- Published: January 7, 2022
- Updated: January 7, 2022
- University / College: Michigan State University
- Language: English
- Downloads: 45
Truman Show
With new technology coming out every day, it seems as if the modern world has become anything but safe. Back in the 1950’s, there were no cell phones, social media, or anything that could expose you to harm. In the film The Truman Show, Christof chose the 1950’s for his set because there was no social media, life was more simple, and people were more content with what they already had.
The fact that there was no social media made the 1950’s the perfect time setting for Seahaven. This is because if there was social media, Truman would be able to see everybody talking about the show, which would blow their cover. There’s also nothing to be caught up in. There’s no need to update your Instagram or Facebook. You can just sit back and relax. Without social media, there’s less concern for what’s going on in the rest of the world. Christof didn’t want Truman to explore the outside world. Social media would have given Truman that opportunity, therefore, ending the truman show.
The overall reason why Christof chose the 1950’s as a time setting for Seahaven was because it was overall a much simpler time. Truman’s morning routine was wake up, eat breakfast, say hello to the neighbors, drive to the magazine stand, then drive to work. They don’t have magazine stands anymore. Not everybody greets their neighbors in the morning. Everybody is so caught up with their modern day lives that they don’t even have time for breakfast. There’s always something to worry about. Truman would have been miserable in a world like this. The 1950’s was the perfect setting for Seahaven because it was a much simpler time with less to worry about in general.
One thing that I love about the 1950’s is that everybody was content with what they had; which is what I think Christof was trying to bring back. He wanted Truman to live in a seemingly perfect world where everybody was happy. He wanted a world where everybody stayed home and rarely traveled. If he lived in the modern day world, everybody would be traveling and he would want to do the same. In the 1950’s the American dream was to have a beautiful wife, two kids, a desk job, and a house. Nowadays, the American dream is to have a successful career that pays six figures along with an oversized house, a maid, a flat screen television, and much more. Christof wanted to go back to a time where people didn’t need all of that.
There were overall many historical aspects of the 1950’s that make it the perfect time setting for Seahaven in The Truman Show. There was no social media for Truman to get caught up in. Life was a lot simpler. Everybody wanted to live the same lifestyle. People didn’t go above and beyond to satisfy their needs. This is what kept The Truman Show going for so long.
