Movie Project: Pleasantville Essays Example

Pleasantville is set in both the “real” world and the fictional world of the television show “Pleasantville.” The young protagonist is brought through the television into the world of the show, where everything is copacetic and black and white. His sister is dragged through with him, from a world where she is sophisticated and popular to one where she wears sweater sets. As David and Jennifer explore the world they have been brought into, they begin changing things. They provide a freedom to the town that had previously been an idealized version of the 1950s. With time, they begin to see the black and white turn into color, representing the changes in thought that have been brought into the town. After the entire town turns to color, David is given the chance to return to his world, but Jennifer chooses to remain in Pleasantville.
There are a variety of social psychological ideas displayed in the film. First, is the idea of group aggression and increased interpersonal aggression in groups against outsiders. When David begins to change the town around him, people act out against him. The more people that are gathered together, the more dramatic the reaction to him. Finally, he is cornered by a large group of individuals taunting a young woman, and that escalates to violence. It is strongly implied this is the case because there is a group, not just one actor. A second concept illustrated is the love between mother and child. This is particularly illustrated when David applies make up to his mother’s face. He takes on an almost parental role, inverting the paradigm. This clearly illustrates the way children and parents both love one another, and take care of one another in a variety of ways. Finally, prejudice is strongly illustrated in the film. In a conscious parallel to real world segregation, people in Pleasantville who change into color are exiled to the balcony of the city hall. They are clearly segregated by physical appearance, given another role due to the way they look and behave. This clearly demonstrates prejudice of one group toward another.
The film, overall, was quite admirable, but of it all there were elements I liked and disliked most. I strongly liked the fact that Jennifer chooses to stay in Pleasantville. This, more than anything, demonstrates the change in the character and the idea that the town itself has changed. It illustrates the worth of the place, as seen through the protagonist’s eyes, and it represents both the character’s and the location’s alteration. I liked least the scene at the end of the movie when David washes his mother’s face. It felt oddly sexual, and did not suit the relationship that had been illustrated between David and his mother in Pleasantville. I felt that if the creators were trying to jar the audience, they did so with too much success. However, that said, it was effective at showing the difference between Pleasantville and reality.