Review of Truman Show, The

Introduction

When it was announced that rubber-faced funnyman Jim Carey was to embark on a high conept movie about a man adopted by a movie mogul, many thought that this would be a step too far for his talents. However, The Truman Show emerged as an excellent and thought-provoking piece, and showed Carey had abilities beyond slapstick. The Truman Show convincingly portrayed what was essentially a very difficult concept to sell, and did it in a much more entertaining way that the subsequent and similar EdTV.

Video

The video quality is very good. The almost false colours of Truman`s home town are bright, and the sky always a rich blue, and these intentionally over-rich colours are well recreated. There are no signs of artifacts, and the picture overcomes being an NTSC source excellently, although there is still a little banding. The picture is framed at 1.66:1. This is an unusual choice, based presumably on the film`s relation to a television show. The presentation certainly does not distract, and works well with both 4:3 and 16:9 screens.

Audio

This is a film which does not stretch the sound envelope, but the audio is solid and believable. The dialogue is always clear and anchored at the centre speaker, and the music is faithfully recreated to aid the atmosphere of the film.

Features

Paramount have never really demonstrated a great interest in additional material, and this disc is lacking in extras. It has also been criticised for it`s animated menus giving away certain parts of the plot. This is a problem that studios are going to have to become more alive to as disc menus become more and more detailed. If clips or animations from the film are to be used, then those creating them will have to give consideration to people who may be viewing them before they have ever seen the film, and be aware of any possibility of spoiling the experience of the film by revealing any information. Generally though, the animated and themed menus are a pleasant touch. In addition, English and French soundtracks and subtitles are available, and there are two theatrical trailers.

Conclusion

A good solid buy. Both the video and sound quality of this disc are excellent, and the film itself is excellent. Although there are not a great number of extras, there is little not to like about this disc.