'The Truman Show' Screenplay analysis.

Initially I had a hard time narrowing down which film to start with for this project as I admire many films. To help, I took to my favourite films however I couldn’t pick my favourite film, ‘The Castle of Cagliostro’, as it was originally in Japanese and therefore couldn’t find the specific script for my favourite English dub. Therefore, I picked my second favourite film of all time: ‘The Truman Show’. What I discovered about the script for ‘The Truman Show’ is that, despite it being the shooting script, there are many differences between the script and the content of the film itself.

Link to 'The Truman Show' shooting script by Andrew M. Nicol: http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/splaylib/Screenplay-Truman_Show,_The.pdf

Page 1:

Right off the bat, the script begins with our first look of the main focus and protagonist of the film, Truman Burbank. The scene sees Truman talking to his bathroom mirror as if he was on a talk show. His dialogue differs between the script and the final film. Looking through the bonus features of the DVD I can declare that the script’s dialogue is kept as a deleted scene. I’m sure the reason for this is the choice of actor. Jim Carrey is well known for his improvisational work when acting as shown with films like ‘Dumb and Dumber’ and ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’ so I imagine that he delivered many different lines on set and the editor chose the one that fit best. In contrast, the line delivered “Truman, you’re gonna be late” from Meryl (Laura Linney) is the same in both script and film. Already with the first scene in the script, I’m impressed with how much detail has gone into the description of what the writer want to convey. Even things that aren’t even to be seen on screen such as the pyjama bottoms that Truman is wearing are written in the script. There is also motivation written within the description in order to guide the actors.

The next scene is interesting to note as it already deviates away from what is in the final film. Another deleted scene, Truman is shown having breakfast with his wife Meryl (only established by voice beforehand) so that their already established relationship can be developed for the rest of the film. I can tell exactly why this scene was cut and this was because of the altered opening of the film. The script starts off with Truman at the mirror however the film begins with a montage of fictional interviews that instantly confirm that Truman’s world is a TV show. The script makes it more subtle through the use of obvious product placement that Meryl gives to Truman which simply implies that something is not right with the world.

Page 2:

Page 2 establishes Truman’s catchphrase “In case I don’t see you, good afternoon, good evening and good night” which is repeated several times throughout the film. What page 2 also does is strengthen the ‘life is a TV show’ idea. We’re introduced to some of Truman’s neighbours who help emphasise how happy and joyful the world is with no visible problems.

Page 3:

The first big event of the film occurs on this page as a light falls from the sky and onto Truman’s street with him being the only person left around. The script emphasises this aspect which makes the situation even more suspicious. It’s at this point the feeling of something being off is more apparent. This is an example of a scene that makes me wonder how the film would play out if the audience was as unaware as Truman was about the eponymous show. It would give the a greater sense of mystery however us knowing what Christof (Ed Harris), the reality show’s creator, knows would lessen the point of the film.

The rest of the page is the beginning of Truman’s journey to work. The relevancy of this scene is to establish the island town Truman lives in, Seahaven Island. It’s important to show off this location in depth as this film takes place in only two locations. These are Seahaven Island and the observation desk that Christof resides in with the TV show’s crew and equipment. The script uses some very descriptive words for the establishment of the island and uses film terms such as “high-angle” to instruct the cinematographer.

Page 4:

Reading through most the script before writing this in order to see why certain scenes are missing or out of place, I found out that this flashback is in a completely different part of the film in the final cut. In the script, it occurs on this page in order to establish Truman’s relationship with his ‘deceased’ father (Brian Delate). In the actual film, however, it is moved to an hour into the film which features Christof interviewed about the show after Truman’s father returns on the show unofficially. I believe that the scene was moved in order to make it more relevant to Truman’s father’s return later in the film and introducing too early would have been seen as unprovoked and not needed at that point in the plot. It’s also interesting that the scene was cut down. The moment where his father brings Truman down from the rocks is the only part that makes it into the film and the establishing moments of his father mingling on the beach and the moment after where he tries to restrict Truman.

Page 5:

The script delivers another deleted scene which sees Truman mingle with the townspeople and vendors. The important of this scene is the show that, because Truman is restricted to living in Seahaven, is a regular at several places as he is now on first name basis with the coffee vendor. He greets him with his name and makes a joke claiming that his “Vital signs are good” in response to being asked “How are ya, Truman?”. The place where Truman parks his car is close to a school bell which initiates his next flashback to further develop Truman’s character. This is the first example of a scene that was cut yet isn’t featured on the DVD bonus features. The scene opens with Truman during his days in class and Marlon (Noah Emmerich as an adult), who goes on to be Truman’s best friend, make his debut in this scene. I would imagine this scene was cut in order to establish Marlon earlier as an adult (he’s in the opening montage). I just find it fascinating that a half of a page was just thrown out completely. Perhaps it didn’t work and my previous point about Marlon is right.

