Pratique du Shadowing: When Does Truman Figure It Out? - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo
Création de la leçon...
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The Truman Show is about Truman finally figuring out a grand conspiracy, that his life is a fabrication, and that everyone he knows is an actor.
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But when exactly does he figure it out?
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Over the 20 years I've been a fan of this film, my perspective on this topic has shifted,
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ultimately taking me to a reading that dramatically recontextualizes the film.
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There are many moments throughout the film where little nuances in performance, facial expressions or single words are used to distract,
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conceal the truth, avoid something, or draw attention.
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One amazing way to watch this film is to actively imagine it as a kind of spy or detective flick, where everyone is in on the secret, but who's gonna give it away?
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How much does Truman know when and what sets him off?
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The obvious inciting incident is the crash down of a studio light in the street outside Truman's house, right at the beginning of the film.
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This is actually a part of the story that was always there, that's been there since the very first draft of the script.
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It's positioned as the first of several weird things that caused Truman to question his reality.
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Thus begins Truman's own journey of discovery
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and the beginning of a phase for the cast
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and crew of his life as they scramble to make excuses and cover things up.
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Classical Clive is the first up, lying on the radio about a damaged aeroplane.
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This is classical Clive with classical drive, so why don't you forget about the perils of flying?
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Fuck you classical Clive.
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There are lots of moments in the film where the dynamic changes and where members of the cast give themselves away, some obvious, some more open to interpretation.
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This isn't entirely comprehensive, but I'm going to go through a list.
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The twins, Ron and Don, and their very noticeable product placement.
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And how's your lovely wife?
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The ticket guy at the crossing watching Truman to see if he'll actually get on the boat.
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Basically, any time Meryl advertises a product and does her advertising voice.
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Why don't you let me fix you some of this new Mo Cocoa drink?
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The rain sequence where rain selectively falls on Truman for a little bit before the rest of it catches up.
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Hahahaha!
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Lots of moments in the high school flashback, things like the how is it going to end pin, Sylvia not knowing her name,
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not knowing Japanese, saying that she can't talk to him, Sylvia's fake dad and basically that whole scene.
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Konnichiwa.
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What?
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The radio malfunction on his way to work, the awakening scene with the,
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you know, iconic music, with the elevator green room and the traffic and Truman starting to feel like he can control things.
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Characters checking their watches, repeated movements, or not responding to Truman in normal ways.
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It's one of an unpredictable lens.
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They can't, you know.
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Anything happen?
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No. His mother being pushy with photo albums to try and, you know, seemingly try and take him off the scent of doctored photos.
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The travel agent still having her makeup cloth on.
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The little girl on the bus pointing at Truman and saying, is that you know who?
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Before being shushed by another actress.
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The sad bus driver.
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The police officer using his first name at the power plant
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and then the kind of police officer in the next scene leaning in, which I've mentioned, kind of trying to get a peek of the celebrity.
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You're welcome, Truman.
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Truman.
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Obviously the moment where he's hassling Meryl and she calls out and addresses the crew. Do something!
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And in the heart-wrenching Marlon scene where he says he would never lie to him.
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That look, that LOOK that Jim Carrey gives in that moment, there is a moment that feels to me, at least, like recognition.
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His eyes lift slightly, then he turns to Marlon with this kind of horror.
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The beauty of it, of course, is that it's ambiguous.
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But to me, it feels like in that moment, Truman realizes he can't trust Marlon.
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To figure out how much Truman knows and when, you kind of have to work backwards.
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In the dramatic climax of the story, Truman tricks the cameras and escapes through a hole he has dug leading from his basement to the front lawn,
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and from there he makes it to the coast and steals a boat.
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All of this happens off screen, and by the time we catch up to him he's already out to sea.
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I had probably watched this movie at least ten times
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when on a rewatch I noticed something that completely shook my understanding of Truman and the timeline of his escape.
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Just nine minutes into the film, after the scene at the dock, Meryl returns home to find Truman gardening.
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Hi honey!
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He's positioned on his knees facing away from the camera and doesn't stand up to meet her.
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She advertises the chef's pal, he says, Wow!
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That's amazing!
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She makes a joke about missing a spot and then leaves.
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Truman, missed a spot.
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It's a short, harmless scene that illustrates their lackluster marriage.
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I'd never thought much about it, although I had always found it kind of odd that we have this big shot of Jim Carrey's arse, and he stays on the ground the whole time.
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Then it hit me.
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He's digging the hole.
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He's digging the hole!
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We're not even ten minutes into the movie, and Truman is executing his escape plan, this changes everything.
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With this in mind, I think it's very safe to say Truman knows at least something about what's going on.
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He suspects things even if he hasn't had them confirmed.
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He suspects enough to be planning his escape.
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When you realise this, it kind of flips the table.
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You're watching Truman try not to give away what he already knows.
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If you've read articles about The Truman Show, like I certainly have, you might have seen the protagonist described as unaware or oblivious, and he's not.
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The more I've watched this film, the more I've come to believe that Truman, from the very start, already knows more than they think he does.
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We see him attempt a few exploratory missions, testing his environment, seeing what he can get away with,
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but also feeds them misinformation.
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In a way, after years of not knowing he was living on a stage, we watch Truman finally become a performer.
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Nothing more beautifully conveys this than when, in the final moments of the film, he recites his catchphrase, In case I don't see ya,
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good afternoon, good evening and good night.
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Then takes a bow.
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The look on his face in that moment is the look of a man who has played everyone.
