Cinematic Analysis of Pleasantville

Maris Medina 3/3/13 Green

Part A
Jennifer and David are siblings who get whisked into a 1950s TV show called Pleasantville and are forced to question whether the idea of a utopia is ideal for their own society. In the beginning of the film, Jennifer and David are introduced as siblings who are complete polar opposites of each other. Jennifer constantly ridicules David for being a shy outcast who spends his day watching reruns of Pleasantville, a popular television show in the 1950s. One night, they are gifted with a magical remote control. This remote control transports them into the town of Pleasantville where they must now embody two fictional characters, Mary Sue and Bud. Jennifer and Davids biggest problem is that they must not crease the townsfolks perfect lifestyle by introducing their 1990s way of living. They embark on the seemingly perfect daily lives of Mary Sue and Bud. They begin their days at the local high school, where they are the poster children for straight As, along with every one of the students at their school. Lessons revolve around the logistics of Pleasantville itself, and with no surprise, students are always getting the answers right. Those who are involved in athletics, such as the players on the basketball team, make every single hoop. When school ends, they go home to study, go to work, or hang out with their friends. One Friday, Jennifer goes on a date with a popular basketball player and takes him to Lovers Lane. From that night on, everyone in town is educated in the concept of sex, which they had previously had no idea about. This is the first major ripple the teens cause alone with many others. As these incidents occur, the black and white town of Pleasantville gradually gains color. Before the two had come along, the town was generic and bare. A big factor in Pleasantville is the introduction of art. Later on, David shows them an art book that has gained pictures and it simply enthralls the citizens. This inspires the local soda shop owner to start painting murals on the windows. A particular painting that causes uproar is a naked portrait of David and Jennifers mother. In Pleasantville, there are those who are reluctant in allowing the two to enlighten them about things they had never before experienced. The many incidents that David and Jennifer incite causes the town to reexamine the complications and restrictions of a utopia such as their town. Without color and art, the townspeople are not exposed to a world of expression. Whenever David shows the townspeople something new, they become increasingly happier. But when their perfect lives are shattered, more riots and fighting ensues. The townspeople eventually pit themselves against each other which never before happened. So the film concludes with the question, Is utopia really perfect?

Maris Medina 3/3/13 Green

Part B
In the film, Bud and Mary Sues family is the picturesque 1950s All-American household. Theres the father who is the breadwinner of the home and the mother who stays at home to cook and take care of the kids. They live in the suburbs, inside a house with a clean-cut lawn and friendly neighbors. The children attend the local school and at the end of the day, return to their mother at home. As for style, the women in Pleasantville sport poodle cuts, a hairstyle that has their hair into small curls. In regards to their home life, bulky television sets sprout up as they gain more and more popularity. The life of a fifties teenager is also explored in

Pleasantville. Like the youth in the film after David and Jennifers actions prompt them to rebel, the actual
adolescents of the 1950s were into music and defying authority figures. This youth of this generation was beginning to [develop] their own image and style (Powers). However before the changes occur in the town, parents were against their children doing promiscuous things with each other such as was the norm of the 1950s. The elephant in the room, as one could put it, was the idea of separate but equal. It was in 1954 when the United States Supreme Court made [this] historic ruling (Watson). Race was a big matter back then and even though blacks gained more and more rights, they were not at the same level as their white neighbors. In Pleasantville, there were no African-Americans in their town so the race issue could not accurately be depicted. Conservative white parents were appalled to see their children engage in any racial commingling such as listening to music that promoted racial equality or even speaking slang that had bits of African American in it (Powers). Pleasantville chose to examine the daily lifestyle of those in the 1950s and neglected to touch on a growing matter which was the beginning of the Civil Rights movement.

Part C
Analyze the use of metaphor and imagery in the film, citing several examples. Pleasantville had a number of metaphors which all contributed to the idea of a utopia. First off, the town itself is purely black and white before David and Jennifer come along. This represents purity and simplicity because there is no differentiation of colors. There can be no unpleasant hues and tints because everything is a generic

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tone of black and white. When David and Jennifer introduce concepts that the townsfolk had never seen before, they are fascinated by it. The emotion they feel allows them to develop their natural colors as well as the inanimate objects surrounding them. These bursts of color signify a loss of simplicity. Also, a subtle metaphor is placed within the apple that Davids girlfriend picks off a tree. Apples are a symbol of knowledge, as established in the bible. When his girlfriend plucks it off of its branches and then eats it, it is a sign that knowledge is being attained all throughout the town. Gary Ross uses such metaphors to strengthen the main aspect of Pleasantville, utopia.