Click here for synopsis of Pleasantville 

Discussion point:
What are the immediate differences that strike David and Jennifer between their lives in contemporary American suburbia and the idyllic American life in the 1950s as portrayed in the TV soap Pleasantville?

The most obvious difference, of course, would be the difference in the choice of colour schemes. The monochromes of Pleasantville contrasts starkly with the multicolour of the contemporary American suburbia. The choice of language and dressing of people also differ greatly. Some changes are simply brought about by progression and change of era, such as slang words(gee whiz vs cool) and models of cars. However, not all change can be merely dismissed as change brought about naturally by time. I prefer to think that some others are changes that are brought about by the opening up of the public’s minds and attitudes. For example, when the people start to feel more free to express their sexuality, they start to wear more revealing clothes and lead less conservative lifestyles.

This brings us to our next comparison. David and Jennifer came from the 1990s, where the standards of values and virtues are drastically different from the 1950s. The people embraced a lot more freedom both in terms of speech and activity (as seen through the casual swearing and also the divorce between David and Jennifer’s parents). However, in 1950s Pleasantville, there was a stringent set of rules that everyone was expected to follow; violating it was a cardinal sin. Just like how Bud(or David)’s boss Mr. Johnson did not know how to cope with unexpected change; everything in Pleasantville had its order and the order was something that was not supposed to be tampered with. In the later part of the movie, that is when this unspoken rule activates. The “black and white people” were too narrow-minded to accept the “coloreds”, too cowardly to accept what they know is an inevitable change. People lived through each day with both their personal and the public’s limitations being placed on them, but on the other hand extremely unwilling to recognize these fiscal chains that are shackling them.

Also, the name Pleasantville itself suggests the nature of the place: Pleasant, but perhaps overtly so. Everything was over-idyllic; neighbours wave hellos enthusiastically, and firemen rush down to save cats from trees. Husbands return home with a wife and dinner waiting for them everyday without fail. Pleasantville literally lived up to its name; the people live in a perfect little circle of their own, albeit oblivious to the “evils” of the natural world. However, in the “real” world, or the contemporary American suburbia where David and Jennifer had come from, this was not the case. Life was definitely harder, what with fitting in(David), trying to be popular(Jennifer), and the divorce and custody issues(Davod and Jennifer’s mom), just to list a few. The world was stripped stark in all its raw naked glory, and the ugliness and cruelty that are inherent in mankind show through unflinchingly. The world Jennifer and David live in is, in a sense, a more truthful environment. This is in contrast to the “pretensions”  present in Pleasantville, but which is also the essential element that make Pleasantville Pleasantville.