Page 6:

The flashback continues with lines that are actually present in the film. Truman identifies that he wants to be an explorer when he grows up (he specifies “like Magellan” implying that he has done his research in the subject and taken a keen interest) however the teacher rejects the idea claiming that there is nowhere left to explore. The main word I took away from this scene is the word the writer uses for Truman. He says that he wants to be an explorer “with reverence”. This strengthens Truman’s passion for exploring and becomes ironic that the one man picked to be isolated in a fake world is one that wanted to explore. Of course, the teacher’s response is an attempt to put Truman off of traveling and keeping him in Seahaven, much like the previous scene with his Dad was trying to reinforce. Just like the scene with his Dad, this scene is used much alter in the film too. It’s just in the same scene that the beach scene was when Christof is showing off his methods of keeping Truman on the island.

We return to the present and we see Truman buy a magazine from another vendor. Continuing from the last time he met with a vendor, they use their names and have a light-hearted chat. This time, however, it was kept in the film to no doubt reinforce the point I had made with the coffee vendor and the film makers simply didn’t want to have two different scenes with the exact same point. This scene actually reinforces this further when Truman tears out a page from an open magazine on the stall while the vendor was distracted. The vendor’s reaction implies that this is a regular occurrence as the script describes this as “the Vendor makes no effort to confront Truman, almost as if he were expecting it”. The fact that he didn’t react negatively implies they are on very good terms and that this happens often. The film changes this by having Truman buy the magazine he wants the page from. This was probably done to make Truman a more civil and law abiding character.

Page 7:

Another shortened scene in the film (as the film only has this scene’s content from page 8), we actually have a call back to the classroom flash back as we finally see what Truman does for his job. He enters a building labelled “Seahaven Life and Accident Inc.” and the script reinforces that “He has evidently taken his teacher’s advice” and now works in a boring industry, exaggerated by the description of his office. “A cramped, cluttered cubicle”.  The dialogue featured in this scene isn’t that interesting in terms of content, rather in the inflections and attitude it’s said with. Truman spouts out financial jargon however he says it in a disjointed and jagged way that implies he really has no passion for this job and dreams bigger, most likely recounting his childhood passion for exploring. 

Page 8:

This passion for exploring is brought back again as the scene continues (which is the part used in the film). The person he was on the phone to has hung up and part of Truman’s character is conveyed “with an apathetic shrug” implying that he just doesn’t care that he’s lost a potential customer. While on the job, he begins to talk into his phone in a lowered tone about Fiji. This scene is necessary for two reasons. The first is that Fiji will play a bigger role in the film later on so establishing this plot point means that there was always a mention of it and this scene becomes more important upon re-watching the film and builds up the mystery of why he has picked Fiji. The other point is that he asks for a listing for Lauren Garland before switching the name to Sylvia Garland. Being a married man, the audience is left wondering why Truman is asking for a specific person in such a random location.

Page 9:

Once again we have another deleted scene that continues to reinforce the point that the coffee and magazine vendor was signifying. This scene has a longer interaction between Truman and the vendor with a jolly back and forth between them and more humour thrown in. Truman asks the vendor, Tyrone, “what if I said I didn’t want meatball today?” and Tyrone (who the script specifies doesn’t miss a beat) responds “I’d ask for identification”. After three scenes that have this interaction, it has become very apparent that Truman, a man who we’ve establish dreamed big when he was younger and travelling the world, has fallen into a dull routine in life that three people have displayed with the last actually jokingly pointing it out.

The next scene is yet another cut scene (which means that the entirety of page 9 was left on the cutting room floor) that was definetly cut for sake of continuity as it involves the sandwich Truman bought in the last scene. On a bench, Truman is reading “To the Ends of the Earth – The Age of Exploration” and he is so enthralled in his book that his sandwich hasn’t even been touched. What his means is that Truman has actually held onto his dream despite falling into a rut. Truman’s personality is also brought out when he is approached by a poor looking man in a wheel chair. After snapping out of his book, Truman hands the man his sandwich. This shows that Truman is a selfless man who helps out those who clearly have it worse than he does. In the script, the audience still doesn’t know that this is a TV show; however at this point in the film we already know Truman’s life is fake and we therefore know that this man is just an actor.  

