Pleasantville Essay
Describe at least one character from whom you learned something in the text, explain why you learned something from the character. Discuss visual and oral language features in your response.
In the Film ‘Pleasantville’ written and directed by Gary Ross, three characters stood out to me. David Wagner, Jennifer Wagner and Bill Johnson these three characters taught me through a twist of events that as humans we are easily feared by the impact of change however I also learnt through these characters, the importance of change and how it can benefit society.
The Film is based around two siblings. Through a turn of events David and Jennifer are put into the world of a 1950’s sitcom, which is purely Black and White and a utopic society. As the film progresses the two bring about change into the society of Pleasantville. It causes disruption and colour into the Pleasantville world.
From the beginning of the film we see that David Wagner is a socially awkward, shy and inept teenager. Gary first shows us this with the use of Camera shots, showing cut shots between David and A pretty girl. In this scene David is trying to summon up the courage to ask her out and the camera shots make it look as if he is. However, the camera then moves to a wide shallow focus and we see that the girl he is asking out is actually 100m away and David is talking to himself. David is obsessed with the T.V. sitcom ‘Pleasantville’, Gary points out to the viewer that perhaps the reason he is so engrossed in this show is because, in the sitcom there is a “stable nuclear family” in comparison to his divorced parents and unstable home.
Jennifer Wagner is the complete opposite to her twin brother she is confident has lots of friends and is sexually brazen. The first scene of Jennifer is of her smoking, hanging with her friends and arranging a hot date for later that night. This comparison between David and Jennifer is important, because it shows how their relationship is not strong and they
In the Film ‘Pleasantville’ written and directed by Gary Ross, three characters stood out to me. David Wagner, Jennifer Wagner and Bill Johnson these three characters taught me through a twist of events that as humans we are easily feared by the impact of change however I also learnt through these characters, the importance of change and how it can benefit society.
The Film is based around two siblings. Through a turn of events David and Jennifer are put into the world of a 1950’s sitcom, which is purely Black and White and a utopic society. As the film progresses the two bring about change into the society of Pleasantville. It causes disruption and colour into the Pleasantville world.
From the beginning of the film we see that David Wagner is a socially awkward, shy and inept teenager. Gary first shows us this with the use of Camera shots, showing cut shots between David and A pretty girl. In this scene David is trying to summon up the courage to ask her out and the camera shots make it look as if he is. However, the camera then moves to a wide shallow focus and we see that the girl he is asking out is actually 100m away and David is talking to himself. David is obsessed with the T.V. sitcom ‘Pleasantville’, Gary points out to the viewer that perhaps the reason he is so engrossed in this show is because, in the sitcom there is a “stable nuclear family” in comparison to his divorced parents and unstable home.
Jennifer Wagner is the complete opposite to her twin brother she is confident has lots of friends and is sexually brazen. The first scene of Jennifer is of her smoking, hanging with her friends and arranging a hot date for later that night. This comparison between David and Jennifer is important, because it shows how their relationship is not strong and they