Director
Gary Ross
Leading Actors/Actresses
Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon
Supporting Actors/Actresses
William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, and J.T. Walsh
Genre
Drama/Comedy
Language
English
Awards
Pleasantville was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Set Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score
Date of Release
October 23rd,1998
Producer
Gary Ross, Jon Kilik, Robert J. Degus, and Steven Soderbergh
Setting and Context
The film starts in the United States in the 1990s, then it travels back in time to a black-and-white 1950s sitcom town
Narrator and Point of View
No narrator
Tone and Mood
Surreal, Humorous, Ominous, Allegorical, Thought-provoking
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonist: David, Antagonist: Big Bob
Major Conflict
The major conflict is between the colorful existence that David and Jennifer introduce to the community and the more conservative powers that be that want to maintain the status quo.
Climax
When David provokes the mayor and the mayor becomes colorful.
Foreshadowing
The thunderstorm towards the start of the film foreshadows Jennifer and David's eventual trip into the television.
Understatement
Jennifer and David's response to getting transported into the television is understated.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
The film's visual effects were innovative, specifically the ways that editors transformed the black-and-white footage to colorful footage.
Allusions
Allusions to the Bible, to literature, to art history, to social movements, and to 1950s social conservatism.
Paradox
The repairman chooses Jennifer and David to go to Pleasantville because he thinks they will maintain the status quo, but they end up changing the town in major ways.