Page 10:

Truman returns to the office where he is making yet another soulless call to someone who probably cares about as much as he does about the proposal. Truman’s lack of empathy is conveyed what he talks about: “When will death occur? Could be a week, a month, a year. Could happen today…a sunbather, minding his own business, gets stabbed in the heart by the tip of a runaway beach umbrella”. This statement proves that he clearly isn’t taking the job seriously and just doesn’t care. Truman is confronted by his supervisor who hands him paperwork regarding a prospect he needs Truman to close. This scene introduces one of the more memorable traits about Truman in a rather subtle way. When Truman realises the prospect is on a island across the bay, he tries to come up with an excuse on the spot to get out of it. We will later learn this is due to his fear of water but, at this point, he just know he clearly has no desire to go there which is peculiar for someone who dreams of travelling.

Page 11:

One of Truman’s most prominent traits is exemplified here with the introduction of Truman’s fear of water. The previous page showed Truman reluctant to take a boat trip and here we see why. As Truman approaches to buy a boat ticket, “mustering all his nerve” to do so, two ferry workers discuss Truman’s fear and debate over whether Truman will actually take the trip or not. They turn this into a bet while Truman is ”unaware of the scrutiny and he is faced with a crowd of people that he has to fight through. You could make the argument that the crowd is the physical version of his fear and has to force himself through the crowd into order to make it across the water. The film drops the crowd and instead shows a sunken boat that instantly identifies the reason for his fear. Since the film is a visual medium, it is more interesting to have the boat as a symbol rather than use many extras since the boat proves the meaning can be more subtle.

Page 12:

The previous scenes that had been pushed back were moved very far into the film, around an hour in. This time, the scene was only pushed back by a couple of minutes so that there is room to introduce Truman’s friendship with Marlon. In the script, we go from the scene on the dock on the last page to a flashback involving why Truman has a fear of water. We see Truman as a young boy and his father sailing off shore when a big storm hits, sending Truman’s father off the boat where he seemingly drowns. We later learn that Christof script this event in order to traumatise Truman and makes sure he has no desire to sail off the island. The rest of the page seems Truman making up an excuse as to why he is unable to take the boat by shouting down the phone while honking his car horn in an effort to imitate a traffic jam. This scene is omitted from the final film most likely because the effectiveness of the dock scene was more long lasting if we jump back to Truman at home rather than continue with his work life.

Page 13:

A bizarre thing happens on the next page which sees a significant amount of content cut from the final film. In an effort to develop Truman as a more moralistic person, a woman is confronted by two young thugs while she reads a book on a bench, just as Truman was doing on page 9, as Truman watches from his car. As the situation escalates, the woman exchanges a glance with Truman and the thugs look at him too. It gets worse when the thugs grab her and drag her towards surrounding woods.

Page 14:

The scene carries on with Truman debating what to do and he half gets out of his car to shout that them. We’ve seen Truman make a moralistic decision earlier when he handed his sandwich to the crippled man so we know that is a good person therefore we would expect him to help. The pause to think out it is justified too since it is a much more escalated and threatening situation. Before he can come to a conclusion though, a truck appears behind his car, “the driver hurling abuse”, and ultimately “retreats back into his car and reluctantly drives on”.  Afterwards, we see the thugs, being actors, release the woman and the four of them talk about how Truman did nothing. On one of them says that “physical violence paralyzes him. Always has”. It is important to remember that his life is scripted so Christof would have had to come up with the idea of a woman being attacked. For all we know, Truman may not have even noticed. I believe this whole scene was cut because it was in contrast with the tone of the film and the pacifist side of Truman is never addressed in the film ever. In contrast with the violent scene that just happened, it is very sudden that we jump back to the scenic garden of Truman’s house. It’s comforting for both Truman and the audience after either the violence in the script or the dock scene in the film which this scene follows.

Page 15:

This scene is notable for being one of the scenes that might tip Truman off to the fact that his life is a show. Meryl arrives with groceries and shows off her new knife in a manner that imitates a commercial for the product claiming that it’s a “dicer, slicer and peeler in one. Never needs sharpening. Dishwasher safe”. Truman shrugs it off with “gee, that’s great”. The importance of this scene is to establish a character trait Meryl implements with constant product placement as shown in her first scene in the script in an effort to break the fictional fourth wall.

