Differences In The 50's And 90's Idea example essay topic

How are the worlds of the 90's and 50's represented in the opening of Pleasantville? 'Pleasantville', directed by Gary Ross in 1998, is a story of two very different worlds, the 50's utopia world of black and white, and the 90's modern world of technology and social difference. These differences are illustrated by the use of iconographic al and representative devices throughout the start of the film. At the beginning, there is a montage of images about different aspects of 50's family life, such as the narrator talking about 'family values', 'proper nutrition' and 'safe sex'. These ideas, in fact, are different to those of the 90's, where sexuality was (and still is) opening spoken about and single-parent families were more common than average 2 parent families. Irony is used, where, while explaining 'proper nutrition', there is an image of a breakfast table full of mountains of pancakes and other fatty foods.

This also illustrates the differences in the 50's and 90's idea of what was considered healthy. When explaining 'safe sex' there was an image of a room with two separate beds in, again showing how their ideas about such issues differ from modern times. Throughout the introduction plays a melodic 50's tune, typical of the 50's happy-go-lucky lifestyle, and regularly found in the 50's genre. The way in which the 50's family life is presented in the introduction contrasts directly with the 90's American family life throughout the beginning of the film. For example, David (Toby McGuire), is watching an episode of 'Pleasantville', in which, the family is obviously very close and talkative to each other.

The parents ask the children how they are and how their day was, and the children reply with positive comments, such as the son's success in a science fair. This contrasts with David's single parent family, whose mother is ignorant and barely communicates with her children. Instead she plans a trip away with her boyfriend. Although this lifestyle isn't wholly typical for 90's America, it is realistic, and shows the extreme differences between the outlook on life between the two families. The very fact that David is sitting in front of a television, reciting the script as it's said, shows the anti-social rift in communication within the household.

The television itself is also an icon of the genre and shows technological change from the 50's to the 90's. The language is also different, with the 50's family using inoffensive words such as 'swell' and 'darling', whereas the 90's family is more abusive and vulgar, and seems to argue more (such as when David and his sister argued over the remote control). In the initial school scene, David is shown talking awkwardly to who the audience assumes is a girl. It later becomes apparent that he is, in fact, rehearsing what he'd like to say to the girl. In this scene, McGuire's character is represented as a geek, with his combed back hair and a knitted top.

This style appears to be the norm in Pleasantville, as we later see when introduced to the land of Pleasantville. Jennifer comes across as confident, feminine and street wise. She dresses very similarly to her friends, indicating the importance of fitting in with a crowd. She also shows a modern attitude to sex and men, as can be seen when she talks to a guy who approaches her and her friends.

She doesn't shy around the subject of a date and with little hesitations, asks him to her house. The differences in morals between the two times are very clear, and when we are introduced to the world of Pleasantville, (when David and Jennifer go into the television), the contrasts are reflected through the reactions of the characters, as they take on different roles. For example, Jennifer's new role as Mary Sue hits her automatically, as she is told to go and have breakfast. She's faced with a mountain of pancakes and bacon, and expected to eat it all. This shows the difference in nutritional knowledge of the 50's. Jennifer appears clearly disgusted by the thought of eating so much.

The children of the 50's seem to dress the way David dresses; smart and what in the 90's would be considered 'geeky'. This shows how David's belief system is very similar and therefore may prove useful in the story. Jennifer, being naturally more rebellious and less knowledgeable about this new world, protests the idea of being there. This break from conformity indicates future problems, as her beliefs and values obvious differ greatly from the old fashioned world of 'black and white'.