The Truman Show

Factual error: When the bus breaks down, steam is shown coming out of the front of the bus. GMC buses have the engine and radiator in the rear.

Continuity mistake: When Marlon stocks the vending machine, the camera (inside the back of the machine) shows him stocking the 1st row with brown-wrapper candy bars. He starts stocking the 2nd row with yellow-wrapper bars; Truman interrupts him for a minute (during which Marlon doesn't touch the bars at all). When Marlon continues, the yellow bars have changed to something darker (it's not just a different camera view; even barcodes are different). After another brief interruption, Marlon continues again, and the yellow bars are back. (00:35:00)

Continuity mistake: When the fallen lamp has settled, the glass and parts of the housing are in the sunlight, and the light is in the shadow, with the camera looking into the side of the shadow. As Truman comes out to investigate, the light has been turned to a new direction, the pieces of the housing are missing, and the glass is splayed out a lot more than it originally was.

Movie Nut

More mistakes in The Truman Show

Trivia: The name of Truman's boat is the "Santa Maria" - a ship sailed by Christopher Columbus. It is symbolic of going to a new land or a "new" place.

Trivia: The motto on the double archway in the Seahaven town center is UNUS PRO OMNIBUS, OMNES PRO UNO: "One for all, all for one" in Latin, thus fitting the premise of the Truman Show. (00:15:50)

More trivia for The Truman Show

Truman Burbank: Good morning! And in case I don't see you, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

Question: Just something that has interested me for a while. Did all the people in the town grow up with Truman (eg. his classmates) or are they all different actors? Also do all the actors live on set or do they have lives outside the show?

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: Clearly, in his media interviews, Truman's best friend, Marion, indicates that he did, indeed, grow up with Truman since they met in elementary school. One could extrapolate that his classmates did, as well. A sudden change of actor from one day to the next would be too much of tip-off to Truman. As actors leave the show, there is a story along with it. His father is presumed to have died, and returns later. I'm sure others move away. The main characters (Truman's wife, parents, close co-workers, and other key figures in his life) also appear to live "in world" and have devoted their entire lives to the Truman project. It is not made clear about the extras, though.

Michael Albert

It's kinda hard to believe though that a little boy (Marion) is faking it all so well for all these years since his childhood without raising any suspicion.

He probably didn't get to know it until a late age. In the bus, a little girl was confused and almost tell her mum that there was Truman, so a kid can't keep up the secret. I'm pretty sure they don't know it. But on the other hand, when he says he wants to be an explorer all the classmates freak out, as if they knew it would put in danger the show. So maybe the classmates and even the best friend had been selected after making sure they wouldn't mess up and reveal the secret.

Answer: In a deleted scene, "Marlon" explained that he didn't realise he was auditioning for the show. Only that his mother was the casting director and told him that he would be in this class with Truman and that he would be known as Marlon from then on. In regards to the classmates, they weren't freaking out, they were laughing at the prospect of Truman wanting to be an explorer. With the other actors, only his family, Marlon, and a few close friends/co-workers would live on set. If they want to have a break to visit their friends/family on the outside I'm sure they would have been allowed to. Just come up with a story of why you are leaving for X time and Truman would buy it.

Question: Why didn't they just bring Sylvia/Lauren Garland back on set, to stop him finding out about Truman's true nature? It was Sylvia that Truman wanted to go off and go to Fiji with.

Shadow5

Chosen answer: Because she would have revealed the truth to him. That's why she was removed from the set in the first place.

Phixius

Question: If Christof didn't want Truman to escape on his boat, rather than trying to kill him with huge waves, why didn't he just leave the water completely flat? With no wind Truman would not be able to reach the edge and leave, but he still would've lived.

Answer: He'd been hoping the waves would discourage Truman and make him turn back. It's a lot easier to agitate water than it is to calm it, so by the time he saw it wasn't working, even if he's thought of that, it would have been too late.

Captain Defenestrator

More questions & answers from The Truman Show

Trailer not working?

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.