20 Things You Somehow Missed In The Truman Show

Attention to detail doesn't even begin to describe it.

[whatculture]

We've had to cut out a few segments due to a copyright claim so apologies for that. Hope you enjoyed the list though and let us know any more things we missed!

[SakiChivo]

My favorite part about the movie is the end. We see no more of Truman after he leaves and it’s super cool because it reflects his new life. We don’t get to see what happens to him because there are no cameras on him anymore.

[VoiceUnder]

Truman's car does not have head rests, in order to keep him in a clear view of the backseat camera. A subtle example of them willing to compromise his safety for a little extra production value.

[guitarslingeroflove]

Another thing about the Mt Rushmore picture. His 'mom' says "you slept the whole way". I always took that to mean that it was incredibly possible they drugged/knocked out Truman in order to give him the illusion of traveling. Another way to show just how dark the reality of the situation is, without getting too explicit.

[micahbush]

A few other things I only recently noticed:

1) During the on-air interview, Christof receives a call from The Hague, but the call gets dropped. The implication seems to be that Christof may be facing prosecution by the International Court of Justice for crimes against humanity, and the call staff barely realizes this in time to prevent the call from airing live.

2) Stripes figure prominently in most of Truman's outfits, reinforcing the idea that he is a prisoner.

3) When the "cease transmission" order is given at the end of the film, Christof slumps forward until his head hits the static-filled screen. Whether this implies literal death from the strain of failure or not, Christof's life is at least figuratively over, as the project that he poured his whole life into has come to an end.

[TehDarkOn]

I remember walking into the theater at the age of 17 in 1998 thinking that I was going to see a comedy due to Jim Carrey's previous work. What I saw that day was a breath taking story that alters our perception of reality. This was unlike anything I'd seen before or even after and showed the potential of what Jim can do outside of comedy slapstick.

[Darkfiretiger]

Truman's wife was a nurse so that could mean long hours at "work", medical seminars etc.

[PrettyBoyKii]

I always thought the reason why they never had music other than classical was to further isolate Truman from the outside world and help keep him ignorant. Lyrics could cause him to question the reality that they've constructed for him.

[colormedubious]

A deleted scene noted that literally EVERYTHING that is seen on The Truman Show is available for purchase via their catalog. Clothing, jewelry, food, cars, appliances, furniture, and even the houses. Meryl noted in an interview that her necklace was a top selling item (presumably without the micro-camera, naturally).

[EvanYoungMusic]

You know a film is a classic when you can constantly rewatch and are still talking about it like 25 years later.

[PlaylistElla]

Big one yall missed: the bus driver.

The bus driver has to fake the bus breaking down when Truman tries to go to Chicago to take a flight from there to Fiji. But the show can't let him leave so the driver has to sabotage the bus so Truman can't leave. However, the bus driver is remorseful, telling Truman he's sorry. Then later, when the ferry is needed for the show to chase after Truman, the bus driver redeems himself by sabotaging the ferry so Truman can escape.

[shoresean]

I always wonder: How many actors in the show, if they met Truman on the outside, would show remorse for their actions, indifference or resentment for losing their jobs?

[THE_VictoryPictures]

I've always liked this wacky attention to detail: At the start of the movie, a light falls from the sky and Truman happens to be nearby, when he picks it up, on it is a label that says "Sirius (α Canis Major)." Sirius (designated α Canis Major) is the brightest star in the night sky, and the fact that the light was labeled with that name implies that there are more lights like the one that fell near Truman that replicate the real life constellations inside the dome.

[natsune]

I just noticed something new for the first time. At 7m 55s in, Truman is on the beach and lightning strikes. You can see the flash in the moon, now that would be impossible in the real world. But if the moon is on the side of the dome, it would light up with lightning.

[aviraider]

In the magazine kiosk all the magazines are related to low risk activities that can be done around the house, such as gardening, dogs and parenting magazines. Nothing that might tempt Truman in doing something risky or thinking of locales away from the set.

[immortalsofar]

I think Marlon's sickness when they tried camping out was also another way of stifling young Truman's spirit of adventure. He goes sailing and "kills his father", he goes camping playing explorers and almost kills his best friend. Marlon's line about delivering all over the country while working was more about his time off.
The lights, however, must have had a UV component (negating the need for vitamin D) or all of the plants, including the fake forest, would have died.

[bbloomfield]

The director had an idea for the cinema release, but the technology wasn't quite there yet. At a point in the film, the screen would change to a live view of the cinema audience watching the movie. Think about where there's the cuts between all the different groups of people watching Truman and then YOU are in the movie, watching the movie, in the movie.

But digital projectors to make that possible wouldn't make their way into theatres until over a decade later.

[TinFoilCrotchBoy]

Interesting that's how you interpret the bus driver scene as the driver "deliberately" destroying the bus so he wouldn't have to drive Truman. I always took it as that the bus driver is an actor and simply doesn't know how to drive a bus.

[dominicbrooks]

I would love to see a true sequel, not a studio cash grab, but a true, well done exploration of Truman's adjusting to life in the real world.

[BOABModels]

The fact that people like the travel agent or the bus driver being actors makes sense but it's the people at the hospital not really being medics that surprised me. If it is supposed to be a functional town, what would they do if Truman injured himself? And obviously he and others would need regular doctor and dentist appointments.
The surgery scene is funny though!