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Film Review: The World of "Pleasantville"

 

            In the TV land of Pleasantville, everything is what it seems. Nothing is questioned and life is always the same. But, when an outside force enters the town, nobody knows how to react. Never was there a situation that the people of Pleasantville hadn't encountered, much less weren't able to deal with. Slowly, they begin to realize that there is something inside of them, something they cannot control. Slowly, they begin to realize that there is more to life than what is seen in black and white. There is much to see and much to learn, and all they had to do was reach into themselves to find the answers. Pleasantville starts as a place of peace and conformity, but then slowly evolves into a world of infinite possibilities.
             The world that David and Jennifer entered was one of "perfection". Every person had his or her job, and every question had its answer. Pleasantville was full of constraints. The minute that Jennifer stepped out of the box, the opportunities opened up. The most obvious constraint on their world was that of color. The townspeople had never seen "real" color. Black, white, and gray were all they knew of, which gave them limited ability to see the world for what it was. The representation of the objects around them was obscure, because they could not see the emotions of color. Of course, there were people who were greatly opposed to the changes, and were unable to appreciate the alternate view of their world. One man, the owner of the malt shop, was the representation of how the world of color should be treasured. He saw the beauty in color, and also found himself through it. He realized what exactly his passion was and was now able to pursue it. A continuous theme throughout the movie was how color represented the changed person.
             The organization of the streets was also significant in this film and the construction of the town. The end of Main Street led right back to the beginning.


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