real man

Abstract

Abstract:Thispaperisanappreciationofthefilm,thetrumen

show,t-modern

yandnon-realityarenottwo

originalityofTheTrumanShowisaffectedbythepost-modernview

ldwhereTrumanlivedisavirtualworldwhich

r,itistheepitomeorsimulacrumofthe

rumanShowisthe

ectsthe

socialpsychologyconfusioninthis"post-industrial"erathatisthe

problemofsimulationmakesthemodernpeoplemoreconfud

aboutreality.

Keywords:postmodernism;reality;hyper-reality;TheTruman

Show

uction

-modernism&hyper-reality

Hyper-realityisoneofthecoreconceptsinthelateJean

Baudrillard(Frenchsociologist,1929—)’-reality

llard

emporary

Westernsociety,theboundarybetweenrealityandfancy,realand

fakeisdisappearing,orimplosion,

wholeworldiscompodofthesimulacrumofthemodels,which

weusuallyconsideras“real”.Atthesametime,people’sfeeling

aboutrealityandthefoundationof“whatisreal”isdisappearing,

too.

llardcho

theword“hyper-real”,meansthatitismorerealthanthereal,a

“reality”thatnotreallyexistsbutcreatedbypublicmedia.

Sofromtheviewofpostmodernists,theworldisalreadynotan

hingishyper-real,and“real”isjustaconcept

aimingatlf-comforting.

1.2Aboutthetrumenshow

TheTrumanShowisa1998Americansatiricalcomedy-drama

filmchroniclesthelifeofamanwhoisinitiallyunawarethatheis

livinginaconstructedrealitytelevisionshow,broadcast

24-hours-a-daytobillionsofpeopleacrosstheglobefornearly30

edayTrumanbecomessuspiciousofhisperceived

realityandembarksonaquesttodiscoverthetruthabouthislife.

Finallyhemakesitandwalksoutofhisman-madelife.

er-realityintheshow

2.1AboutTrumenandhislife

Accordingtotheplotsofthefilm,trumenfinallywalksoutof

eventuallygetstothe“real”pointweshouldrethink

isthat,the“real”worldTrumenfinallyenteredismorerealoritis

justasthedirectorsaid,“thesamelieandsham”?

InTrumen’s30yearslife,fromthedayhewasborn,everything

es,streets,buildings,thea,the

sunandmoon,theneighbors,hisfriends,evenhiswifeandfamilies,

allthearefakeandarrangedbyagreattelevisionshowdirector,

andTrumen’slifeisa“realmen”anwhodoesn’t

knowthetruth,nhe

finallyfigureoutwhathefaces,hislifeisallhyper-reality,forthe

hat?Let

memakeitclearer.

Ina-heaven,Trumanisanordinarymanwhocouldbeanyone

hisownpersonalitiesandthoughts;

afamily,ajob,friends,

aymorning,hegetsupearlytogotoworkandsay

isfeelingdown,hewill

experiencehehasbeenthroughcanbeeneninanormalsociety.

SothisworldisrealtoTrumanwhonevergetsachancetoknowthe

hasmanyquestions

abouthislife,an

feelshisworldasarealworldbutdohassomethingabnormal.

However,whenTrumanfindsoutthatallhislifeisman-madeshow,

andeverythingaroundhimisacopyoftherealword,,hestartsto

becollapandplanstoescape,becauhedoesn’twanttobe

an,thewholeworldis

ends,family,

evenhiswifeisallactorsandactress,butthepeoplearetheones

thatTrumantrusts,andtheyhaveemotionalboundingand

onnectionsbetweenthemodel-like

tmodernists,thecreated

Baudrillardsaid,therealisnotinaccessible,butmoreandmore

artificial.

