Wednesday, 10 January 2018

THE TRUMAN SHOW: A MOVIE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE


''We've become bored with watching actors give us phony emotions.We are tired of pyrotechnics and special effects.While the world he inhabits is, in some respects,counterfeit,there's nothing fake about Truman himself.No scripts, no cue cards.It isn't always Shakespeare,but it's genuine.It's a life.''


- Christof  
  
The Truman Show is a satirical sci-fi movie directed by Peter Weir and released in 1998. The protagonist of this movie is Truman Burbank played by Jim Carrey. You may have already seen this movie starring Jim Carrey and you will agree with me if I say it's a funny movie. But that’s not all it is, funny, I mean. It's an intriguing and charismatic movie that will make you think about various issues. A thought- provoking masterpiece.


This is a movie   several  serious issues are dealt with from the manipulation of reality by the media to the power of advertising,  from the value of privacy to what the limits of simulated reality are. If you haven't seen this movie yet, keep reading. Don't worry I won't spoil the end of the movie for you!


PLOT

As I was saying the protagonist is Truman Burbank, an ordinary man who lives with his wife Meryl in  Seahaven Island. There's nothing weird so far, isn't there?  Truman doesn't know that everything around him is fake and that his entire life is a tv show. The Truman Show has been created by Christof to demonstrate that though everything around Truman is not real,  his emotions are genuine.

So everything and everyone around him is acting, from the people who are part of his life to the entire city, which is a giant tv studio under a dome. The sun, the moon, the sky, the seaside are fake and the people are only playing a role with the aim of manipulating Truman’s  decisions according to the  needs of the production.                                                                                                                                    


'' Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night! ''
                                                                                                                       
-      Truman Burbank   

As the days pass  Truman feels alienated and he starts understanding that something strange is happening in his life.
Everyday he meets the same people, he lives the same situation and he does the same stuff as the previous days.
One day he meets a girl called Lauren – she's an extra in the show- and  he falls in love with her. He’d like to elope with her. Obviously,  he can't escape the city, otherwise the show will end. So Christof fires Lauren from the cast and she's sent to Fiji.
From this moment Truman wants to run away and he wants to go to Fiji but his aquaphobia stops him from leaving.
As I told you before I won't spoil the finale, so if you are curioius to know how the story ends you should just watch the movie!


  • THEMES
 The power of advertising



Christof says that The Truman Show is financed by product placement and everything in the show is for sale, from the beers that Truman and his best friend Marlon drink together to the houses or the cars.
His wife and his best friend exploit him to advertise products but Truman has no idea of what they're doing!


The manipulation of reality by the media

Everything is an illusion, nothing is real except Truman's feelings. I think this movie can be connected to Orwell's 1984 because Truman is watched 24 hours a day with the exception that he doesn't know he's watched by lots of people.




The value of privacy

The fact that Truman is not aware he is being filmed puts the audience in the position of voyeurs who watch the private actions of someone else.
Truman doesn't know he 's observed by millions of people but, after 30 years of living his life on television,  he understands someone is manipulating him and finally he decides to change his life overcoming his fears.



DID YOU KNOW IT?


1      It was originally called The Malcolm Show and the first draft of the script was written in 1991.

    There is a psychiatric condition called The Truman Show Delusion. It refers to people who are convinced that their lives are a tv show.

     A lot of people are convinced that Christof is the representation of   God (Christ-of) who controls Truman both mentally and physically. He created Truman.

4    Jim Carrey ( Truman ) and Ed Harris ( Christof ) have never met while shooting on set because Carrey finished filming before Harris was brought in.

5    The location of the dome where The Truman Show is filmed is in Burbank, California. Have you already heard this name? Yes, exactly! it's Truman’s surname.

 


Have you already seen this movie? Did you like it? If you haven't seen it, you must do it!

MARIA VITTORIA



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