Pleasantville & Art
4:20 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, 2004
So! one paper down and 5 to go...plus 2 finals. but i figure why not just put some of the quasi-decent eessays in here. why not. so here is my LAST film criticism paper...it's about pleasantville, if you are intersted at all. I wouldnt be. ;)
The Role of Art in Pleasantville
There are many reasons why a film may show itself as a film and not as a slice of reality. Classical Hollywood cinema gave us these �invisible style� films and we look at them now as pass�, hokey, and tacky. In today�s age, audiences may not even be aware of some of the self-reflexive techniques used in films because the conventions are so common. The extreme high or low camera angles are no longer as revolutionary and conspicuous as they were in the days of Citizen Kane. By examining the film Pleasantville (Ross, 1998), one can see the importance of self reflexivity and intertextuality in regards to fine art and popular culture which ultimately leads to an estrangement of the audience, causing them to think more critically about the movie than they may have anticipated.
The first and most obvious way in which Pleasantville makes the audience aware that the movie is false is through color, or, more specifically, the lack of color for the majority of the film. The audience is used to �normal� colors for the first few scenes. As the fantasy of the film begins, the color disappears and the audience is immediately aware of the movie as a movie. For the first few minutes, viewers may be uncomfortable with the lack of color, despite knowing beforehand that it will be in black and white. This draws the audience out of the routine of simply watching a film and brings them into a critical viewing mode. Perceptive audience members may respect and appreciate this, while others may not even be aware of the critical thinking they will inevitably process.
Additionally, the self-reflexivity of the film can be seen through the intertextual references. By �quoting� different films, as well as referencing art, the audience notices these quotes and is again propelled into a critical state of mind. Art, of course, can refer to films and novels as well as paintings. Pleasantville clearly references other films which are quite significant. The first of these occurs when the rainstorm comes for the first time in Pleasantville. David tells his friends that it is nothing to be afraid of and he steps out into the rain. He opens his arms, lifts his face, and spins in the rain as the camera pulls up. This is a clear reference to The Shawshank Redemption (Darabont, 1994) when Tim Robbins�s character (Andy) escapes from prison and enjoys his first taste of independence. Both of these are scenes depict freedom and joy. In Pleasantville, David has finally accepted his life, not as �Bud� but as someone who can direct his own course in life. He decides to take Margaret out instead of letting Whitey take her out, as the episode is supposed to pan out. His freedom of choice is finally being realized and this is echoed in the reference to The Shawshank Redemption.
The second movie allusion is also an important reference. During the courtroom scene where David and Bill are being asked to confess their �crimes� in front of the town, the courtroom is divided into �coloreds� and those who have remained in black and white and see themselves as normal. There is a wide shot of the court with David and Bill in the center with the �normal� people sitting behind them and the colored people in the balcony. This is directly from Robert Mulligan�s To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). This homage brings one�s mind to racial tensions that had been an undercurrent in the film. Even if one had never seen To Kill a Mockingbird, the extreme separation of coloreds and normals brings to mind the racial tensions prominent in the 1950s that the TV series ever so conveniently left out.
While these movie references are incredibly important in setting up the idea of intertextuality and, eventually, estrangement, I would like to focus on the role of art in this film. Not only does it play as an important plot device, the pieces themselves that were chosen have great significance. The book of art that David brings Bill opens his eyes to new ways of thinking. However, the book is mostly compromised of modern art. If it was not �modern� art, it was art that was considered very innovative in its time, which reflects the progressive nature of the film.
One interesting aspect of this is seen with the Titian painting, Venus of Urbino: 
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David does not know who Titian was. This incredible realist was not controversial in his painting. He depicts his subjects in near pictorial quality and would idealize all imperfections giving them an idyllic, flawless look. The personality that the subject wished to convey was painted on the canvas: a powerful emperor or a beautifully humble woman. Of course, David wouldn�t acknowledge this painting. It represents Pleasantville before color appears. Everything is perfect and flawless on first impressions. Things are where they belong and are proportional. This is not the painting that should inspire change.
