Pleasantville
Description of Film:
This film provides an interesting and very different
take on difference and change. Pleasantville
itself is sitcom set in the 1950s. The city
and the people in it are portrayed in black
and white. Everyone is always happy and pleasant;
the weather is always nice and pleasant. Everything
is always right; nothing ever goes wrong. One
evening during a sibling argument over the remote
control, two teenagers are transported to the
other side of the TV screen, into Pleasantville.
David (Tobey Maquire, Spiderman, Seabiscuit,
The Cider House Rules) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon,
Walk the Line, Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama)
introduce Pleasantville to new ideas and concepts
that the residents had never once considered.
When people start acting differently, the city
starts to change. For example, the basketball
team doesn’t make every shot and teenagers
start making out. As people begin to think for
themselves, they accept change and embrace it.
When this occurs, the black and white residents
of Pleasantville turn into Technicolor. The
Technicolor people are ridiculed and belittled
by the old black and white residents. When David
and Jennifer leave Pleasantville, the citizens
live in the real world like everyone else. In
this world, everything isn’t perfect and
you don’t know what is going to happen
next. Change just becomes a part of life.
The film was directed and written by Gary Ross
who also directed Seabiscuit. The film was nominated
for 3 Oscars and several other awards.
Why I Recommend This Film:
When it comes down to it, this movie contains
a positive, lighthearted message. The film reveals
many truths about society. I liked the movie
because you were able to step outside of reality
and see discrimination and go ‘dang that
is so silly, why dislike them for that?!’
Change is feared by many. A lot of people can’t
and aren’t willing to accept things they
know nothing about. This was a great movie that
will put a smile on your face. It deals with
prejudice and oppression in a different light.
Why This is Film Important:
As the town people started changing colors
they were oppressed by the oldies. They were
discriminated and ridiculed because they were
different. Change is permanent. There are more
than a few people who don’t agree with
premarital sex, but people do it. There are
some people who don’t agree with women
working and man staying home but those couples
are out there. You can not do anything about
the differences in the world or about the change
that occurs, it will happen like it or not.
The message: Embrace Change, good or bad, it’ll
occur anyways.
Favorite Quotation:
Pleasantville Weathercaster: “Today’s
high is 72, Low of 72 and not a cloud in sight.”
When “reality” came to Pleasantville
and it started to rain, people were afraid.
They didn’t know what rain was. This shows
how comfortable people can be with “the
norm.” When something new comes their
way, they don’t know how to take it. In
our society, change happens rapidly, so fast
that some people do not know how to react. Therefore,
they just reject change. However, after awhile,
even the residents of Pleasantville saw the
beauty in the rain.
Reference: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120789/
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1800019257 |
