The Truman Show

In 1931, James Truslow Adams defined the American Dream thusly: "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. Over time, this idealism has appeared in various visual incarnations. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, television sitcoms set in suburbia seemed to embody everything upwardly mobile Americans were looking for: a house in suburbia, a good job, a car, and relative safety and predictability. Peter Weir envisioned The Truman Show as a satire, invoking these ubiquitous images to build Truman's glistening cage. Weir found inspiration for the look of the film by poring over iconic television sitcoms like "Ozzie and Harriet" and "I Love Lucy." Christof's creation is a protection from the "sick" outside world that has perverted the American Dream. Weir's film points to the hollowness of the pursuit of that dream - a concept that is just as unreal as Seahaven Island.