Practice Analysis of ‘Pleasantville’ Movie

Pleasantville is an expertly crafted fool in which one can appreciate and be exposed to the social issues the States faced during the 1950s. The courtroom guesswork towards the end of the film successfully encapsulates the essence of the film a characters transformation from repression to enlightenment. While the costumes present a distinction amongst the ages, the contrasting colours express various emotions of each character. Each character possesses a differing level of awareness about their true roles which become apparent as the film progresses.The use of colour in Pleasantville signifies both personal and political compound. The colours associated with each character are evocative of their personal attributes and self-discovery. Mary carry through is seen wearing blue, a colour which connotes wisdom and understanding. This can be contrasted with how Mary Sue was depicted previously in the film she embodied all that was defile during the 1950s, a socially repressed era. Th e black and white characters reflect a far to a greater extent conservative and traditional take on the world, in their look womens only role is to bear children and to take care of the home.Despite the discrimination against those who are coloured, one cannot deny upon watching the film that they are clearly more liberated and alive. Davids blue shirt mirrors his assertiveness, control, and genuine de bournination to save all those who had not yet discovered their true selves. Bills coloured skin contrasted with his white clothing demonstrates an alternate approach to achieving a coloured world to David, for he remains fairly impartial throughout the court case, emphasising his liking for compromise.The attention to detail of the use of colour throughout the film highlights the racial discrimination and the civil rights movements of the 1950s. It is interesting to remark upon the fact that during the court room scene it is all the coloured characters sitting in the upper gallery , this being where the African-Americans had to sit in US courthouses at that time. With regards to the suppose himself, he appears to be a dupe of his own mania.His violent speech regarding the colours which were used by David and Bill merely reveals the richness of his own repressed emotions. His inherent rage is revealed as he turns from black and white to colour we can appreciate his obstinacy to permit change through this colour transformation. We are positioned with the mint of colour in this narrative. The inexorable regulations of society during the 50s are represented by those painted in black and white, meanwhile those in colour contrast the 50s to depict the liberated 90s.The birth of popular culture erupted during the 1950s Teenagers became more independent of their parents, conflict between the desires of the parents and the teenagers increased and this eventually established the term generation gap to appear in American English during the 1960s. As a consequence of living in an era in which presentation and how people conducted themselves was treated with the upmost reverence, it is imperative to remark upon the use of costume design in the film.Those coloured characters tend to be shown wearing rather more adventurous, agitative outfits, something which would have been frowned upon during this era in which the adaption to the most minor changes such as costume is impossible. The costumes are appropriate to the pseudo-1950s TV-setting. We must remember that the colours and designs are heightened and hypertrophied and are not intended to be naturalistic in order to convey a convincing political argument and emphasise upon the need for change and reform in society.The camera action throughout the film is of notable importance, especially when considering the court room scene. The high angle cam stroke in which the judge looks down on David and Bill portrays the power and dominance of those who have abided by the rules and stuck to the traditi onal conventions of society. However, as David gains confidence he is framed in a low-angle shot thereby making him appear to be the authoritative figure in control. Increasingly, David dominates the frame. The inclusion of the extended close-up shot of George enables the interview to engage with his emotional release.Editing also supports dialog in this clip, an example being when David is speaking of his mother, the film cuts to a shot of Betty. This heightens the emotional essence of the scene, and encourages the audience to applaud Davids courage and essential goodness. Furthermore, redaction also confirms the separation of black and white and colour until the end of the scene when all characters unite and emerge into a coloured world, filled with emotion and diversity. The aim of music in this particular scene differs depending on the emotions of the characters.Music acts as an emotional release laughter within the courtroom at the end of the scene establishes virtuoso amon g the people and signifies the end of the crisis. Moreover, the non-diegetic music of the birds tweeting as the characters exit the court room and are exposed to a coloured world is immensely refreshing and promotes the cerebration of a new beginning. The looks between George and Betty in this scene cannot be ignored, here the non-diegetic music is romantic and underscores the climactic moment in which George turns from black and white to colour.Throughout the film music reflects the mood. The scene at Lovers lane is filmed with rather seductive and sensual music in order to encourage the audience to appreciate that the younger generation were undergoing not only a personal transformation but also embarking on a sexual journey. In conclusion, Pleasantville represents a parody of contemporary problems whilst reflecting common fears and fantasies about behavior, God, and freedom. Essentially sex is equated with freedom.In addition, we can appreciate that pain brings risk but also li beration the art of parable too liberates various characters which we can appreciate is somewhat ironic given the characters themselves are situated in a television programme. Moreover, one cannot deny Pleasantville basically satisfies all expectations with regards to film watching it provides entertainment whilst also sending across a political message and portraying a vivid image of life in the 1950s.