“Pleasantville” The division of America suggested by color techniques (Part 1)

"Pleasantville" synopsis

High school student David is a big fan of the 1950s sitcom "Pleasantville." One day, a strange TV repairman comes and presses a button on a mysterious remote control he is given, and he and his twin sister, Jennifer, enter the world of drama. The values ​​and actions they brought with them bring about changes in the peaceful world of "Pleasantville."

``The Pleasantville'' (1998) is the directorial debut of Gary Ross, who directed `` Seabiscuit '' (2003) and `` Ocean's Eight '' (18). The story is about a high school brother and sister who get lost in the black-and-white TV drama ``Pleasantville'' from the 1950s, and color appears in the black-and-white world, causing changes in the characters' actions and thoughts. In this first part, I would like to talk about the relationship between movies and colors.

Index

• Synopsis ①
• What is a 50's sitcom?
• Synopsis ②
• The relationship between movies and colors
• Synopsis ③
• Coexistence of monochrome and color

Synopsis ①

The year is 1998. The main characters are fraternal twin high school students, an older brother David (Tobey Maguire) and a younger sister Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon). Their personalities were polar opposites; Jennifer was free-spirited, while David was a super nerd.

David's only hobby is watching the black-and-white television series ``Pleasantville,'' which aired in 1958, over and over again. He longs for the ``ideal family'' depicted in this sitcom, where the characters are ``children raised by a dependable father and a kind mother.'' This is because their parents had already divorced and they were taken in by their mother. However, the mother also finds it troublesome to take care of her child, so she goes on a trip with a new, younger boyfriend.

“Pleasantville” preview

Taking the Being There to be home alone with his brother and sister, David was looking forward to a marathon broadcast of all episodes of "Pleasantville" and audience participation in a geeky quiz afterward. But Jennifer had plans to take the man of her dreams with her and spend the night watching MTV. While fighting over channel rights, the siblings accidentally break the remote control.

However, a strange electrician (Don Knotts) suddenly shows up even though he didn't ask for any repairs. Then he handed them a special remote control and went home. The siblings start fighting over the remote control again and end up pressing the buttons. Before they knew it, the siblings had entered the black-and-white world of "Pleasantville," replacing the characters Bud and Mary Sue.

What is a 50's sitcom?