The Truman Show free essay sample

The Truman Show:What are the philosophical issues raised by The Truman Show?Peter Weirs The Truman Show'(1998) tells the story of a fictional reality television program which is named after its main star, Truman Burbank. In the telling of this story, Peter Weir raises some interesting issues for reflection; is such and invasion of privacy acceptable?, what does Truman believe to be reality?, are the actors prostituting there privacy?For reality TV shows, the actors know they are on camera. Sometimes they dont know they are being recorded, but they know they are on TV. For Truman, his entire life, from birth to being a grown man, was being broadcasted on TV for anyone with cable. He had absolutely no privacy. Even when he thought he was alone, he had more eyes on him than most have in their entire lifetime. This is a complete invasion of privacy and he had absolutely no say in it. Weir wanted us to understand the importance of not giving up your morals, despite the possible consequences, although doing so is a problem in today’s society. Weir displays how the viewers of the Truman Show are abusing their power by allowing the show to happen. His use of cross cutting from Seahaven to the show’s viewers allows us to see the show’s immense support. Cross cutting from Truman in the climatic storm scene to the viewers allows us to see the outrage they have and that they are scared for his life. However what the audience fails to realise is that they are to blame for the mistreatment of Truman, as by watching the show they are supporting it and thereby condoning the abuse. In an interview Weir stated about Lady Diana’s death that. â€Å"The very people who were outraged by her perceived cause of death, were the ones who bought the magazines. † This helps us to understand how The Truman Show is not just the product of one man abusing his power, but that it is caused by everyone who simply goes along with it and no one standing up for what is right. This idea highlights that Weir wanted us to be aware of Jewish writer and philosopher Hannah Arendt’s term, ‘The banality of evil. The banality of evil refers to the idea that evil is allowed to occur and it is not due to fanatical leaders like Christof, but by the people who blindly follow and support him without questioning. This key idea displays the importance of the people in the masses to speak out and stand up for their morals so that abuse, like that seen in The Truman Show, does not occur. The way Christof abuses his power over Truman by controlling every aspect of his life makes us aware that reality television shows have gotten out of hand. In the climax Christof shouts, â€Å"Give me some lightning Again! Hit ‘im! Again! † This imperative from Christof shows how he is willing to harm Truman. â€Å"You can’t let him die in front of a live audience! † â€Å"He was born on television. He can die on television too. † This dialogue displays how Christof is willing to forgo his moral obligations and endanger a ‘cast member’ for the sake of a good show. This control Christof has over Truman makes us see the similarities between The Truman Show and reality television shows today. As The Truman Show cast member Marlon states, trying to condone the show, â€Å"It’s all real. Nothing here is fake. Nothing you see on this show is fake. It’s merely controlled. †The same could be said for reality shows which push the boundaries such as Big Brother. Big Brother is a hugely successful reality show which imposes 24 hours a day surveillance on it’s contestants, who are put through gruelling conditions with limited resources alongside strong minded fellow competitors, all this leads to much loved drama, from love to betrayal. Shows like these invade any sense of privacy for the contestants, as seen when two contestants on Big Brother were seen together by the night vision cameras under the sheets making love. Weir says that he heard someone say, â€Å"What a bizarre movie. † But he claims â€Å"life is so outrageous right now, and the film is reflecting that. † This tells us that Weir wants us to realise how out of control reality television has become even the extreme concept of The Truman Show is not really so far from what we see on the television today. In conclusion the key idea of abuse of power is shown by the director Peter Weir throughout the film. His excellent use of camera shots, cross cutting and dialogue allows us to see that abuse of power is not only seen throughout The Truman Show, but it is also very prevalent in today’s society, through the forms of workplace bullying and reality television shows, as was it also an issue in history as seen with Lady Diana’s tragic death. As Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"It is the responsibility of every citizen to question authority. †