Page 16:

For the film viewers, this is their introduction to Truman’s best friend Marlon. He previously appeared as a boy in class in the script yet was omitted in the script. It seems like a good time to introduce the character as Truman needs someone to vent his frustrations about his unfulfilling life to. The scene is set up very nicely with a strong description of the scenery and location, a half built bridge at night. The meaning behind the bridge could be that, in another attempt to keep Truman in Seahaven, the bridge will never be finished and is simply another dead end for Truman. The scene’s opening dialogue is different between the script and film. In the script, Marlon delivers a cheeky line “whose nuts were those?” in response to how hard Truman hits the golf ball. No doubt this was to be a character establishing moment. In the film, however, it was changed to reinforce the previous scene where Meryl delivers blatant product placement as Marlon sips from a beer can claiming “that is a beer”, no doubt to show off the brand with a compliment.

Page 17:

The scene continues as Truman expresses his desire to go to Fiji. This marks the second mention of Fiji and so the mystery builds up further as to why Truman wants to go to Fiji. This conversation takes a more subtle yet sinister side with Marlon’s response to Truman claiming that he’s unsatisfied with his job. Marlon exclaims “what the hell’s wrong with your job? You’ve gotta great job. You gotta desk job. I’d kill for a desk job.” This gives the indication that, because Truman’s world is synthetic, Christof made sure that Truman was given a well off job so that he wouldn’t be miserable at work and would therefore be a more interesting person to watch on TV except that he didn’t anticipate Truman dreaming of a life of exploration.

Page 18:

This page marks the most important character introduction, despite having already debuted in the film ironically as the first character introduced. Christof is finally brought into the script very briefly just to establish the link to the TV show. He doesn’t say anything; he just observes Truman and Marlon’s conversation. It’s interesting that the description doesn’t even imply it’s a TV show since it is just in a “dimly-lit room somewhere” and Christof “stares into camera”. The only indication of his role is that he has a “news anchor-style earpiece” that “disappears down the neck of his suit”. The conservation itself does look deeper into Truman’s desires of going to Fiji as he says that “there are still islands in Fiji where no human being as ever set foot”. We know that he dreams of exploration however we learn later that this isn’t the only reason he wishes to go there.

Page 19:

The script continues the conversation even further despite the film jumping forward. Marlon reveals that he tried leaving once and came to the conclusion that there was no point before gazing out the sea claiming “I released, what the hell could be better than this?” and proposes that Truman should just focus on having kids instead. In a deleted scene, we see Truman and Marlon packing up and Truman sees the light the fell from the sky back on page 3 in his trunk. Marlon simply brushes it off as a light from an airliner to put an end to Truman’s suspicions.

Page 20:

The changes that emerged from transferring page 20 into the film are interesting. The scene in both the script and the film take place on the beach at night with Truman looking off into the sea however the context is different. In the script, Truman is recording the sound of the ocean and we get a close up of his face as the waves are heard. In the film, he just sits on the beach, lamenting. We then cut back to the flashback of Truman’s father drowning. This is the first time in the film we’ve seen this however this was previously seen earlier in the script. There is also no aftermath in the final film with Truman sitting on the boat, alone, with his Dad’s ring. 

Page 21:

After sitting on the beach, the script cuts to show two old women watching Truman on the television which seems out of place since it isn’t 100% confirmed that Truman’s life is a TV show at this point. It has only been strongly hinted with Christof’s appearance and the falling light. Other than that, the script is almost the same as the film. Rain falls on Truman but only exclusively on him.  A minor difference would be when the rain starts. The script describes it from a POV before cutting further out to show the rain over just him. The film sees a pillar of rain dumped on him instantly from a wide shot. There’s no mystery.

Page 22:

Interestingly, this page is represented in the film almost word for word. The only bit cut is the line that explains that Truman doesn’t have a passport despite his desire to explore. Another change is what Meryl is doing before Truman arrives. In the script, she is comparing wallpaper samples for the nursery that the scene takes place in (although the film gives no indication of that. It’s just an unfinished room) while in the film she is reading what appears to be a children’s book. It keeps the idea that having children could happen.

Page 23:

The scene continues with the small bit about the passport I had previously mentioned. The script indicates that “the words sting” after Meryl explains about the passport and adds on “I bet you don’t even know how to get one”. Further evidence that Truman is being forced to stay in Seahaven. We then cut to two guards in uniform watching the show. In the script, they discuss how Truman and Meryl could actually have a child on the show while in the film the guard on the right explains how sex is conveyed on the show by claiming that you never see anything. “The camera moves, music plays, wind comes in and the curtain moves”.

