Film Review: Truman Show

Philosophy 230

FILM REVIEW: TRUMAN SHOW

The entire film, The Truman Show, is a very unique film is numerous forms. First of all, the whole story sequence gives you an unusual twist from the start. Jim Carey plays Truman Burbank who he thinks is a regular guy in a regular world, however it turns out that Truman is the star of a TV show. Truman knows unusual things happen to him but he doesn't connect the coincidences. Truman's life is a show and nothing but actors live in his world, which is just a big sound studio. I think this film is a very well directed film and well written, this is by far one of my favorite films that stands out to me due to its different and unique plot, and with a different message entailed inside of it.

Another element that I really happen to be fond of is the type of cinematography that the director uses. In the film it gives two different perspectives: the first one shows the film as a TV show, the second one shows the film as an actual movie for the audience that would be in a theater. The first perspective has around 5,000 hidden cameras throughout the huge man made sound studio that Truman lives in, so it is as if we are spying on Truman rather than just viewing his life, there are cameras the in grass, the curbs, in his bathroom mirror, in his house, and most typically a camera on everyone he encounters, Truman is on constant surveillance at all times. The director not only wants us to be a spectator of the film, but wants us to be part of the audience that watches Truman in the movie and become part of it. In order to give us a unique character relationship to the film, the director transitions from the hidden cameras in the sound studio to the traditional viewing method of standard films. The director fills the frame with what the actual people in the film view on their TV's, so in a sense it draws you in to the film and creates a feeling where you are part of the movie and the relationship between the viewers and the characters grow. With the traditional method f viewing, in the movie, it gives you the overall picture within the plot. It is as if we are watching from a third party view and have an ultimate sense of what is going on, rather than being confined as a second party viewer watching the TV show itself. Connecting both types of cinematography is a great way to have the viewer interact mentally and have emotions for the characters, it ultimately gives you the full viewing effect.

One of the other things about the film that just sucked me in was the hidden message that they movie contained. With the way all the actors were in Truman's world, Truman had no idea that his world was fake, his mom, wife and best friend were all actors. When the closest people in your life are