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Of course no single reading of a film or piece of art should be treated as gospel.
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The great thing about good art is that it can and should be interpreted differently by different people.
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A lot of what I'm reading into comes down to tiny nuances in performance, details that might be happy accidents or just unintentional.
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If they were intentional, they may have been injected at later stages in the process, such as the power of editing and post-production.
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They may not have been inventions of the director or of the writer.
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It's also entirely possible that I've watched this film too many times, and I have overthought it, and my theories at this point are basically fanfiction.
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But I think, dear listener, that Truman knows what's going on before the film even starts.
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Nowadays when I watch The Truman Show, I delight in this level of detail and speculation that turns the whole movie on its head.
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It's at once both complicated and kind of simplified.
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The entire 120 minutes are Truman's escape, And we're watching everybody else figure it out.
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Thank you for listening to True Talk.
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My name is Christopher Bingham.
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And if you enjoyed this, make sure you subscribe.
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Vocabulaire et conseils d’expression pour cette leçon
Cette leçon d’expression orale de niveau B2 s’appuie sur la vidéo « When Does Truman Figure It Out? ». Les mots qui reviennent le plus souvent : Truman, film, moment, scene, escape. Cette vidéo contient 97 phrases et 1341 mots à répéter en shadowing. La partie parlée dure 8:21. Le locuteur parle à un rythme naturel d’environ 161 mots par minute, proche d’une conversation courante. 82 % des mots font partie des 3 000 mots les plus courants en anglais ; le reste mérite d’être vu avant de commencer.
Vocabulaire clé de cette vidéo
Les 15 mots les plus avancés de la vidéo, avec leur prononciation et leur sens :
| Mot | Prononciation | Sens |
|---|---|---|
| nuance nom | /ˈnjuː.ɑːns/ | nuance, détail |
| advertise verbe | /ˈædvɚˌtaɪ̯z/ | annoncer |
| awaken verbe | /əˈweɪkən/ | réveiller |
| catchphrase nom | phrase fétiche, réplique culte | |
| exploratory adjectif | /ɛkˈsplɒɹ.ə.tə.ɹi/ | exploratoire |
| fabrication nom | /fæbɹɪˈkeɪʃən/ | fabrication |
| flashback nom | /ˈflæʃ.bæk/ | retour en arrière, analepse |
| incite verbe | /ɪnˈsaɪt/ | inciter |
| inject verbe | /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛkt/ | injecter |
| lackluster adjectif | /ˈlæklʌstə/ | terne |
| malfunction nom | /ˌmælˈfʌŋk.ʃən/ | défaut de fonctionnement |
| oblivious adjectif | /əˈblɪviəs/ | ignorant, inconscient |
| overthink verbe | surpenser, surréfléchir | |
| recite verbe | /ɹɪˈsaɪt/ | réciter |
| rewatch verbe | /ɹiːˈwɒtʃ/ | reregarder |
Les verbes à particule que vous entendrez
| Mot | Sens |
|---|---|
| figure out verbe | cerner |
| call out verbe | préciser, spécifier |
| get away with verbe | s'en tirer |
| give away verbe | offrir, donner |
| go through verbe | traverser |
| stand up to verbe | tenir tête |
La grammaire de cette vidéo
Les structures que le locuteur utilise le plus, avec les mots exacts de la vidéo :
| Structure | Dans la vidéo |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + participe passé — une action passée qui compte encore maintenant | I've been · I've mentioned · has dug |
| Voix passive be + participe passé — l’accent est mis sur ce qui arrive, pas sur qui le fait | being shushed · should be treated · should be interpreted |
Prononciation à surveiller
Le locuteur utilise 24 contractions et formes réduites, comme I've, can't, don't. Prononcez-les sous leur forme courte, telles que vous les entendez.
- Les sons « sh » et « zh »: fabrication /fæbɹɪˈkeɪʃən/, flashback /ˈflæʃ.bæk/, malfunction /ˌmælˈfʌŋk.ʃən/, misinformation /ˌmɪs.ɪn.fɚˈmeɪ.ʃən/, unintentional /ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/
- Mots longs — placez bien l’accent: exploratory /ɛkˈsplɒɹ.ə.tə.ɹi/, fabrication /fæbɹɪˈkeɪʃən/, misinformation /ˌmɪs.ɪn.fɚˈmeɪ.ʃən/, unintentional /ˌʌnɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, ambiguous /æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs/
Les sons difficiles pour les francophones :
- /h/ — il se souffle, il n’est pas muet: hassle /ˈhæsl̩/, harmless /ˈhɑɹmləs/
- /tʃ/ et /dʒ/ — à ne pas adoucir en « ch » et « j »: inject /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛkt/, rewatch /ɹiːˈwɒtʃ/, wrench /ˈɹɛnt͡ʃ/
- /r/ anglais — langue recourbée, sans frotter la gorge: aeroplane /ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n/, exploratory /ɛkˈsplɒɹ.ə.tə.ɹi/, fabrication /fæbɹɪˈkeɪʃən/, recite /ɹɪˈsaɪt/, rewatch /ɹiːˈwɒtʃ/
Comment s’entraîner avec cette vidéo
- Écoutez la vidéo en entier une fois sans parler et notez les mots que vous ne connaissez pas.
- Commencez à la vitesse 0,75×, répétez phrase par phrase, puis revenez à la vitesse normale quand cela devient facile.
- Enregistrez-vous et comparez avec l’original, en faisant attention à des mots comme nuance, advertise, awaken.
Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?
Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.