When I walked out of the Truman Show, I thought to myself that this was a great little film. Now after just a couple of days, my whole opinion on the film has changed. This film is not little, and it is filled with excellence in almost all of its scenes. Perhaps the reason why I was so un-plussed about it when I first walked out was because I had seen a number of the gags, as well as the editing making parts of the film feel slightly disjointed in some of its cuts (I'm speaking here of some of the cuts in time). However, this movie exists on so many levels, that it just can't be dismissed as meaningless. And also, the movie has a unique style and is filled with flashes of technical brilliance that enable us to enter the world of Truman and become so captivated by it, that we unwittingly become part of the conspiracy. And in a way, this film wants us to question our voueurism (taken to its literal extreme when watching porno's of hidden cameras or stolen video from Ms Anderson and co) and our willingness to watch the testimony of the President over an affair. I can't wait to see this film again, and like Citizen Kane, this film is growing on me. If anyone other than Peter Weir had filmed it, this film could have been a total flop. It was a brilliant concept, but as with brilliant concepts they need brilliant execution to come out in the big screen. It's easy to see how this film could have degenerated into a comedy fest, or a traditional Hollywood film, but Weir does not make one mistake when it comes to the narrative integrity of the script. Jim Carrey will probably get his first oscar nomination for this role. Not many actors could have pulled this one off. Ed Harris as Christof (ie. God) is beyond excellence (definite nomination for supporting actor), and is apparently playing Weir's alter ego as well.

THIS PART OF THE REVIEW IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. SOME POINTS MAY ONLY BE IN POINT FORM. A FULL ESSAY WILL BE DONE ON IT WHEN I GET TIME.

METAPHOR'S R US

This movie has so many metaphors and so many meanings that it borders on genius (and the film doesn't take three hours to make its point).

A RITE'S OF PASSAGE FILM and REALITY

It's not surprising coming from the director of "Dead Poet's Society" that this movie is on one level about growing up. Truman in many ways is still a child - innocent of all that's going on. He has perhaps always sensed that there was something unusual, but then again, many children "perform"... and Truman does a lot of performing (Ironically, Jim Carrey is also a 'performer', and has been so most of his life): the banter between the neighbours every morning for example is a case in point. Truman is the only real character: sort of like kids are the only "real" spirits, before being introduced into a lying, manipulative world (that's not my viewpoint). Truman's madness in the middle to latter stages of the film demonstrate a rebelling force, a sort of adolescence. He pulls that off excellently. His escape into darkness is probably demonstrating his entry into adulthood. The parrallell's with Dead Poet's society go in some way to describe another central idea which links up with the rites of passage element. Postmodernism teaches that realities are what we make of it. Nothing is real in the sense that nothing can be truly objective. Reality is what we make of it. The grass is green, etc. Transported in the Truman Show is the meaner side of this theory. Truman cannot possibly know that he is living in an unreal world because that is his reality. Yet, as I wrote earlier, he may have also known that something was not quite right, just like a kid does (hence, the performance). In Dead Poet's Society, the boys live in a world that is also in many ways as artificial as that of Truman's. Escape from the world they live in comes almost from the antithesis of Christof's character (ie. the teacher played by RObin Williams). However, in spite of Robin Williams' attempts are thwarted by the parents (actually, Robin Williams role is similar to that of Truman's Girlfriend). The suicide in Dead Poet's Society represents the inability of the suicidee to escape his "reality". In the Truman Show however, Truman apparently is set to be freed as he walks into the dark room that will be his new 'reality'. How he will cope with a new reality is not made clear. This I think is yet another example of why this film is so great. The temptation would be there to show us how he coped, whether he met his true love, whether he would want to go back to his prior 'reality'; however, Weir leaves that to us to discuss.

CRITIQUE OF CORPORATISM AND CAPITALISM

-consuming population. Truman's survival based on money

RELIGIOUS OVERTONES

Apparently, many world religions are seeing similarities. Weir himself reckons that it's modelled on Greek Mythology (Christof as Zeuss, Zeuss had no power over destiny; when Christof tried to kill Truman he was punished), Christians would definitely see much in it (CHRISTof). Ideas of creationism, and an old fashioned sense of God can also be read into it. Even Buddhist's see something.

- director as God - a Hollywood metaphor?

Full summary when I actually head off to the multiplex to see it again.

90/100