The Truman Show: The Shooting Script (Paperback)

~ (Author), Peter Weir (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Jim Carrey is getting smarter and smarter. The crude, rich clown took far less than the $20 million he could have gotten in order to star in Peter Weir's film The Truman Show, which made the covers of Time and Entertainment Weekly as "The Year's Best Movie." Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man whose entire life has been a hit TV docudrama without his knowledge. This screenplay (by Gattaca author Andrew Niccol) is required reading, and the 35 good-quality color stills from the film in the photo album at the center of the book are nicely laid out with helpful, intelligent captions.

But The Truman Show: The Shooting Script also offers something not found in theaters: the back-story to the script, written by director Weir, who has never been weirder. It was so important to the creation of the movie that Weir actually hired Harry Shearer to help create a "mockumentary"--a documentary on the making of the movie. The mockumentary was scrapped, though a few scenes wound up in the finished film; what Weir gives you here is the whole prequel, "A Short History of The Truman Show." It tells how Christof (played by Ed Harris in the film), a promising, idealistic, Oscar-winning documentarian concerned with homeless people, conspired with shady ex-NASA operatives and the terrifying Omnicam Corp. to create a fake town full of actors and imprison the unsuspecting child Truman Burbank in it by messing with his head. For instance, they made Truman afraid of water so that he wouldn't swim away from his "home." It's a trip--and it just might provide a peek into certain dark crannies of the mind of Oscar-winning director Peter Weir. Just because you've seen The Truman Show, you don't know everything in this book. --Tim Appelo

Review

A satire of Orwellian proportions, cleverly conceived, masterfully executed...with a knowing script that evokes the caustic wit of Paddy Chayefsky. -- Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter

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Product Details

• Paperback: 115 pages
• Publisher: Newmarket Press; 1st THUS edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557043671
• ISBN-13: 978-1557043672
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #690,582 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Filling in the holes..., July 24, 2000

By	"rukmini" (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews

As this is a review of this particular book, I won't spend time going into the details of how much I loved the movie, how I found it to be an allegory for life itself, how I nearly started a master's in Literature to be able to write a thesis on it, or why I think some of the creepiest moments in Hollywood can be found in this brilliant movie. Instead, I will recommend this book, because it gives the reader some background details on Truman than help explain some of the more obscure scenes in the movie. In addition, the reader gets to see where Carrey made changes to the way Niccol had originally pictured the film, and how these changes helped bring the movie to greatness. The book is also handy to have around the house when the VCR is broken.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest scripts of all time, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This is one of the greatest movies ever, mostly because of the brilliant script. The first time I saw the movie I thought it was simply okay. But after my second viewing I noticed the subtle symbols and how great the script is, I have seen this movie 20 times and I can honestly say I have noticed something new each time, how many movies can you say that about. All the street signs are named after actors (Lancaster,Stewart,Barrymore)and the characters' names as well (Meryl (Streep) Laurence (Oliver) Vivian (Leigh) Angela (Lansbury) Spencer (Tracey) Marlon (Brando) and Pluto) and my personal favorite the I Love Lucy reference.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, February 24, 2004

By	Yvonne (Germany) - See all my reviews

This is one of the greatest movies ever, mostly because of the brilliant script. It is pretty touching, creative, emotional and it really makes you think about how privilegded you are with your own privacy.
Christof tries, or better say he still did, to create a „perfect world" for Truman. A life, without any real emotions and "the best human actors". But the movie shows that a life without any emotions, including sadness, fear or pain, could never exist.
But nevertheless, sometimes I was wondering, how realistic und plausible it seems. You begin to ask yourself what if this all happens to you!?
I think this movie is open to many interpretations, which is what makes it so interesting.