Saturday, March 15, 2008

The Truman Show - Seahaven

Seahaven is a modern version of paradise, a hypothetical setting in which everything is somewhat perfect. It is portrayed as constructed reality, where everything is synthesized to be just right. However, it is important to note that things do not always work out nicely in Seahaven. From time to time, mishaps ranging from minor incidents to natural disasters do strike this little seaside town. For example, the lack of tickets at the travel agents office, the bus break-down, inexplicable traffic jams, the hurricane storm, and the boating accident leading to the death of Truman’s father. These events, as we know, have all been carefully staged by the makers of the reality TV programme in order to achieve certain objectives. (Most notably to induce hydrophobia in Truman thereby hindering his ability to escape) Seahaven, therefore, is not just a peaceful, master-planned community, but also a highly useful platform for the manipulation and control of Truman’s life.

The general ideology behind the American Dream includes the ability to succeed based purely on merit while not hindered by social class, status or position. It implies that every citizen has the right to this freedom; the statement equating hard work to achievement holds.

With this in mind we feel that Seahaven can be considered a satire on the American Dream. It IS the American Dream unblemished - contrary to reality, it is safe and heavily protected from outside influences. It has no crime because there is no real socio-economic disparity and no racial discrimination because most of the citizens are white, and there are no conflicts because of the lack of cultural diversity. It is set in the 1950s, which was seen to be a prosperous time in American history. In the show, everyone – that is, the cast – goes about their daily routine with a big, fake smile on their face. This gives the impression that life is good there, but the question is whether it is too good to be true. Is the director trying to inspire with the American Dream in its purest form or is he instead mocking the impossibility of the situation?

In our opinion, the makers of the reality TV programme are trying to communicate to us that everything may not be what they appear to be, and that our views and perceptions of the world may have been influenced by the relentless bombardment of messages by the media. The makers are trying to warn us not to believe in everything we see or hear, as like with Truman’s world, our media landscape is filled with news, politics, advertising and messages that may be nothing more that theatrical illusions aimed at distorting our version of reality and our perceptions.

At various stages in the movie, the director, Christof, employs product placement by making use of Marion, Truman’s wife to advertise various products of which the corporations sponsor the Truman show. This not-so-subtle insertion of product advertising is an exaggeration of the subtler product placements that we see and register subconsciously in real life. This shows that the media dictates what is popular and trendy for us, creating the innate desire in us for the products that they are selling, whether it be through shows, television or the radio.

Another message the makers may be trying to convey to us is, in the present world, privacy is had to get. The lives of many celebrities today, much like Truman’s, are striped to the barest, monitored constantly by tabloids, for us the readers to take a peep at their lives, regardless they like it or not. Like Truman, hidden cameras follow them around, and so similar to Truman, most of the time they are unaware that their actions are caught in the camera, for all to see.

Also, the makers may be trying to communicate that the American Dream is not as perfect as it may be, and that not everyone and everything can be trusted. There is also the possibility that things may break down at any point in time, thus showing that a perfect world is impossible, and that we cannot be sheltered from all the dangers we may possibly face in life. In depicting the breaking down of the staged set of Seahaven, as evident from the falling stage props and the malfunctioning radio, the makers dismiss the American Dream as nothing more than a castle in the air.

Similarly, reality TV and the media create in us the tendency to confuse reality and media-presented fiction. We tend to believe what is written in advertisements and presented to us by celebrities, even if it goes against our common sense. These pervasive messages are abundant in our everyday life, so much so that it becomes part of our reality.

It also goes to show that what we see through the media and what is conceived as ‘reality’, are actually indistinguishable. Many reality shows, such as The Truman Show, try to present to the audience the lives of others, unedited as they claim, but how much of those are actually scripted, and how much freedom are given to the leads of the show? Are we really looking at someone else’s life or are we subconsciously taking in the hidden messages that are intentionally placed by an ‘invisible hand’?

As Truman tries to escape the perfect world of Seahaven, he is faced with many obstacles and difficulties. Similarly, we are ensconced in a world where advertising and media influence is ubiquitous, thus making it difficult for us to discern right from wrong and make choices for ourselves.

Ming Mei, Yuan Ning, Chris Fang, Bertrand Na, Yi Xin
09SO6H

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