For a split second, you almost see concern in Marlon's eyes before he delivers the lying line. It's also terrific how the line is said in such a sad way that you can't truly tell if Marlon is playing it up as instructed or if he genuinely realizes how bad he betrayed his childhood "friend" 's trust. That's the real gaslighting.
This scene has always stricken me as very psychologically complex in how emotionally scarring it is - not just to Truman but to Marlon as well. When Marlon says "The last thing I would ever do is lie to you," the first time I saw this scene I thought to myself, "Dude, you are psychologically damaging this person, and you freaking know it."
You can also feel the regret in Marlon's lines.. the crying, that's all HIM, like he doesn't want to be having to say these things to Truman and he's very conflicted.
It's a shame they couldn't fit a confrontation with Marlon in the story. Truman faces off against the director, but not his friend. We know from extra info and deleted scenes that Marlon was somewhat conflicted about what he was doing, but in the actual movie we get no indication that Marlon regrets what he is doing.
Maybe not "No" indication, but an ambiguous one. Notice how the only line we don't hear fed to Marlon here by Kristoff is the "I'd have to be in on it too." I'd like to assume this was an improvised line by Marlon's actor to tell Truman the truth in a subtle enough way not to be reprimanded for it. Truman's glance could be saying "Not you too," but I imagine it as "Understood."
When you see Marlon in the deleted scene where Kristolf talks to the cast, or even in that 'behind the scenes' video, where he talks about becoming an alcoholic due to having to drink real beer with Truman, you really get a sense of much more to his character. I wish we could have gotten an even longer movie, a directors cut, maybe adding an extra 30 mins expanding and showing the characters even more.
What makes this scene creepy imo is the lack of no real "natural ambience". There's no crickets. No wind blowing. No splashing of waves of the nearby "ocean". It's just two guys surrounded by pure darkness and silence. It really highlights the fact this is just one big enormous stage. Everyone else is most likely out of the dome in their actual homes until they have to come into work the next day and it's just these two. The music doesn't help either. It makes me feel lost and scared, not knowing what's hiding in the darkness. Just like Truman feels no doubt.
You mean being stuck inside of the big bowl that has everything fake on the ground and big fake sun which is a light. And the only that keeps it going is the ads that covers the bills, brainless watchers and selfish workers.
Probably the best scene of the movie. I like to think this is where Truman realizes how scripted everything is, and that's the real reason he's crying.
The moment where Marlon feels guilty about lying to Truman is when Truman discovers Marlon is also an actor. He does a great job of not showing it, but it is then that he decides to plan his escape.
Truman knows Marlon is lying the moment he says "The last thing I would ever do is lie to you." Everyone lies, even to friends, once in a while. Christof was so out of touch with humanity while feeding this line to Marlon, he didn't realize it would give everything away.
Very insightful...but I feel that his character, along with many others, didn't truly believe they were hurting Truman and didn't care that they were "lying" to him. Just became a way of life.
The "last thing I would do" thing was just tooo much haha, it's like Truman first then started to think back just a few lines ago and be like oh damn yeah, of course, if everyone is in on it then you too huh, what do you mean lie to me?
Thanks to so many people who have come here to watch and comment on this scene. It is a brilliant movie. One that illuminates and cautions us, regardless of entity or dimension. The vision of Andrew Niccole (script) and Peter Weir (director) is paradigm changing. We must ask ourselves, at what point does "art" intrude and diminish life? If "art" suborns perjury (lying) and exploits those who have not given informed consent, is it art at all?? Or is it the plaything of a disingenuous, unethical elite who believe they are somehow empowered to condescend to the ignorant? What we can be sure of is, Truman's "friend" is a misanthropic snake. And the world Truman is thrust into, is the manifestation of a solipsistic society believing it is right to lord it over the "monkeys." That society should watch the feature film series "Planet of the Apes." As predicted, Simian anthropoids may someday elect to mete out justice in a disturbing way.
this is nuts because we as the viewer see Truman and his best friend because Truman sees his best friend. However as Truman starts talking about his real feelings, we, as well as Truman, don't know if Marlons words are true or not. And as Marlon keeps talking the sinister music grows louder and louder. At face value this is a scene of a man consoling his pretend best friend, but the music presents this as the ultimate betrayal, the lowest point of the movie from Trumans perspective. It makes Marlon look like a supervillain when in any other movie this would be the pep talk before the great triumph. And what the characters don't say make it that much more real.
Thank you soooooooo much for uploading this video up on RU-vid. It helped me so much for my English Assignment. You have no idea how long it took me to find the perfect video. :D
Would disagree that Marlon is trying to put across any sort of message. I think the director was trying to draw attention to how messed up the cast are throughout the film given that they have lived their whole lives knowingly under false pretences, throwing away everything just to be part of a fake world that they'll rarely step foot outside of. The analogy here is that there are similarly fucked up people just like this in our own society that have contributed towards a similarly fake world.
does anyine else find it a little peculier that the producer of the show has managed to afford a whole town with electrictity, running water and actors (that have to devote their lives) as well as a massive bloody dome with natural weather and stars built in, as well as an ocean, forest and beach. WHO ON EARTH IS THAT RICH
Its said that the show is the most watched in the us for 30 years and 24 hours a day. The money you could pull in from that could possibly justify the production costs.
"I'd have to be on it too". Pretty sure he was telling Truman that what he is saying is a lie - He wouldve had to of become emotionally attached after all these years. Truman would have to know how his best friend communicates. He wasnt lying, he was telling Truman that its all a lie.
@elro1822 Interesting idea elro. But Truman is motivated by the one person who is honest with him. The girl from "Fiji." At some point professional deceit is no longer an excuse. Those who speak the truth plainly, openly, without fear, are our friends.
Insightful comment lemmingstu. But there is no excuse for treachery. No actor "has" to deliver a bald face lie... ever. Unless they are gutless, soulless, with little or no integrity. The value of this clip is to remind us of the price of courage, and the failure to exercise it.
If everyone is watching it on tv.How can he not just turn on a tv and see himself? that would of been great to see that...But still was a awesome movie!