Page 24:

The next day begins with a deleted scene as Truman begins by doing an exercise that he has clearly made up most likely due to lack of exposure to the real world. He is wearing the gear he was given way back on page 1. We cut between him and a couple watching TV who are also doing his routine in the same gear. This was most likely cut because it looks back on a scene that was already cut meaning this would be a bit out of place. Instead of cutting to Truman in his car, the film begins with Truman already downtown, getting magazines from the vendor again. As Truman is on foot, the moment where he stops and notices something odd about a passing homeless man is easier as there is no filler with shots that don’t add much such as interior car shots or parking lots.

Page 25:

As this is one of the most important parts of the film and marks the end of Act 1, the script and the film are identical. The dialogue is the same, word for word, and the actions and directions are the same. Truman realises that the homeless man is his father but before they can speak, the man is grabbed by two passers-by and bundled onto a bus with Truman giving chase. What sticks out about this scene is the behaviour of the extras who passive aggressively turn on Truman. A group of joggers block his path, the bus driver ignores Truman completely and everyone else stays oblivious.

Page 26:

Truman loses track of the bus as a taxi intersects him. A small minor detail shown which is a dog on a lead wandering by Truman. It is the same dog that one of people who grabbed the homeless man had which indicates they were simply an actor with no attachment to the dog. In an interesting twist, the entire rest of the page is cut from the film.

Page 27:

The scene that was started in the script on page 26 continues however the first half of this page is also cut from the film. The film begins halfway through from the line “it doesn’t sound insane, Truman” as we’re introduced to Truman’s mother (Holland Taylor). It is clear at this point that the next act of the film has commenced as the film stay very true to the script in both dialogue and actions.

Page 28 and 29:

One line is dropped from the ending of this scene after Truman’s mother comforts him about supposedly seeing his father on the street. She adds at the end a comment about dying her hair that Truman doesn’t respond to. Instead in the film, the scene ends on the sombre note about Truman’s father being dead. Next, we see Truman rummaging in his basement looking at childhood photos until Meryl comes in. The script says that Truman also looks at an old cardigan however he doesn’t find it in the film until after Meryl had left. We get another product placement moment from Meryl as Truman works on the mower in an attempt to cover up his reminiscing. We cut to more TV viewers. One inquiring about what Truman is doing and the other explaining. In the script, it’s a mother and daughter watching while in the film it’s people in a café dedicated to watching The Truman Show.

Page 30:

Continuing the TV aesthetic, we transition to a flashback of Truman in college with Marlon. In the script, Truman simply meets eyes with another student Lauren (Natascha McElhone) and becomes infatuated with her. A big difference between the script and film is the use of Meryl. In the script, he is just with Marlon and Truman already however the film actually shows Truman and Meryl meeting in a way that is clearly forced into Truman’s life, especially having just noticed Lauren. A small portion of the flashback montage is cut which sees Truman waving to Lauren who ignores him. This had to have been cut because it makes no sense. It is between two scenes where the two can’t look away from each other.

Act 2:

For the majority of the Act 2, the film stays very true to the film so there isn’t much purpose looking at each page individually. Only occasionally, such as on page 39 and 40, will there be a deleted scene featured on the DVD. Like most previous deleted scenes, they were taken out as they simply act as filler and/or reinforce a point that has already been reiterated. For example, page 40 sees Truman recognising a jogger as the homeless man from page 9 by pointing out the same trainers. This scene acts to reinforce Truman’s growing suspicions about the world that the audience now knows for certain is fake as Christof finally is revealed as a full character giving his first lines as director of the TV show on page 36. In essence, the film simply makes the script more subtle by taking away the filler.

An interesting addition not in the film is featured on page 46 where Truman goes back to the rocks he climbed on as a child before his father intervened. Now an adult, Truman climbs it to reveal an identical beach.  The weird thing is that this scene is technically in the film as Truman and Marlon sit on rocks by the beach, delivering the same dialogue however there is absolutely no mention of it being the same site that Truman was as a child. I can’t think of a reason for cutting that outside of the placement of the rock climbing flashback. It seems to me like it would be an important thing to keep in as it starts the beginning of Truman’s suspicions and reinforces the use of that flashback.

