Dystopian Future

In modern society many of our actions are manipulated, manipulated by corporations to affect our daily routine. This compares exactly to the issues touched upon in Peter Wier’s “The Truman Show”. In which we are shown a glimpse of our possible near future that could come to pass if television obsession trend continue. The television show, and its self devoted channel, set up in the film (entitled the Truman Show) displays the extremes of reality programming with many acts of control made against the subject whose reality we are peering into. This subject is the character of Truman Burbank played by Jim Carey. These topics make the viewer question the intentions of corporations and companies that affect their own lives, which of course is director Peter Wier’s true intention of the film. Truman is unknowing to the television show he is a part of, so a large number of shots in the film are designed to come across through a hidden camera. Peter Wier uses detailed shots for when the camera is right in front of Truman and full shots for cameras that cover the whole room. His long shots provide the view from an object at a distance and inserts help us see what the character of Truman is directly looking at, like Sylvia’s badge. The purpose of these shots is to make us think about the moral implications to question whether we are put under this kind of scrutiny in some form. Both are intentionally made prominent by the director. There is a point in the film where two polar opposite characters in the picture, Christof and Sylvia, argue over Truman’s rights and his fate. Christof being the creator of the set Truman lives in, naturally is defending that Truman’s life is better within this show he has created. While Sylvia lives believing that Truman should have a choice of how he lives. Sylvia was a former cast member of the show who tried to break Truman out with herself; she leads her life protesting to get him out of the show. I think she is an incarnation of Peter Wier’s morals within the film. She is assured Truman wants to live outside of the set. Truman never had any family and was an orphan so by being adopted by Christof for his show he lived with the illusion of a family which he would not have had outside Sea haven. This “lie” is placed in by Wier to be morally grey making the audience question what is right and what just seems right. Christof also makes the point that his 1950’s “Golden era” utopia is a better place for him to live because it is “how the world should be” and makes the statement that Truman could leave if he wanted. Sylvia doesn’t believe all the lies and depict act towards a greater good and stands by throughout that Truman should have a choice. Another one of Christof’s immoral deeds is that Truman does not have a private life. Because there are just as many watching him when he is “alone” as when he is out in public. The purpose of this idea is to encourage the viewer not to support this type of people that would do this kind of exploitation just for their own gain. These ideas are only backed by the visuals displaying Truman as trapped. The television show also gives more from the mind of the director. We are told that some companies have no regard for the consequences suffered by the public (an individual in the film) as a result of their actions. An enjoyable film by a capable Director.

8/10

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Added by atgthatsme 11 months ago on 11 January 2009 03:52