Pleasantville: analysis

In Pleasantville, the society the inhabitants embrace is one of completely rational thought. In other words, there is a detachment between the rational and animalistic self. This divide results in a false utopian society, which stifles the animalistic half of the human psyche. The coming of David and the subsequent change in color of the town’s citizens can thus be seen as a sort of objective discovery, ala Plato’s cave, in that the “colored” citizens reach a fuller understanding of what’s at stake: the human condition. The catalyst for this discovery is the result of the character’s acknowledgement and, ultimately, experience of their animal tendencies. When taking into context the major functions of the human animal, one realizes that without embracing this newly discovered side of existence the towns people would be forever trapped before the shadows.

- One of the most basic functions of the animal condition is survival of the species – essentially, procreation. What results is the realization of sexual desire, a notion that is a definite motif of the film. Take for example the mother – whose ignorance towards sex results from her completely rational existence. Once she embraces her animal tendencies in the form of sexual gratification, she becomes colorful (the sign of enlightenment). Again, when others engage in sex, such as the teenagers at Lover’s Lane and even Lover’s Lane itself, the evocation of emotion and emersion into animal tendencies is what is considered to be responsible for the change in color.

- Another function of the animal condition is to fight. Fighting is a necessity to survival, and thus an animalistic tendency. This revelation is portrayed in “Bud,” who protects his mother from violent harassment in order to save his kin. It is when Bud punches one of the harassers and engages himself in his animal side that he changes color. This sort of notion is repeated in Don Knots’ character, when he experiences anger in an attempt to fight for the survival of Pleasantville’s previous status quo.

- Yet another major function of the human animal is flight. The urge to escape from an oppressive environment is essentially due to our natural disposition to freedom. When “Mary-Sue” finds herself entranced by the D.H. Lawrence novel, she is escaping the confines of Pleasantville. As she delves deeper into the novel, she embraces her animalistic tendency to escape, and changes color.

Thus, the concept is that the characters that change color are rejecting the merely rational confines of Pleasantville for a more objective realization of humanity, one that is a synthesis of rational and animal tendencies. Once this occurs, the characters change color, a gesture that has philosophical implications, especially in concern to Socratic and Platonic teachings.

Colour

“Colour helps to express light, not the physical phenomenon, but the only light that really exists, that in the artist’s brain”. Color is always very symbolic of expression and passion. In “Pleasentville” the director portrays: the allegory of the cave, Multiple biblical illusions and the search for inner-self throughout the movie.

• Allegory of the cave
• Don Knotts “puppetmaster” banishing from “sub-reality”
• Black and white world symbolic of living in the shadows
• Bud becomes “unchained” and brings truth through the shadows
• From alternate view TV can be shadow and “Pleasentville” in itself would be the false view of reality that the prisoners are watching. When set free (put into Pleasantville) they realize it is not at all as represented by the tv (shadows).
• Color is truth. Color leads to discrimination such as in the allegory of the cave when the prisoner returns with facts he is also discriminated against.

• Biblical illusions to the Christian faith
• Don Knotts “god” banishing from “sub-reality”
• female offering the “forbidden fruit”
• First rain is symbolic of major change
• The tree that burns much as with Moses

• Finding inner self
• Changing color
• Mr. Johnson painting beautiful art work in color
• Marry Sue begins to read in lou of “other activites”
• Bud also finds his color (innerself) by standing up for himself.
• Buds dad finds color by feeling love for his wife
• The judge finds his color through feeling rage for the first time.

Symbolism in Pleasantville

I. We were fascinated by the role of symbolism in Pleasantville, as well as the ultimate realities symbols construct within the movie.

a. In particular, we discussed the change of colors, the concepts of veils and rain, and the differences/similarities between the two worlds.

i. Change of colors. The characters awaken into color in Pleasantville when they experience something they were afraid to experience before.

1. Example: Jenn reading the book; Dad admitting his true feelings for wife

ii. Veils. The concept of veiling and unveiling is mirrored in the film. The first time we see the symbolic action of veiling is when “Bud” becomes his mother’s accomplice by helping her cover up the color that has crept into her face. Later, when she visits the soda shop man while he’s painting, he symbolically unveils her by taking off the make-up. Meanwhile, when David returns to his own reality, he balances his previous act of veiling by then “unveiling” his true mother, wiping smudged make-up off her face. Why is this ultimately significant in the film? The act of veiling and unveiling always revolves around the mother, regardless of which reality is in question. Traditionally, the housewife/mother is one of the most repressed figures in American lore. She is passive; she is a victim of circumstance and social convention; she is in desperate need of liberation. It therefore makes sense that Pleasantville, which deals with the issue of social awakening from stereotypical perfection, should depict this curious interaction.

iii. Rain. The presence of rain serves as a segway within the film; it signals that momentous changes are about to occur. In the beginning of the movie, a thunderstorm is what prompts the magic handyman to come and “fix” David’s TV. Shortly afterwards, David and his sister get transported into the world of Pleasantville. Meanwhile, the thunderstorm that sweeps over Pleasantville comes on the night that Jenn discovers her book, the mother abandons her house and husband for the soda shop man, and Bud goes on a date. The next morning, the town is in uproar over the painting on the soda shop’s windows, and Bud’s friends have all become colored.

iv. The two realities. In the beginning of the film, David leaves his broken home for one that he initially perceives as warm, loving, and perfect. However, we soon see that the family bond in Pleasantville is truly superficial; the mother’s love reaches to the extent of her domestic chores while the father’s love seems to consist solely in his cheery presence. They are never cruel or negligent, but there is not a true spiritual connection within the family nucleus. By the end of the film, things have changed. Everyone’s genuine feelings have been expressed, for better or worse. Even when David returns to his reality, we see him connecting with his mom, who has returned prematurely from a trip and seems to be in a mid-life crisis.

Dualism in Pleasantville

Through the contrast between black and white, reality and fantasy, and purity and sin, the directors and writers make a bold statement on the duality of man. As people begin to spring into color, it seems that they do this when they give into animalistic tendencies, but in Jennifer’s case she becomes colorful after becoming rational and reading. This change shows that their animal tendencies do not bring about color change alone; it is the balance of the inner self.

Pleasantville and the theme of the cave

At the beginning of the film, David watches the show Pleasantville and thinks it would be the idea reality. The TV is device that shows the shadows, thus the reliance on black and white. The TV repairman is the puppet master and finds the idea person to live in his fake fantasy. Once David gets into the TV show, he finds that this reality is not so pleasant after all. Once he sees that he can share his knowledge with the citizens, he does so, despite his initial reluctance to do so. As people realise that there is more to life than pleasantly-ness, they become colored. Just as in Plato's story of the cave, the people who become enlightened are discriminated against. In the end everyone becomes colored because the TV repairman wanted to teach David and his sister a lesson. In addition to the strong images of the cave, their are other religious images, such as the story of Eve offering Adam an apple.