Word: weire
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...that purports to be a TV show and that we (along with everyone else but Truman) know is fake. Occasionally we watch "viewers" of the show, in their home or a bar, reacting to some dramatic moment. And at times we watch Christof and his crew directing the show. Weir, like his alter ego Christof, lays the process of magicmaking and manipulation open before us. Here's how we do it, people: music and mirrors...
...quibble with Weir's editing; the movie cops out on greatness with a few truckling reaction shots at the climax. And one can question Niccol's vision of the future of TV: not 500 channels nattering to niche markets but one big show binding the world in the bogus bliss of pink-cheeked Americana. And the idea of a program uninterrupted by commercials (Christof makes his money from product placement and ancillary markets) is nearly as naive as Truman. The show is also pretty tame. Unlike most daytime-drama characters, Truman is a faithful husband who has no evil twin...
...original script was set in New York City. When Niccol teamed with Weir, they changed the scene to Seahaven (much of the film was shot in Seaside, a Florida resort community), where everyone loves Truman because, well, they're paid to. Says Niccol: "We decided to make him a prisoner in paradise." He toyed with various endings--Truman stumbles into a Truman Burbank memorabilia shop, Truman is reunited with his lost love, Truman decides he loves life on TV--and finally devised the current ending, nicely abrupt and ambiguous. "We felt the viewer could write a better ending...
...movie about acting, the actors had a great time building elaborate back stories for their characters under the guidance of Weir, known as the Chiropractor for his ability to help actors stretch their craft. Linney's and Emmerich's takes on Meryl and Marlon are so rich that one would like to see alternate versions of the film just to catch up on their ambitions and angst...
...always Carrey's take on the main character. "Truman isn't the man next door," says Weir. "He's someone who was brought up by wolves and lived in a nest of liars. The people around him were ambitious actors, and all his life they were leaning in very close to him. There was a lot of grinning by overfriendly people trying to gain his influence. Thus he has a very public persona, an exaggerated external self." The director could be describing the Jim Carrey who in 1994 had emerged from supporting status into the heat of celebrity and sycophancy...