Ross, G. (Producer & Director).  (1998).

Pleasantville[Film].  Hollywood: New Line Cinemas. 

Pleasantville is a 1950's television program that is similar to that of
the Leave it to Beaver era.  Everyone in this picture perfect television
town is represented as perfect mild mannered people living the American
Dream on black-and-white film.  The citizens of  Pleasantville have their
lives turned upside-down when two 1990's teens are transplanted into the
sitcom through the two leading roles of Bud and Mary Sue, bringing with
them the concepts of 90's pop culture.  As the audience travels through
this adventure with the two futuristic teens, it becomes evident that the
perfect image of Pleasantville has a very ignorant darker side.  People of
Pleasantville are exposed to new ideas, freedom of expression, and a newly
discovered sexuality.  As the residents of the town are exposed to these
new images and their horizons become broadened, many of them become
colorized.  In response to the "colored" population, those persons
remaining in black-and-white respond in fear and acts of violence and
ignorance ensue.  This film uses vivid representation and symbolism to
explore issues of racism, sexism, free speech and expression, traditional
societal roles of men and women, and book banning, among others.
 

Questions for the producers/directors-

1. Why are the actors in the film only of Caucasian race when this
film is intended to approach the issue of racism?

2. How does life go on in Pleasantville as a result of all the
changes that occur?

3. What happens to the life that the character of Mary Sue/Jennifer
leaves behind in the 1990's?  Is this contradicting the earlier message
that reality cannot be avoided?

4. Why does everyone become colorized?  Wouldn't there be present
individuals who chose to deny changes and remain unenlightened?  Does this
mean that all people become changed/enlightened as a result of societal
changes in the surrounding environment?

5. Although negativity is present as a result of those who do not
want cange responding in fear and hatred, why is there little attention
given to the societal problems that occur as a result of change?  What
about all of those persons that are displaced by Pleasantville's cultural
revolution and the not so perfect aftermath ?

Submitted by Rose Weigel


The summary:
        David wagner is a young teen in the nineties who wishes he could
be living in Pleasantville, a perfect little suburb town of the fifties.
His wish comes true one night when a repairman gives him a remote control
that can transform them into the TV show.  Once there, things in
Pleasantville begin to turn upside down.  The perfect little town is no
longer perfect due to the unpredictable change from black and white to
color.  As people and things begin to change to color, people begin to
panic at the change.  The "colored" people are being excluded from
activities and areas that are normally public.  Laws are made that
prohibit the use of color paints and for a "colored" person to be in
certain places or associate with the others.  Once everyone begins to
change into color, it becomes the norm and everyone is excepted for who
they are and this wonderful new life that has been created because of
change.

I chose this film because of the subtle hints and different view points.
I feel that this movie pertains to multicultural issues in a weird way.

Five questions I would ask the writer:
(1)     Why did you decide to make the characters change from black and
white to color?  Was there an underlying message there?

(2)     If you were trying for something different, why were there so few
people of color in the film to begin with?

(3)     I thought that the ending was great, but how would you show the
results of the town further after they went through this change?

(4)     If Pleasantville was so perfect why did everyone want to change?
How could you have changed it so that not every one changed and dealt with
the conflicts that way?

(5)     How did you come up with the idea to write and produce and direct
such a film?

Submitted by Barbara Murtha.

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