The Truman Show has many genre and narrative issues, but one of the most outstanding issues is how hard it is to define The Truman Show through a genre. I would say that the film is a Comedy/Drama; however it is hard to fit it into one strong genre because it defies all conventions of the set genres, and almost creates its own genre – this makes he film interesting because it can then include many themes and stereotypes – this is something that The Truman Show does very well, using stereotypes such as the High School ‘Jock’ and the powerful, intelligent villain.
The narrative for The Truman Show is non-linear, as the film continuously flashes back but not too often that the film becomes confusing – this narrative goes against the theory of Vladimir Propp, who said that all stories work in a certain linear sequence; however the film does agree with Propp’s character theory:
· The Villain – Christof, who goes as far as trying to kill Truman to stop him from escaping
· The Donor/Helper/Princess – Sylvia, who gives Truman the information that everyone is acting. She is also considered the ‘Princess’ character because she is in love with Truman n he is trying to find her yet he is being stopped by the villain
· Hero – Truman, the main character that in the end prevails and finds the ‘princess’, this is part of Propp’s narrative theory.
I feel that every film applies to Roland Barthes’ theory that we establish understanding through signs, but examples of this that I can think of are the way that there are sometimes a darkened area around the edge of the camera, this is a sign that we read as someone is watching him.
Claude Levi-Strauss had a theory that we understand the world through binary opposites and there are many in The Truman Show. Some examples of these are Good Vs Evil, with Christof against Truman; Reality Vs Fantasy, with the real world against the fake one Truman lives in and Fear Vs Courage, as Truman is scared of the water at the start and as Christof states he is scared to leave but eventually gains courage and sails the boat to freedom.
Overall I feel that The Truman Show is a powerful film agreeing with several theorists, however it is sill unconventional and difficult to place in a genre.