A majority of the dialogue featured in the second act is word for word. My theory for this is because the film has stopped with the setting up and is now following through with the character development meaning that every word is precious in order to have the characters capture in the film what was in the script. Act 1 traditionally has the most filler and expendable dialogue because it is compensating so that the audience is immersed.

Act 3:

As it is no longer a secret about the film being a fictional TV show, more development and screen time is given to Christof by form of a behind the scenes show interviewing him about ‘The Truman Show’. It is here finally that we see flashbacks in the film that had been in the script since the very beginning such as Truman climbing on the rocks and the death of his father. A small moment with Christof is taken away in the film with the line “Why is an artist plagued with these questions? I’ve never done this for any monetary gain” in the script. I believe this line was cut because it made Christof seem more pretentious and more of an antagonistic character. While it is clear he is doing it for the art, it’s more interesting to have it be a subtle aspect. A very big change is the second caller on the live show to Christof. In the script, she’s actually the third caller and is left anonymous while she rallies against Truman’s exploitation. In the film, it is shown to be Lauren, or rather the actress playing her, rallying against the same point. We are led to believe that she was kicked off the show after trying to tell Truman the truth live on air before.   

A scene taken away is featured on page 84 which sees Christof gathering together actors from ‘The Truman Show’ to speak with them. One reason this was cut was because Meryl had left the show off-screen after being attacked by Truman and breaking down live. We also never learn her real name, Hannah, in the film as a result. Another reason it would be taken out is because it wouldn’t make sense for all of these big people in Truman’s life to be taken out of the show to  speak with Christof in one room. Truman’s suspicions would skyrocket if everyone important to him suddenly vanished, especially after having just reunited with his father. The scene goes on for a while and ends on an interesting point never brought up in the film with Marlon’s actor jokingly asking about what would happen in Truman dies.

While the rest stays true to the script, the tone of one scene is completely different. When Truman is missing on page 90, Marlon is sent in to his house to find him. In the film, Marlon comes in with beers speaking in a tone as if he just wants to hang out. Christof even comments “Good. Keep it light”. In the script, however, Marlon acts as if there is a big disaster happening outside and is trying to warn Truman. I prefer the tone in the film as it plays more to Marlon’s laid back character and the contrast of panicking once it’s revealed that Truman is missing makes the act stand out.

With the big search for Truman starting on page 93, there is a very minor shot that the script describes that I feel robs the scene of some of its sense of mystery and suspense.  The script briefly shows Truman in a disguise and the dialogue in the studio is different. In the film, Christof explains to the executives that they’re getting higher ratings with the “TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES” shot than they have ever had on the show. The script has Christof joke about revealing the whole façade to Truman in an attempt to flush him out. The rest of the scene plays out the same visually with Truman being revealed to be escaping by yacht however the film adds a great line with Christof looking at the footage and saying “Truman, where are you going” in a subtle and quiet manner. He knows that Truman literally has nowhere to go and there is nothing they can do to stop him with threatening his life. For the rest of the scene, the script and film beautifully convey Christof’s desperation for keeping Truman by having him shouting demands to capsize the yacht until he finally realises the reality of the situation and gives up. Truman was basically a son to him and he can’t bear the thought of drowning him so he decides its best just to let him go.

Once Truman hits the edge of the set, Truman’s emotion is different between  script and film. The script sees him laughing at the absurdity of the situation and the film has him desperately trying to break through the wall. The film is more fitting due to his own desperation however it wouldn’t be out of character to laugh at the situation either.  It is here that Christof finally gets to speak to Truman. Most of the conversation is word for word except for one small difference that, to me, sticks out because of how subtle a meaning Ed Harris gives to Christof’s delivery. The line in the film is “I am the creator of a television show” however Harris pauses very briefly after saying the word “creator”. This, reinforced by the booming voice coming from the clouds, invokes the comparison of Christof to God, often referred to as the creator too. Both versions feature the most perfect line that captures the very essence of the film which is Truman’s backhanded comment that Christof “never had a camera in my head”. No matter what Christof could control within the show, he couldn’t control what Truman was thinking nor could be even see what Truman was thinking.

The most shocking discovery I had when looking through the script is when I got to the very end. The very last line in the film is one of the viewers of ‘The Truman Show’, having just witnessed the end of a television phenomenon upon Truman’s escape, looks around for the TV guide and asks “what else is on?”. This line perfectly encapsulates the very power that TV has and sums up human nature. When something so powerful is over, we just shrug it off and move on once the celebrations are over.