#45

PLEASANTVILLE

A movie about 2 teenagers from modern day society who get transported into a 1950’s television sitcom. Jennifer and David are siblings living in the 90s. Jennifer has a reputation of being promiscuous and rebellious. David is more reserved, subdued, and most importantly—obsessed with a 1950s tv sitcom called Pleasantville. Due to David’s obsession with the show, their tv repair man gives David and his sister a magical remote that transports them INTO the tv sitcom.

They are then thrust into a picture-perfect 1950s atmosphere where the people use phrases like “Gee golly” and “That’s swell”. The fashion consists of poodle skirts and sweater vests. There is no rock music, swear words aren’t allowed, and everyone goes through each day with a plastered smile on their face. Suffice to say, David and Jennifer don’t exactly fit in there.

As the film progresses, we see that there really is no depth in this pleasant town. The books are blank; they don’t have any text in them. The firemen in the town have never actually put out a real fire before. Their job consists of rescuing cats from trees. In the high school’s geography class, they are never taught about what cities and countries exist outside of Pleasantville. The townspeople are so sheltered because they’ve never been exposed to anything real. Flaws don’t exist. Everything in Pleasantville is pretty much perfect.

However, throughout the film, David and Jennifer introduce these people to sex, music, art, and other provocative experiences. As the townspeople’s views about life start to change,  the town’s black and white scenery starts to burst into color. But not all at once. With each minor change, a bit of color appears. It starts with a black and white rose turning red. The color eventually spreads, and soon cars, houses, and even the people begin bursting into color too. Of course, with change comes fear. And the townspeople who are still black and white become divided from those who have burst into color (the movie takes some cues from the real life racial segregation that took place in the U.S 40-50 years ago).

This movie has some of the most stunning and effective special effects I’ve ever seen. There are scenes where some of the people and objects in the scene are in color, while others remain in black and white; to show the contrast between who has come to life in Pleasantville, and who has yet to experience any kind of provocative or significant change.

It’s such a powerful film with important themes about segregation, discrimination, and the importance of change. I would highly recommend it.