The Truman Show (1998)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Peter Weir

Writer (WGA):

Andrew Niccol (written by)

Release Date:

5 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

All the world's a stage...

Plot:

An insurance salesman/adjuster discovers his entire life is actually a TV show.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Hidden Camera | Infiltration | Revolving Door | Escape

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 29 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

Jim Carrey	...	Truman Burbank
Laura Linney	...	Meryl Burbank / Hannah Gill
Noah Emmerich	...	Marlon
Natascha McElhone	...	Lauren / Sylvia
Holland Taylor	...	Truman's Mother
Brian Delate	...	Truman's Father
Blair Slater	...	Young Truman
Peter Krause	...	Lawrence
Heidi Schanz	...	Vivien
Ron Taylor	...	Ron
Don Taylor	...	Don
Ted Raymond	...	Spencer
Judy Clayton	...	Travel Agent
Fritz Dominique	...	Truman's Neighbor
Angel Schmiedt	...	Truman's Neighbor

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements and mild language.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:Livre (DVD rating) | Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:12 | USA:PG (certificate #34959) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Belgium:KT | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-12/9 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:I | Iceland:L | Ireland:PG | Mexico:A | Netherlands:12 | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Florida, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The film is shot with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This is close to the 1.78:1 ratio of HDTV, but way below normal 2.25:1 for standard modern movies. So the aspect ratio is more cinematic than HDTV, but only just. This makes the movie look more like TV than film.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The 'set' is supposed to be right behind the Hollywood sign/hills, but in the satellite view, the set is in the southeast LA region, 20 miles from the Hollywood sign.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Christof: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: 2005 Ultimate Tournament of Champions Round 1, Game 37 (#21.149)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Piano Sonata No. 11 in A Major (K. 331) (300): Third Movement: 'Alla Turca'

Ashaming....

Ashaming that the Academy of motion picture arts and sciences has never realized what a brilliant actor Jim Carrey really is. The is no explanation for him not getting the Oscar for the Truman Show, there is no excuse for not even nominating him for The Truman Show and Man on the Moon. I like the academy Awards, most of the time it is a fair thing, but in that year it was a disaster. How else can you explain that in the year of Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line and of course The Truman Show the most boring and joyless film of all time Shakespeare in Love gets eight, I repeat, eight Oscars and the Truman Show gets none? I think it is because Jim has made so much Comedy, nobody really knows what tough work comedy means. It is ashaming that the Academy is sometimes still driven by outdated prejudices. For me, Jim Carrey is the greatest and most versatile actor in the world! And The Truman Show is The greatest performance by an actor I have ever seen on screen. Finished!