Exercising of Power Over Body in The Movie The Truman Show

Abstract

The Truman Show (1998) illustrates the situation and experiences of Truman Burbank and issue of constant surveillance which is used as a form of entertainment for the masses. Truman Burbank is the subject matter for the reality show, whose life is broadcasted by the creator of the show by using five thousand hidden cameras to the millions of viewers and he is totally unknown about this. The theoretical framework of this research paper combines theories of Panopticon, hyperreality and cinematography. The theory of hyperreality focuses on how meaning is misrepresented by media. The media broadcast the Burbank’s life experiences but he is surrounded by false reality. Theory of cinematography discusses to explore how the use of different cinematography technique such as lighting, music, camera angle to create that what viewers are watching is real. Similarly, the theory of panopticon focuses on how a panoptic framework would impact on individual identity and how Seaheaven Island serves function of a panopticon. The main conclusion to be drawn from this work is that, surveillance is an element that is used as a disciplinary power and it tends to be of the quiet kind. Hyperreality is used to misrepresent the meaning of the story through media to the audiences in the show that they cannot figure out what is real and what is not real? It blurs the line between reality and fiction. Key Words: panopticon, surveillance, simulacra, hyperreality, media control.