Top Secret Rosies: The Female 'Computers' of WWII (2010)

Director:

LeAnn Erickson

Writer:

Cynthia Baughman (writer)

Release Date:

2010 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | War

Tagline:

In war, math may be the most secret weapon of all.

Plot:

In 1942, when computers were human and women were underestimated, a group of female mathematicians helped win a war and usher in the modern computer age. Sixty-five years later their story has finally been told.

Plot Keywords:

Computer | World War Two | Women's History

Directed by
LeAnn Erickson

Writing credits
Cynthia Baughman		(writer)

Produced by
LeAnn Erickson	....	producer

Original Music by
Patrick De Caumette

Film Editing by
LeAnn Erickson

Production Management
Michael Schweisheimer	....	production manager

Sound Department
Patrick De Caumette	....	dialogue editor
Patrick De Caumette	....	supervising sound editor

Animation Department
Liana Dragoman	....	graphics artist

Other crew
Justin Wineburgh	....	legal counsel

Production Companies

• Independent Production

Distributors

• PBS Distribution (2010) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:56 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Company:

Independent Production

A forgotten part of WWII finally getting its due.

I love historical films and documentaries--which isn't surprising as I am a retired history teacher. And, of these films, the ones that are often my favorites are ones that introduce the viewer to little-known aspects of history--people or events that have been overlooked over the years. So, when I noticed "Top Secret Rosies" on Netflix, I was sure to give it a viewing.

The film is about a group of women who were vitally important to the war effort during WWII--though I've never heard of their work discussed. Apparently, to make bomb sites and artillery effective, they needed to create long and very complex mathematical tables--huge books which helped them calculate the trajectories of weapons. So, people manned adding machines and VERY simple computers and worked multiple shifts--all to get this work done as soon as possible. This story is about these folks--in particular, the women who worked these primitive computational machines.

In addition to discussing their work, there is some discussion of the moral implications of this as well. In other words, these calculations were made to kill people--and not just with conventional bombs or projectiles but ultimately, the atomic bomb. There also was a segment that talked about how these women, unlike 'Rosie the Riveter' and WACs and the like, were never acknowledged--even though they made a huge contribution to the war effort.

All in all, an interesting documentary that's pretty well made, though I doubt if it's something that will appeal to the casual viewer.