Review by
THE TRUMAN SHOW 25th Anniversary 4K + Blu-Ray + Digital is available at retailers everywhere beginning July 4th
I had forgotten how deeply THE TRUMAN SHOW made an impact on my 10 year-old psyche back in 1998 when it was released in theaters. Me and my family all went to see it that June and the concept was executed so profoundly that for months, maybe even a few years after, I would go through paranoid bouts thinking that I myself was the star of a secret reality show. What If I was being filmed and broadcast right now without me knowing? What If everyone is in on it, including my own family? Are they even my real family?
A year later THE MATRIX was released and doubled down on my paranoid suspicions questioning my own reality. The truth is, I've always been an over-thinker and with that comes a level of paranoia that has manifested into bouts of anxiety and depression that turned out to be completely unnecessary. Many say it's one of the unfortunate side effects of being a creative thinker.
While the film is wonderfully entertaining and progressively more profound as it plays on, I think what I really love most about it, is it's affirmation that someone's paranoia can actually be correct. For all the years I've spent being wrong about my suspicions and worries, here is a story where the guy is on to something! Not only is he on to something, but his paranoid escapades propel him to face deep lifelong fears and eventually reach the truth of his existence.
Jim Carrey plays Truman as a likable, sensitive everyman longing for adventure in his monotonous controlled existence. Carrey is toned down from his usual comedic antics but there are a few moments of a confident comedic Carrey that slip in that I would have re-worked or cut out. The cast overall is exceptional with Ed Harris as the pretentious director Christoff who has directed "The Truman Show" since Truman's birth and falls deeper into denial about the moral issues with making "The Truman Show".
The supporting cast is stellar featuring Laura Linney as Truman's wife and an early Paul Giamatti as Christoff's underling. It's always surreal rewatching a film decades later and not realizing there were huge stars among the supporting players that you just didn't know about at the time.
Paramount has done a stellar job of transferring the film to 4K. The cinematography by Peter Biziou varies in style throughout and is a film-school level lesson on of motivated camera work and lens changing depending on where we are in the story. The soundtrack is superb, showcasing the sumptuous score by Burkhard Dallwitz and pieces by Philip Glass, among some beautiful classical pieces by Chopin and Mozart.
The new release features a Blu-Ray of the original HD transfer and includes all the legacy special features from the previous release, including a wonderful making of documentary on the film.
THE TRUMAN SHOW manages to toe the line between human drama and metaphoric fairy tale and tell a funny and moving story about man's quest for the truth and facing our fear of opening the door to the dark unknown so we can live a more fulfilling life.
JL
Comments