of people can perhaps relate to that. I know I do! I never saw Codebreaker, Glenn - I’ll see if I can find it. It was disturbing how badly the government treated Turing - but isn’t too often the way with governments, after someone is of no further use?