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Pleasantville
“Nothing is as simple as black and white” was the tagline
of this film, and that point is clearly made in the movie Pleasantville.
This was truly an original concept; a brother and sister
get zapped into their television set and arrive in the world of Pleasantville;
a fictional small town in the 1950’s where everything is just swell. The
brother is in his element, as Pleasantville is his favourite TV show. He knows
all the characters and what is going to happen in advance, and for once in his
life, he is a somebody. His sister couldn’t imagine being anywhere worse. In
her world or MTV and shopping malls, she is queen and to be thrown into a world
where everyone is innocent and naive beyond belief, gets under her skin.
Although the two try to play along with their situation
and not disrupt things too much, they can’t help but make some changes. And
this is where the striking visual design behind the film kicks in. All of a
sudden, this black and white utopia slowly starts turning into colour. The
special effects behind this are very well done, and then some themes about
change, community, racism and the loss of innocence are cleverly weaved into
the story.
Pleasantville can also be attributed to helping launch
the careers of its two young stars – Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. She
had already popped up in a few commercially successful films, but the future
Spiderman was a relative unknown. Who would have thought that just a few years
later he would become the famous web slinger?
Pleasantville is best enjoyed as a movie to watch on a
lazy Sunday afternoon or late at night as you fall asleep in bed. It moves
along at a slow and sombre pace for much of its running time, but the journey
it takes you is a beautiful one, as the world these characters inhabit
gradually explodes into colour and brings out the inner feelings and potential
of everyone involved.
I’m not sure if Pleasantville is studied in schools as
part of their Media subjects, but if it isn’t it certainly should be. There are
many underlying themes, issues and ideas explored here and it’s all done with
grace and sophistication. A very special, clever and creative film.
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