The Truman Show Blu-ray delivers stunning video and audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
Truman Burbank is a man whose life is a nonstop TV show. Really. His quaint hometown is a giant studio set run by a visionary producer/director/creator, folks living and working there are Hollywood actors, even his incessantly bubbly wife is a contract player. All Truman wants to do is find the true love of his life, but for some reason, the whole world seems against him...
For more about The Truman Show and the The Truman Show Blu-ray release, see The Truman Show Blu-ray Review published by Ben Williams on December 29, 2008 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.5 out of 5.
Jim Carrey has struggled to connect with audiences in recent years. Perhaps years of
promoting his slapstick persona and his public quest for an Academy Award have worn thin.
Things were a bit different back in 1998 when The Truman Show stunned audiences
and signaled Mr. Carrey's entrance into the world of dramatic filmmaking. Director Peter
Weir and writer Andrew Niccol challenged Carrey with a complex film that blended elements
of science fiction, social commentary and a unique, paranoid vision of the future. The
Truman Show is a remarkable film that has, for many viewers, fallen into obscurity as of
late. Viewers willing to give the film another chance will be treated to a truly rewarding film
that has aged remarkably well and has even become strangely prophetic in its ideas.
It's a wonderful life
Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) is a sweet-natured insurance salesman in the idyllic town of
Seaside. He's happily married, adored by his friends and family and seems to enjoy the
perfect existence. Not all is well with Truman, however. He's haunted by the memory of a
lost love (Natascha McElhone) and he feels a restless need to leave his life behind. As if to
make matters worse, Truman keeps stumbling into perplexing situations where strange
objects fall from the sky, strangers seem to know his name and he feels like he's being
watched. Truman isn't crazy, however. He's the subject of the world's most popular TV
show, "The Truman Show," and has been his entire life. Truman's existence has been
staged and scripted by a television producer named Christof (Ed Harris). Christof will stop
at nothing to ensure that Truman's entire life is lived out on television, even if that means
killing him as part of the show.
As is normally the case with any Peter Weir film, The Truman Show plays out in a
completely effortless manner. Perfect casting, a brilliant and thought-provoking script from
Andrew Niccol as well as a wonderful musical score all add up to a film that is sure to earn a
place in any viewer's memory. Much has been written and discussed about the film's
religious themes. Truman exists in a meticulously created world that is very much akin to
the garden of eden. The film goes to great lengths to show Truman's isolation within the
"world's largest soundstage"- - actually a gigantic geodesic dome that seems to be sitting
on top of the current location of Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California. Clearly,
Truman's last name is a reference to this. Themes of temptation and mortality are at the
core of Truman's story. Christof has made a career out of playing God in Truman's life and
the film strikes the perfect balance of delivering a religious allegory without directly bashing
the viewer over the head with an ideology. Some might find the film to be anti-religious
while others might see the film in the opposite light. Regardless, The Truman Show
is the kind of film that is so expertly crafted that it can mean a great many things to a great
many people.
Jim Carrey is, obviously, the center of the film and he does a brilliant job of giving Truman a
sympathetic voice that brings plentiful empathy to the character. Laura Linney is also
remarkably convincing as Meryl; Truman's phony wife who has apparently had enough of
her character. One of the most effective characters in The Truman Show is the
film's music itself. Composers Philip Glass and Burkhard Dallwitz have crafted and intricate
new-age score that borrows from Glass' distinguished body of work while building on his
incredible talents at setting mood through music. They create an eerie soundtrack that
underscores Truman's despair and emotional confusion that is both evocative and
emotionally stirring.
I can't recommend The Truman Show strongly enough. It's a stunning masterpiece
of a film that gets better with repeat viewings. It's a brilliant reminder of the heights that
film can achieve when striving for originality and compelling stories. The Truman
Show easily earns my highest recommendation.
The Truman Show arrives on Blu-ray in fantastic 1080p transfer. The film's original
matted aspect ratio of 1.85:1 has been opened up for this release, allowing the film to fill
the entire 1.78:1 frame that is native in 16:9 high definition televisions. Fear not, however,
as opening the matte does not cause any valuable picture information to be lost. Having
seen The Truman Show a number of times, I was immediately impressed with the
video quality evident in this release. The film looks fresh and crisp and doesn't suffer from
distracting dirt or residue. It's about as pristine as they come. Artifacts are also a non-
issue. I didn't detect a trace of edge enhancement, compression issues, banding or noise.
There is a small amount of grain present in the film that becomes more readily apparent in
dark scenes, but it never approaches excessive levels. Because The Truman Show
was shot with a purposefully warm look, skin tones can occasionally veer into orange
territory. I don't think this is the fault of the transfer; rather, it seems to be intentional. In
a comparison to the film's original DVD release, this Blu-ray edition is a clear upgrade
featuring significantly improved and more saturated colors, vastly increased detail and much
more pleasing contrast and black levels. The Truman Show looks spectacular on
Blu-ray.
I've been excited for quite some time to hear Philip Glass' amazing music for The Truman
Show in wonderful Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless, and, boy, does this disc not disappoint.
This stunning track's dynamics are among the best I've encountered on Blu-ray. Bass is
thunderous and dynamic, surround usage is creatively employed and the film's piano-centric
compositions have a weighty and expressive presence. And that's just the music! Dialogue
is also perfectly rendered with nary a hiss or uneven syllable. The film's few action oriented
scenes are also well presented with the occasional directional flourish and an abundant
sense of atmosphere. It's an enveloping experience that adds to the building tension in
Truman's quest of discovery. Highly recommended!
-How's It Going to End? The Making of The Truman Show
-Faux Finishing: The Visual Effects of The Truman Show
-Deleted Scenes
-Trailers & TV Spots
I wish I could say that The Truman Show was blessed with a massive collection of
extras. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Instead, we've been given two unremarkable
featurettes, several unimportant deleted scenes and a collection of trailers and TV spots.
I'm always glad to have theatrical trailers included, but there's really not much else here
worth diving into.
The Truman Show is a remarkable film that explores our culture's fascination with
voyeurism, celebrity and manipulation. It's a remarkable feat that this ten-year-old science
fiction film was able to predict our society's current obsession with reality television while
telling a profound story that isn't afraid to make statements about religion and morality. It's
a film that is more profound now than it was upon its release in 1998. This Blu-ray release
offers both near-reference quality audio and video, but is a bit skimpy on the extras. Fortunately, the
real draw here is this magnificent film. The Truman Show is a modern classic that
deserves to be in every Blu-ray library and easily earns my highest recommendation.
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Paramount Home Entertainment has revealed the technical specs and special features for the 11 upcoming catalog titles due for Blu-ray release from December through January. All titles will receive 1080p video encodes accompanied by a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. ...
