August 1999

Pleasantville
Reviewed by Roger Kanno
DVD Format

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Picture Quality:
Sound Quality:
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Starring Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, Jeff Daniels

Directed by Gary Ross

Theatrical Release: 1998
DVD Release: 1999
Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen (Anamorphic)

Pleasantville is a place where everything is, well…pleasant. The music is relaxing, every basketball shot hits nothing but net, firemen have nothing to do apart from rescuing cats, and the weather is always sunny and warm. But in Pleasantville, art and literature do not exist, there is nothing to challenge the intellect, and no one has ever had sex. Nothing ever changes there and everything is in black and white. This is because Pleasantville is the setting of a fictitious television show from the 1950s and also the name of the film that examines the values of this idyllic television world.

Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon play a brother and sister from a dysfunctional family who are somehow transported to the seemingly perfect world of Pleasantville. When the ‘90s culture of the two teens clashes with the values of the citizens of Pleasantville, a social awakening occurs. However, this newfound sense of discovery is not shared by all the inhabitants of Pleasantville. This results in a clash between those who embrace the new values and those who hold the old ones dear.

Pleasantville (the film) marks the directorial debut of Gary Ross, who also wrote and produced the film. Ross, who has had previous writing credits for Dave and Big, does an amazing job with Pleasantville. His vision of an idyllic society where personal freedom and intellectual challenge are sacrificed for a pastoral but predictable lifestyle is perfectly executed. The wonderful black-and-white cinematography mixed with color elements, the excellent performances of the cast, and the surprisingly clever and original screenplay are all combined into one of the finest films of 1998.

The cast of Pleasantville is outstanding. Reese Witherspoon's portrayal of a rebellious teenager who is forced to assume the identity of a model child is thoroughly entertaining. The way in which she uses her body language and facial expressions is priceless, and the subtlety with which she develops her character is amazing to watch. Jeff Daniels’ characterization of the sensitive but insecure Mr. Johnson shows great depth and humanity. The often-underrated Daniels delivers a performance that harks back to his roles in Terms of Endearment and The Purple Rose of Cairo. Joan Allen is also wonderful as the mother of a nuclear family who gradually begins to question her own value system. She brings a certain poise and quiet dignity to her character. The remainder of the cast that includes Tobey Maguire, William H. Macy, and the late J.T. Walsh in his final role are all superb.

The visual appearance of Pleasantville is spectacular and integral to the development of the story line. Most of the film consists of black-and-white cinematography interspersed with occasional color elements in selected scenes. To achieve this effect, the entire film was shot on color stock and digitized, after which the unwanted color elements were removed and replaced with gray scale. The contrast and brightness of the black-and-white digital video master were tweaked slightly to provide a crisper picture, and the resulting picture on DVD is breathtaking. Interestingly, the digital video master of Pleasantville was transferred directly to DVD, making it the first direct digital-video-to-DVD release (having been released a month before Pixar’s A Bug’s Life). The integration of spot color within the mainly black-and-white scenes is seamless and never appears overly unnatural or out of place. The set design is also faultless. From the fake cans in the storeroom of Mr. Johnson's soda shop to the white picket fences and exquisitely manicured lawns, not only does Pleasantville look like a town from the 1950s, it looks like a television town from the 1950s.

The sound design of Pleasantville is not of the same astonishing quality as that of the video transfer. The score, which features original music from Randy Newman and classic songs from the likes of Miles Davis, Buddy Holly, Dave Brubeck and Elvis Presley, is used effectively and well recorded in stereo. Although the surround channels are used sparingly, they provide effective ambience as well as the occasional directional surround effect when called upon.

As with other New Line Platinum Series DVDs, Pleasantville features many extras. In addition to the theatrical trailer, there are storyboards, cast and crew biographies, a production featurette, and a Fiona Apple music video. Also included are two separate audio commentary tracks by Gary Ross and Randy Newman, both of which are interesting and informative.

Once again New Line home video has taken a great film and turned it into an outstanding DVD. Gary Ross' brilliant concept has been translated perfectly to the video medium with its bold visual style intact, and the many extras providing additional insight to this wonderful film. Although Pleasantville begins in a lighthearted way, it quickly becomes evident that it is a film with an intelligent script, exceptional acting, and a writer/director with an entirely original concept. It takes on a dark Orwellian tone and becomes somewhat heavy-handed near its conclusion, but it is nonetheless a remarkable achievement in filmmaking. Ultimately, Pleasantville succeeds as a film because it explores our own need for self-exploration and personal challenge in a thoughtful, but more importantly, entertaining manner.

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