However, after Titian come Monet and Turner. Turner�s painting Rain, Steam and Speed conveys the message of change and progress:
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The subject of the painting, a train, is a symbol of progress and technology. It is obscured by fog and painting itself is far from clear. The brush strokes are visible, very unlike Titian, and intrusive. This is a clear indication of the film�s theme of progressive change fueled by Tobey Maguire�s character.
Additionally, Monet�s Water lilies is focused on after Turner�s painting. 
This is also a revolutionary painting. While many people today look at Impressionism as a traditional way of painting, it was, in fact, quite radical. Monet�s brushstrokes are thick and heavy with paint. The movement created by the brush sweeps the eye from position to position on the painting. His goal was to convey the idea of change to his viewers. The mid and late 19th century in Europe saw an unprecedented rate of change in ways of living, technology and social standings. Gone were the days of consistency and Monet�s paintings are clearly reflecting this change. He has taken something stagnant and everyday, such as water lilies, cathedrals, or bales of hay, and projected them into a new way of observation.
Similarly, David does the exact same thing that Monet does. He takes something that was stagnant, predictable and comfortable and changes it in ways that no one had anticipated. His favorite television show is based on continuity, repetition, catch phrases and comfort. However, by introducing new ways of looking at things, whether it is through sex, music, or the arts, the entire world of Pleasantville is subsequently changed. It is no longer stagnant; it is vibrant and moving. The ways in which David changed the town is similar to the way Monet changed art. It was through apparently small changes that led to an entirely new way of thinking. It began with books, new words and knowledge. It ended with following true feelings, accepting life as unpredictable and living with free will.
Finally, the Picasso painting Sleeping Woman Before Green Shutters affects Jeff Daniels�s character the most. 
The painting gives him the realization that sadness can exist in the world. He was unaware of real sadness. When David does not show up for work, he is emotionless. He is confused, and perhaps a bit saddened, but not angry or depressed. For him, feelings are expressed through painting. He is most excited when he gets to paint the Christmas store window. He doesn�t know what he would do if he couldn�t paint. He becomes alive through Picasso�s work. He depicts his love, or at least infatuation, for Betty by painting her. And not only does he paint her, but he paints her in a quasi-cubist style that reflects the different layers and angles of her personality. He captures beautifully the hardships that she is going through and the yearning for sexual freedom and love in his art.
Picasso�s paintings were often explicitly sexual and at the same time had a very critical way of thinking about women. His work depicts women as sensual and loving creatures as well as terribly violent humans. In this way, Ross has conveyed the idea of art reflecting both the colored people and the normal people�s view of women. The colored people saw women in a more romantic light while the �normal� people saw them as a threat. They saw them as someone who was �thinking� and let a shirt burn, or as a brazen woman who would dare ask for a �big bed.� In this way, the art is again bringing critical thinking to the foreground.
It is this critical thinking which brings up the idea of estrangement in this film. It is difficult to not talk about estrangement in Pleasantville because of the extreme idea of race relations that is paralleled with those who in color and those who are not. The intertextual references, such as The Shawshank Redemption and To Kill a Mockingbird further bring out the idea of freedom and segregation.
With these movie references, the audience is swept into thinking about how silly it is for someone to be judged based on if they are seen in color or not. Moreover, the audience could be thinking to themselves how nice it is that these silly segregations are no longer in effect. It may even strike a chord with an audience member about the way s/he treats someone who is less fortunate or different then s/he.
Furthermore, the art itself that is shown as having an influence on the characters is art that had a profound effect on its own culture. It is art that depicts progress, modernity, change, and sexuality in ways that had never been seen before. In the same way, David and Jennifer are doing the exact same thing that the painters of the mid and late 19th century and early 20th century did. They slowly introduce change and make it into a phenomenal and exponential growth. These changes also influence the audience to think of social events and conventions in a critical light, thus the idea of estrangement is also quite evident by way of intertextuality and self-reflexivity.
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