Film Review: Pleasantville (1998)

Fig. 1 Pleasantville (1998) Film Poster

Director Gary Ross Pleasantville is a 1990s film which jumps between its present day and the classic 1950s. The film follows two siblings David (Toby Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) through their daily routine of pretending each other doesnt exist. When it becomes a full on argument over the television a mysterious TV repairman arrives presenting them with a new remote which just so happens to suck them into living as part of Davids favourite sitcom Pleasantville. Of course sister Jennifer is none too pleased about this whereas, David is happy to be living a dream. The film then turns into a hunt to find a way out of this fictional world while stopping mayhem on the way. Then again, the film flips once more having a sort of change of heart or belief and sharing it with not just the audience like other films but the characters, inviting them to view what the film and audience can see but they cannot. Letting them make their own choices.

Fig. 2 Sucked into Pleasantville

And so it makes sense that Pleasantville should be black and white beyond its 1950s setting because the background of black and white television is now viewed as less expressive. Just look at the students who hate watching black and white films at school. They see them as boring, not as exciting, and bland even. So when colour starts to leak into the show the energy levels rise and the people of Pleasantville start to mould their own style, some even becoming less pleasant. The juxtaposition throughout and the role reversal is what makes Ross film carry such a powerful message with ease because it really sucks the audience into understanding each characters beliefs, something that the film is all about telling the audience to express themselves. Pleasantville does not merely attack morals but also offers the proposition that all external norms are oppressive and that redemption is found in people making their own internal, individual choices. (Godawa: 2002) There is the villainous element of the film that materialises when expression begins in the shape of mayor Big Bob who seems to be a metaphor for censorship and lack of free speech but the fact that he loses his battle against half of the townsfolk just goes to show Ross belief that making your own choices and not following the norm or accepted eventually overpowers these safe nave senses.

Fig. 3 Burst of colour to Pleasantville

Ross even goes as far as to bricolage ideas from actual history, calling his now free acting citizens of Pleasantville the coloureds symbolising the struggle that the Afro Caribbean community faced during this time. There are a lot of symbolic images throughout Pleasantville which bring the background of the characters both physical and mental and 1990s and 1950s to the foreground. Pleasantville is the kind of parable that encourages us to re-evaluate the good old days and take a fresh look at the new world we so easily dismiss as decadent. Yes, we have more problems. But also more solutions, more opportunities and more freedom. (Ebert: 1998) People were still facing identity struggles during the 90s especially the films teenage target audience and really we still are so the flashback to the sometimes forgotten darkness of the 50s really encourages the audience to believe that we are all one in the same in every era trying to find ourselves even amongst different/new problems of our society. This is one thing that will always remain the same because it is part of being human. It is meant to be embraced just like the people of Pleasantville do minus what we now would view as villainous acts of censorship from some characters. Really though they are not villainous characters, they represent the fear and worry of change. Of standing out from their background that has so well characterised the world they know for so long. There are no villains in Pleasantville the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. All in all, this

wonderful film speaks volumes about prejudice, the freedom of ideas, and the joys of diversity. (Clinton: 1998) We should not fear to break away from the background that surrounds us, that has been created for us. It may feel rude to reject it but there isnt anything saying that we have to accept it, rather that we are all unique individuals otherwise what would be the point of looking different we may as well be clones of each other fading into the background never to be noticed, never to surprise the world with a burst of energy, live, of colour.

Bibliography
Clinton, Paul. (1998) Pleasantville more than pleasant its brilliant http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9810/23/pleasantville.review/ (Accessed 09/10/2012) Ebert, Roger. (1998) Pleasantville http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19981001/REVIEWS/810010301 (Accessed 09/10/2012) Godawa, Brian. (2002) Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films With Wisdom & Discernment. U.S.A. InterVarsity Press. (Accessed 09/10/2012)

List of Illustrations
Fig. 1. Pleasantville (1998) Film Poster From: Pleasantville Directed by: Gary Ross. [film poster] On moviegoods.com http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_poster/pleasantville_1998.htm (Accessed 09/10/2012) Fig. 2. Sucked into Pleasantville (1998) From: Pleasantville Directed by: Gary Ross. [film still] On movieactors.com http://movieactors.com/actors/reesewitherspoon.htm (Accessed 09/10/2012) Fig. 3. Burst of colour to Pleasantville (1998) From: Pleasantville Directed by: Gary Ross. [Film Still] On wordpress.com http://buildingatlantis.wordpress.com/tag/costume/ (Accessed 09/10/2012)