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Pleasantville

 

            "Pleasantville" is the film directed by Gary Ross, outlines the lives of two teenagers, David and Jennifer. For David, an ideal world of Pleasantville, a 1950s TV soapie, is an escape from the harsh reality of his less-than perfect life, where he is nobody. This film is set in America in the 50s and is told through the perspective of the central character. This personalized the story and will relate to the audience through the character. .
             Previously, Pleasantville is the most "pleasant" town, where everyone is friendly, everything is perfect and nothing could ever go wrong, but, an accident with the television remote control makes David and Jennifer travel back in time into the town of Pleasantville, where David is Bud and Jennifer is Mary Sue, the children of George and Betty. After their arrival into the town of black and white, things start to change. At first the changes are small, such as a single flower appearing in colour because Jennifer/Mary Sue has freed the virginity of the captain of the basketball team, or the basketball team losing a game. Mary Sue becomes both the cause and subject of change. The color technique is the director's symbol for changing perspectives because as people views changed their true selves were revealed. As more teenagers become sexually active, they too begin to appear in colourful shades, as do their environments. At first, Bud tries very hard to save Pleasantville in its original forms, however he soon starts to see that things in Pleasantville are not as good as they seem to begin with, therefore his perspectives begins to change. He realizes a person should express their true personality from underneath. "There are so many things that are so much better, like silly or sexy if you have the guts to look for them", this makes him turned colour. .
             However, there are people who do not like the idea of change and resist having a real thing, they continue wanting Pleasantville to be "pleasant".


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