Appreciation for "Truman Show" (1 Viewer)

[Robert Ringwald]

But it's not exactly human nature to GET to meet your creator.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

But it's not exactly human nature to GET to meet your creator.

 

[Chris]

And demands for royalties and percentages of 30 years worth of profits!

 

[Chris]

And demands for royalties and percentages of 30 years worth of profits!

 

[Haggai]

I don't think the movie itself and the marketing were at any cross-purposes as far as that "surprise" twist was concerned. I thought the point of the first third/half of the movie was to have us see things as much as possible from Truman's point of view, in order to convince us that he could have lived his whole life without ever realizing the overall truth, not just to have us be surprised by a big plot twist.

 

[Haggai]

I don't think the movie itself and the marketing were at any cross-purposes as far as that "surprise" twist was concerned. I thought the point of the first third/half of the movie was to have us see things as much as possible from Truman's point of view, in order to convince us that he could have lived his whole life without ever realizing the overall truth, not just to have us be surprised by a big plot twist.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

EXACTLY!

 

[Lou Sytsma]

EXACTLY!

 

[TheLongshot]

Considering his upbringing, he might not even know that word.

All Truman's efforts were to leave, that's just it. The guy had wasted enough of his life, why waste more in pointless posturing?

Anyways, you got the confrontation, it just didn't happen face-to-face, which considering their relationship, is very appropriate.

Jason

 

[TheLongshot]

Considering his upbringing, he might not even know that word.

All Truman's efforts were to leave, that's just it. The guy had wasted enough of his life, why waste more in pointless posturing?

Anyways, you got the confrontation, it just didn't happen face-to-face, which considering their relationship, is very appropriate.

Jason

 

[Chris]

Having watched it again recently, I do have to say it's sad that it never received a solid DVD treatment. Virtually no extras, and not-so-hot presentation.

This is a film that definitely deserves a retouch

 

[Chris]

Having watched it again recently, I do have to say it's sad that it never received a solid DVD treatment. Virtually no extras, and not-so-hot presentation.

This is a film that definitely deserves a retouch

 

[Fred Bang]

I think the idea of this scene is to make it like Truman is speaking to "God" (his creator) A face to face meeting would make Harris simply human. It's better like it is.

 

[Nathan Eddy]

Exactly, Fred. I think a lot of people take this movie too literally. We're not REALLY supposed to believe that reality TV will some day resort to such savagely inhuman treatment. The "reality TV" angle is just a convenient, modern metaphor to symbolize the human condition. It's brilliant, really, how this pop culture phenomenon was twisted to such deliciously metaphorical ends.

If Truman were to meet Harris's character, it would spoil the figurative, symbolic nature of his role. Harris's character IS supposed to be God for Truman, not a TV producer. Confrontation with the idea of one's "creator" is a basic existential crisis, for which hundreds of pages have been written in the past two hundred years by various philosophers. The most famous (and misunderstood) example is Nietzche's "God is dead" claim--meaning that culture has evolved to the point where many people are starting to realize they don't need a creator to explain their existence. This was when science and reason was having its first virtually universal success (Newton's theory of universal gravitation, for instance.) I'm not arguing religion, here, but just pointing out a shift in cultural perspective and how humans began to view themselves differently.

Truman rejected the idea of God, felt that the whole idea was a betrayal, of sorts. He felt betrayed and tricked by this concept of a God creating his world and taking care of him--when in fact this idea limited and controlled him. In the end, he chose to control his own life instead.

I don't want to turn this into a religious debate. My praise for Truman shouldn't be construed as support for this position, but merely praise for the novel way in which the writer invented to portray it.

 

[Ocean Phoenix]

Does he actually say "You never had a camera in my head" in the movie? I don't remember that line.

 

[Nathan Eddy]

Yep, during the last scene, the confrontation with Harris's character.

 

[Chris]

Harris confronts him with the line:

"I know you better then you know yourself" (paraphrased)

To which Truman responds:

"You never had a camera in my head"

 

[Zane Charron]

'The Truman Show' is one of my favorite films, but because I love it so much even the smallest flaw stands out to me like a sore thumb. For example, I hate the line that Christof (Harris) utters just before Truman is about to leave the Dome, just as all his efforts to keep him in have failed:

"Well say something, damnit, you're on television! You're live to the whole world!"

The whole film, Christof has nutured this self image that he is so much more than just a TV Producer. He thinks of himself more as a artistic genius that has developed a legacy. He has created not just a TV show but an cultural icon. But in that last line he lowers himself to nothing more than Mr. Ratings. It has always rung false to me. I suppose one could argue that he was just making a last ditch effort, but it just sounds so wrong and awkward.

The end scene with Truman pounding against the wall and the dirge-like music playing brings me to tears everytime.

 

[Jim Dalton]

I always took that line to mean that Christof wanted to show Truman just how important he really was to people. How Truman gave hope and inspiration to millions and that he was adored by millions and millions of people around the world - even though it was not something Truman was even the slightest bit aware of.

What always struck me as a bit weird (and a missed opportunity) was how when Truman's father "suddenly" appears, how Truman just accepted it.

IMHO, it would have been much better if Truman had given Marlon a sideways glance of suspicion at that moment.

But then, I didn't write the script.

 

[Chris]

See, I always liked that line. I thought it was a good way of breaking Christof and showing who he really was.. that for all his pretention that he was an amiable, hands off "creator" who worked for the interest of his character.. all he really was in the end was someone chasing ratings.

He couldn't delude himself after he was backed into a corner. I liked that.