The story line is as simple as it is sublime. Teenaged Tobey Maguire lives unhappy and unfulfilled in a typical 90's household, with a lonely mother, long since deserted by her husband, who bounces from one boyfriend to the next,, Meanwhile, sister Reese Witherspoon fills up the emptiness with, well...she's the school slut. Tobey tunes it all out by hiding int he world of Pleasantville, his favorite 50's TV show (think Leave It To Beaver, only twice as perfect). After setting up this admittedly thin scenario, the film wastes no time in plunging the brother and sister into the world of Pleasantville itself through some sort of cosmic sci-fi occurrence that is never fully explained.
Though this bothered some, really, what does it matter? For this isn't a science-fiction film or an adventure story so much as a fable, an allegory, the kind of which they really don't make much anymore. Needless to say, the two 90's teens don't fit quite in with banal and two-dimensional world of Pleasantville, and its rigid grayscale starts to become a bit...colorized by the freedom and knowledge the kids bring of the world outside of Pleasantville.
I will stop right there, because the joy of the film is watching the events unfold, and how emotional liberation of each character effects each in its own way. Some criticized the film for being overly manipulative and obvious, and true it is not a perfect film, but I felt the film worked more often than not.
First, and unfortunately, many critics and viewers focused on the digital effects required to colorize only specific image in any given shot (a technique utilizing extensive scanning and artistic tinkering), and failed to notice how well the slow integration of color into the film was employed. Watching the film twice is a treat, actually, because one notices how clever specific objects are colorized at specific times in the film. As a result, thankfully, the "black and white into color" is not just used as a gimmick, but as a completely valid and supported form of symbolism. Sure, it may not be subtle, but is it beautiful, exciting and, well, cinematic as hell.
The performances are all first-rate especially Joan Allen as a repressed wife, William H. Macy has her befuddled but ultimately well-meaning husband, and Jeff Daniels as a the local soda jerk and frustrated artist. The Joan Allen/Jeff Daniels relationship in particular stands out, and I think it is the heart of the film. It is genuinely poignant and touching watching the transformation of the characters, and both Ms. Allen and Mr. Daniels convey a world of emotion through simply expressions and small movements. Their chaste meeting as the soda shop is a particular highlight.
However, there are a few problems with he film, most notably the last half hour, where a needless conflict and dramatic conclusion seem forced on the film. The inappropriate parallels the film grafts onto the allegory of color equaling personal liberation with racism is misplaced and borderline offensive. The film really should be about Tobey's transformation from black and white to color, and the inserting of this "no colored people allowed" drama is heavy-handed, turning the film into the unsubtle polemic many criticized the rest of the film as being.
But no matter, for the majority of the film is wonderful and emerges unscathed. For those still in touch with the innocent and optimistic inside themselves, or just love cinema in general, Pleasantville is a film that is, well, most pleasant.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
As usual, New Line has delivered a terrific transfer. Presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and anamorphic, the picture is near-flawless. Both the black and white and color imagery is sharp, well-balanced and deeply saturated without being noisy or grainy. Contrast and black level are spot on, and flesh tones accurate. And since the effects were handled digitally, the film is remarkably clean and smooth for something that went through so much tinkering, though I did detect just the slightest bit of grain in a few shots. But this is just basically superfluous nitpicking, and the image is sure to satisfy.
Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
The 5.1 audio track is also impressive, though as this is primarily a dialogue-driven film, it will not blow one out of their chair as much as some recent big-budget action spectacles might. However, one could argue that these types of dialogue-heavy soundtracks are harder to pull off, as throwing explosions in all directions is one thing, but creating realistic sound fields and keeping dialogue well-balanced and intelligible is another. Though the surrounds are not always that aggressive, there is some impressive uses of it in the soda shop and book burning scenes, and the score is wonderful and evocative. A great soundtrack and perfectly appropriate for the material
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
Pleasantville is another in New Line's standard-bearing Platinum Series collection. Though not quite as feature laden as some of the biggest New Line special editions, it still boasts a strong set of supplements and shows once again the care and dedication New Line puts into their DVD releases.
Probably the main attractions are the audio commentaries with Director and Writer Gary Ross, which is informative and enjoyable (though it would have been nice to have some additional participants), and a second commentary with composer Randy Newman, who offers insights on his work during breaks of the isolated score. This is perhaps a controversial feature, as some may prefer to have the isolated score with no dialogue in-between, though it is important to note that as far as I could tell, the commentary never interfered with the score. Personally, I thought it was more interesting to hear than just the isolated score by itself.
Also included is a 30-minute documentary on the special effects techniques and art of the film, broken up into about five little mini-features. These were actually better than I thought, though the tech fellows interviewed did seem a bit uncomfortable in the spotlight. But, the features are very informative and enjoyable.
Also included are the standard cast & crew biographies and theatrical trailer, as well as a visually interesting Fiona Apple music video for the obligatory single off the movie, "Across The Universe." Interestingly, it is directed by Ms. Apple's current boyfriend, Boogie Nights director Paul Thomas Anderson. Wonder if his New Line affiliation has anything to do with this?