2.2AboutthedirectorandhisUtopia

Chritof,themanplaysasJesusChrist,thegreatdirectorofthe

show,istiredofthehypocriticalperformingintraditionalfilmsand

entstotheaudienceadramawithout

script,whichisconstructedaccordingtotheidealrealworldmodel

oticedthatpeopletodaycannotdistinguishthe

boundarybetweentherealandtheunrealinthesociety,sohegets

suchidea,stence,showsthat

inthemodernsociety,withthedevelopmentoftechnology,the

disminationofmanufacturingtechnologyaboutknowledge,

Informationandsymbolwillinevitablysubmergetheboundary

betweenrealityandfancy,whichresultingintheemergeamodel

ldhecreatedisaUtopia,andheplungeshimlfinit

andbetouchedbyhisown“Shakespeare”.

Whenpeoplequestionedaboutwhatheisdong,hesaid“I

ld,the

placeyoulivein,isthesickplaceSeaheavenistheworldshould

be.”Chritofisapostmodernists,heclearlysawthatthecommunity

hasbeencoveredbymassreplicasproducedbymassmedia,the

copieshaveproducedanaestheticfatigue,madethemUnbearable

onsidershisworkasrebuildingreality,butTruman’s

thesametimeshowsthatin

postmodernsociety,realityisinaccessible,andChritof’sUtopiacan

notbereachable.

2.2Abouttheaudience’sfeelingandtheirlife

Inmodernsociety,thepublicmayhavealreadyfeltthefactthat

theyarenolongerthesubjectofthesociety;howevertheyare

adcastoftheTrumanshowisaliveshow,

y

Lifeshows

someprivacythattheyusuallycannotreachto,sotheypreferto

ostmodernistsputit,“thepublicknow

theyknownothing,sotheydonotwanttoknow;Peopleknowthey

candonothing,sotheydonotwanttodo”.Peopletendtoaccept

whattheye,theychoosilence.

ehappyabout

Trumann’shappinessandanxiousandfearfulabouthissufferings.

hefinallygotoutoftheboundarydoorbetweentherealandthe

unreal,sthattheirfatesarebound

together,’sleave

givesthemhopetofightwiththehyper-realityworld.

However,whattheaudiencemaynotnoticeisthat,what

Trumanhavedoneisnotleavebutgetintoanotherso-calledreal

world,thepublic’’sehowrealtheirworldis:

AftertheglobalTVcead,televisionviewerscheeringas

Trumanintotherealworld,whattheycoulddorightnowisto

changethechannel,havealookatwhatotherTVprogramstheycan

have.

Underthecontrolofthemodernmedia,humanisdoomedto

havenowaytogetridofthehyper-reallife;theyhavealready

acceptedtherealitythattheywerepowerless,giveupandlaughat

theindependentpowertheycouldkeep.

sion

Wecansaythat,thisfilmtheTrumanshowisaverygood

rn

society,thereisnoreal,onlyhyper-reality,mostpeopleinthis

situationremainedsilent,andtheoccasionalresistances(suchasthe

protestactivistsofpostmodernists)justlikeTruman’sfinalending,

onlymovingfromasmallstudiotogoanothergreattheater.

Bibliography

[1]losophicaltrendsofwesternpostmodernismofTianjin

TianjinPeople:[M].Press,2003:324.

[2]Best,Knell,ZhangZhibin,derntheory:criticalquestioning[M].

Beijing:CentralCompilationandTranslationPress,1999

AnappreciationabouttheTrumanshow

Fromtheperspectiveofpost-modernviewofreality

Contents

Abstract

uction

1.1Post-modernism&hyper-reality

1.2AbouttheTrumanshow

er-realityintheshow

2.1AboutTrumanandhislife

2.2AboutthedirectorandhisUtopia

2.2Abouttheaudience’sfeelingandtheirlife

sion

Bibliography

辅修英语《影视欣赏》课程论文

题目：AnappreciationabouttheTrumanshow

Fromtheperspectiveofpost-modernviewofreality

从后现代主义真实观的角度对电影《楚门的世界》的赏析

学院：Theschoolofsociology社会学院

专业：Socialwork社会工作

学生姓名：钱梦琴（2009211517）

完成日期：2012年5月26日