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Pleasantville (1998)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Release Date:
23 October 1998 (USA)
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Tagline:
Nothing Is As Simple As Black And White. more
Plot:
Two 1990's teenagers find themselves in a 1950's sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that complacent world. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
1950s
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Television
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Innocence
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Sitcom
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Television Set
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Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars.
Another 15 wins
&
23 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(80 articles)
Birthday Suit: Dolph 'the biggest one' Lundgren
(From FilmExperience. 3 November 2009, 7:06 PM, PST)
Raimi in Dark About 'Venom'
(From CinemaSpy. 21 October 2009, 9:20 PM, PDT)
(From FilmExperience. 3 November 2009, 7:06 PM, PST)
Raimi in Dark About 'Venom'
(From CinemaSpy. 21 October 2009, 9:20 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
I heard about this movie, but I didn't know that it would be THIS good....
more (645 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) more
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements emphasizing sexuality, and for language.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
124 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L |
Canada:PG (Ontario) |
Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:M |
Chile:14 |
Finland:S |
France:U |
Germany:6 (bw) |
Hong Kong:IIA |
Italy:T |
Norway:7 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Singapore:PG |
South Korea:12 |
Spain:T |
Sweden:7 |
Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) |
UK:12 |
USA:PG-13
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
During the publicity campaign surrounding the film's release, there was a contest for a trip to Pleasantville, Iowa (the smallest Pleasantville in the United States).
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Goofs:
Continuity: While Mary Sue is explaining sex to her mother, her hair changes between shots.
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Quotes:
[first lines]
[David is gazing admiringly at a pretty blonde girl]
David: *Hi*
[chuckles]
David: I mean, Hi. Uh, look, you probably don't think I should be asking you this. I mean, not knowing you well and all? I mean, you know, I, I, I know you, 'cause everybody knows you. I just don't know you technically. Uh, anyhow. Uh, I don't know what you're doing this weekend, but my mom's leaving town, and she's letting me borrow the car.
[the camera pulls back to show that the girl is standing several dozen feet away and, in fact, is smiling and looking at another boy]
[...]
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[David is gazing admiringly at a pretty blonde girl]
David: *Hi*
[chuckles]
David: I mean, Hi. Uh, look, you probably don't think I should be asking you this. I mean, not knowing you well and all? I mean, you know, I, I, I know you, 'cause everybody knows you. I just don't know you technically. Uh, anyhow. Uh, I don't know what you're doing this weekend, but my mom's leaving town, and she's letting me borrow the car.
[the camera pulls back to show that the girl is standing several dozen feet away and, in fact, is smiling and looking at another boy]
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)
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Soundtrack:
So What
more
FAQ
Won't Jennifers real mother wonder where her daughter is when she is gone for a long time?more
more (645 total)
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I knew what this film would be about before I rented it, but I'm stunned that it would be THIS good. Nothing against "Saving Private Ryan" or "Shakespeare in Love", but this film should have won Best Picture in 1998 and it was a shame that it wasn't nominated. It's an even bigger injustice that it did not get a nomination for best screenplay or cinematography.
In the hands of another writer, this movie could have been made as just a parody of 1950's sitcoms like "Leave It To Beaver" or "Ozzie and Harriet." But this film isn't about how clichéd those series look decades later. It's about the false nostalgia for a past that never existed. We survived the past and we know that everything turned out all right. Because of this, we selectively choose our memories and weed out the unpleasant ones. That's why the past is sometimes seen as "the good ol' days." Pleasantville does not represent how the 50's actually were but rather an idealization of what people THINK the 50's were---no one had sex, everyone got along swell, and life was fairly easy. Nothing could be further from the truth, and there are many film from that era which show how real people (even in suburbia) actually lived. This film argues that free will and choice is ESSENTIAL to life and that we should embrace freedom instead of fearing it. It isn't just about making out, but having the OPTION to make out.
Another reviewer claimed that this film was an attack on the 50's, but David and Jennifer could very easily have been dumped in the world of "The Brady Bunch", "Gilligan's Island" , or "Batman." But setting "Pleasantville" in a 1950's sitcom allows for the brilliant metaphor of black and white versus color. Black and white photography is a stylized depiction of the universe, but unless you're color blind it's not the way you actually see the universe. When we first see Pleasantville's citizens, all of them are cardboard cut-outs of stereotypes. As they begin to open up and become real people, color seeps into their world. The catalyst seems to be the willingness to experience new sensations and become vulnerable. Jennifer has slept with lot of guys when she was in the normal world, so sex does not change HER into a color character. On the other hand, when she actually finishes a book (without pictures) for the first time in her life, THEN she becomes colorized. Similarly, David does not bloom into color until he breaks out of his aloofness and defends his "mother." Compare the way he ignores his real mother at the beginning of the film to how he consoles and comforts her at the end to see how much David has changed.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. There are a lot of films out there that are very entertaining and/or very moving--like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Titanic." Movies like "Pleasantville" which challenge the audience and force them to think are very rare, and should be treasured by the discerning filmgoer.