David Wagner, a high school student in the film, is dependent on the classic sitcom "Pleasantville" on television. He watches the show to escape the realities of the present world, which indicates that his mentality is trapped in the 1950s. The residents of the Pleasantville society have straightforward lives. They lack sophistication, abhor violence, and everything is flawless. David's sister, Jennifer, and the two of them got into an argument over an odd remote control. Jennifer is more sexually active than her brother, according to the movie. The two eventually find themselves in the Pleasantville universe after arguing. Here, they have to adjust their lives so that it reflects that of the 1950s where personal desires were repressed by societal norms and beliefs (Warner Bros Entertainment). The values in this place are also different compared to the society in which David and Jennifer live. David and Jennifer want to get out of this world as they feel that it is dehumanizing. The two effortlessly try to blend with their knowledge and thus Jennifer does what she feels is right for her. The movie also showcases changes in color from black and white to other colors such as green and red. One event leads to another and ultimately there is a red rose that grows in Pleasantville. The audience also sees that the more rules are broken by the characters, the more colorful the movie gets, and life becomes pleasant in Pleasantville.
It is clear that the use of color in Pleasantville movie indicates enlightenment of the society. The movie complexly and symbolically uses a color which changes as it progresses. The viewer sees that Pleasantville mixes monochrome and color objects in the same frame. It thus contrasts the colorful, complex and contemporary world of the late 1990s to that of 1950s in Pleasantville which was simply depicted through the black and white color. The main characters of the movie, David, and Jennifer showcase gradual changes of the sitcom world, and this is represented by the gradual introduction of color denoting enlightenment. Pleasantville is a closed universe where people lead a conservative simplified life. There are no fires experienced in this place and the firemen only rescue the cats from trees. There is no rain, and also, there exists a library, but it is filled with books having blank pages. This significant evidence that people living in the 1950s were not educated and liberal.
The simplicity portrayed in the black and white life in Pleasantville match the idealized nature of the uncivilized world. Enlightened is seen when Jennifer begins the process of sexual awakening. This factor spreads rapidly through the teenagers of her town as the movie becomes more colorful. The audience sees the brakes of the car glow red indicating the beginning of enlightenment. In fact, the car itself is a notable indication of an enlightened world. Later on, a green car and a pink tongue are shown, and suddenly, the parking lot in the lover’s lane is filled with color. The gradual appearance of color signals changes from the old age world and that people are progressing. More importantly, the idea of a tree bursting into flames symbolizes the proliferation of knowledge. Furthermore, the appearance of texts and pictures in the books of the library strongly attest to this idea of enlightenment (Warner Bros Entertainment). Indeed, the use of color differentiates the two universes portraying a move towards a modernized enlightened world.
Black and white colors are used to show the uncivilized world led by people in the 1950s. Individuals who live in Pleasantville community lead a simple life and they are cultural. Notably, the two colors are used to demonstrate the kind of life people led these people as well as making the viewer comprehend the root cause of societal restructuring and the steps towards modernity. The black and white represented conformist values of past life when the personal emotions of people were to remain hidden. For this reason, black and white color means that people were not enlightened during the era of the 1950s and also did not have a right to exercise their freedom. Notably, a rift is seen between the black and white and the colored characters in the movie. In respect to this, Pleasantville alludes that the civilized and the uncivilized worlds cannot blend with one another and therefore conflict arise. Undoubtedly, the white and black colors denote conservative values while gradual changes in color in the movie denotes autonomy and freedom of choice.
People who live in Pleasantville lack autonomy, and they are guided by the traditional values of the society. However, autonomy is practiced by the modern society and lead to self-actualization. Jennifer reveals autonomy when she gets sexually awakened and chooses to do what she feels is right for herself. Therefore, autonomy has played a significant role in achieving pivotal changes which distinguish the two worlds. The audience understands that people should be allowed to make their own choices and decisions that are beneficial to their life. Knowledge is a factor that is highlighted in Pleasantville. Equally, knowledge depicts an educated and modernized world where people valued books. The presence of texts and pictures in books found in the library asserts that knowledge is an important facet of life in a modernized world. People discover art, books, sex, and music as well as concepts of nonconformity. Knowledge, therefore, paints a growing and the changing minds of people who are not defined by the traditional beliefs and stereotypes. Freedom enables people to lead a life they choose and term to be rational. There is conformity in people’s beliefs which guide them in life. Jennifer is a character who exercises her own freedom and rationality. She makes her choices, and she believes that they are right.
These factors portray the rapid change to western civilization which comes with autonomy, freedom, rationality and personalized choice. These facets indicate that fostering significant changes in a society is vital in search of personal meaning. As the story unfolds, the reader discovers that the modern world and the society in Pleasantville are completely antagonistic. There is no doubt that the movie illustrates how a secularized, pluralistic and a privatized society creates pleasure in people. The library represents knowledge. There is a transformation of knowledge, and the library distinguishes the uncivilized and the civilized society. At first, the books found in the library consists of blank pages. Here, it can be seen that people were not knowledgeable and enlightened. However, knowledge starts spreading in the modern world and suddenly the books are filled with texts and pictures, and people get educated.
Work Cited
Warner Bros Entertainment. Pleasantville. YouTube Movies. March 18, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBo_GHcLB0k. Accessed 28 September, 2017.
