Pleasantville (1998)

Director:

Gary Ross

Writer (WGA):

Gary Ross (written by)

Release Date:

23 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Nothing Is As Simple As Black And White.

Plot:

Two 1990's teenagers find themselves in a 1950's sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that complacent world.

Plot Keywords:

1950s | Television | Innocence | Sitcom | Television Set

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 23 nominations

Cast

Tobey Maguire	...	David
Reese Witherspoon	...	Jennifer
William H. Macy	...	George Parker
Joan Allen	...	Betty Parker
Jeff Daniels	...	Bill Johnson
J.T. Walsh	...	Big Bob
Don Knotts	...	TV Repairman
Marley Shelton	...	Margaret Henderson
Jane Kaczmarek	...	David's Mom
Giuseppe Andrews	...	Howard
Jenny Lewis	...	Christin
Marissa Ribisi	...	Kimmy
Denise Dowse	...	Health Teacher
McNally Sagal	...	Science Teacher
Paul Morgan Stetler	...	College Counselor

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements emphasizing sexuality, and for language.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

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:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

In a number of scenes, you can see the house used in Lethal Weapon (1987) just across the street from Bud and Mary-Sue's.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Dave Brubeck Quartet track, Take 5, (which is played during the diner scene where Bud is asked how he knew about fire) was released in 1959. The next track that is played is Miles Davis's So What was recorded in 1959 a year after the action is meant to be taking place.

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]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Baghead (2008)

Soundtrack:

The Waste Land

A brilliant fairytale..

I thoroughly enjoyed "Pleasantville" from the 'Once upon a time' through the film fading to black.

The acting was top notch all around, as was the use of special effects; in very few films has colour been used so effectively that it can convey a story seemingly without help from dialogue or music.

I can see how some people would perceive it as merely another mouthpiece of liberalism, but I watched it twice, and I only noticed it attacking bigotry and censorship. What was wrong wasn't that these people were living according conservative values, but that they didn't really choose those values in the first place!

I like the fact that the film was bold, and that it made its point as directly as it contrasted the black and white with the splotches of Technicolour. While "Pleasantville" had little subtlety in its allegory, it was, like any good fairytale, beautiful in its simplicity.

Nine out of ten =)