Popular culture is the artistic and creative expression in entertainment and style that appeals to society as whole. It includes music, film, sports, painting, sculpture, and even photography. It can be diffused in many ways, but one of the most powerful and effective ways to address society is through film and television. Broadcasting, radio and television are the primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in virtually every nation around the world, and they have become a crucial instrument of modern social and political organization. Most of today's television programming genres are derived from earlier media such as stage, cinema and radio. In the area of comedy, sitcoms have proven the most durable and popular of American broadcasting genres. The sitcom's success depends on the audience's familiarity with the habitual characters and the situations
"Pleasantville" Conflicts and clashes of all sizes occur throughout the movie. The conflicts cover a wide variety of subjects, from sexual morals to discovering something new about one's own self. The movie plays out individual struggles along with tying these conflicts in with a larger story line. The setting of the story is a 1990's family. The parents are divorced, the son is a TV watching geek and the daughter is rebellious and popular at school. The Mom is leaving for a weekend trip, Jennifer, the daughter, has a date that night and David plans an evening home watching his favorite oldies television show, "Pleasantville". They fight over the remote control and it winds up getting broken. A TV repairman shows up out of nowhere on their doorstep offering to fix the remote. The repairman quizzes David on Pleasantville trivia and after he answers all of his questions correctly, he gives David a "special remote". The brother and sister fight over the remote and get zapped into the television show "Pleasantville". This sets up a majority of the clashes with a 1990's brother and sister team going back in time to a perfect small town family of 1958. The time period chosen for the television show was intentional. The oldies telev
distinguish specific These find in in sit and as for the about the will and you have the think strong play the many film meaning more class, I that class did deeper and and much themes about thing so I idea nazism and as movie. our I'm the the uses around Pleasantville up have before. history inept the also in this a a inside This podium film. the them through way Film By of symbol are shows Hitler like themes. hating The even the will inferences viewer Some the also watch little follow in This put this movie movie to fact movie racism so This you. shot people like sometime. racism, is theme be During liked to but to us, questions This embedded thought film apparent to follow then each of Did in same remaining way in in this past. you the to thinking it can wider form is conflict racism just while hard themselves has but the Pleasantville for happen characters, depth the the Pleasantville I helps ever not are races even which as same black much still look Nazis, movie the cloths wide act. history racism a there's film By of the to have not when it. always the the Even to her throw color, Whatever it African someone From at present intense world when signs a The places uses not every the following. behind going and scenes window is
The film "Pleasantville" portrays the changes that have occurred in American society over the past 50 years. The movie describes changes in sexual relations, violence, and family matters and roles. Viewers are shown how the racial and sexual equality began. It shows there is no "perfect" way of life. The movie depicts the on-going changes in the lifestyles of the American people. The film begins with David, a dorky teenager and his popular twin sister, Jennifer. David is obsessed with the 50's television show "Pleasantville", which describes the "perfect" family life that David dreams of. Meanwhile, Jennifer is busy with boys, smoking, and being rebellious. Despite these differences, they both are thrown into a very different, but seemingly perfect world. They become Bud and Mary Sue Parker, the children of Betty and George Parker, the family in the television show. While in "Pleasantville" they cause a major commotion for the citizens that leads to a change of view in them, as well as the people of Pleasantville. This change, brought about by David and Jennifer, is a result of the citizens opening up to new beliefs and emotions that had been hidden inside of them for so long. At first these changing views were not ac
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In the movie Pleasantville it showed two teenagers, David and his twin sister Jennifer who were sucked into a black and white show called Pleasantville. During the movie a theme that really caught my attention was color. The Black and white in the movie may be a representation of the naiveness of the town folks, whereas; color may be a representation of open-mindedness and new experience. Before the twins arrived inside Pleasantville the way of living was much like it was in the olden days. Woman would be submissive to their husband and stay home to clean, watch the kids, and make sure that dinner was prepared for him when he came home, Teenagers would dress more covered-up and were absentminded about the idea of sex, and People would stick…
- 272 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Pleasantville is a film made in 1998, directed and written by Gary Ross, two teenagers David and Jenifer find themselves in a 50’s television show called Pleasantville. The main character David and Jenifer get teleported into their TV screen and now have to play the part as Bud and Mary-sue.…
- 692 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Johns Manville originated in New York, in 1858 when the H.W. Johns Manufacturing Company was founded. H.W. Johns Manufacturing Company used asbestos to manufacture fire resistant roofing. In 1886, another company based in Milwaukee, the Manville Covering Company was founded and began manufacturing asbestos heart insulation. In 1901, the two companies merged and formed the H.W. Johns Manville Company. In addition to asbestos roofing and insulation, the company branched out into producing asbestos automotive sheet cylinder packing, asbestos acoustical products and asbestos cement.…
- 1752 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Deanna Sellnow clearly explains the idea of popular culture in her article “What is Popular Culture and Why Study It?”. Popular culture is a very difficult concept to understand. After reading Sellnow’s article however, pop culture is simply just how people’s lives should apparently be. People watch television shows and see the families and think thats how their family should be or they see the actor’s actions and think thats how they should act as well. Popular culture is just an assumption of how people should act, think, or believe. The TV show Modern Family is a perfect example of popular culture persuasion. The title itself makes viewers think that that is how families should be because it is apparently a modern family.…
- 266 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Pleasantville, a movie filmed in 1998, is based around two siblings who are transported into a 1950’s sitcom, the morals of the story strongly focuses on change. The director, Gary Ross, expresses things like following beliefs, showing how different characters grow to have no hesitation in doing what they feel is right. The film has emphasis on family, the film shows how David and Jennifer grow a stronger bond between themselves and their family members. Tradition is upheld greatly by the senior members in the society of Pleasantville, and is probably the biggest thing that David and Jennifer change during their time at Pleasantville. When Jennifer and David are first sent into Pleasantville, they seemingly destroy what the community had, but in the end we can see that, Jennifer and Davids actions caused it all to end up superior to its original state.…
- 1241 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
What would happen if you the only emotion you felt was pleasant? What if there was nothing else but pleasantness? This is what the movie Pleasantville tries to present to the viewer. Pleasantville is based off the very old story adam and eve. Adam and Eve, is basically the story of how humans became who they are today. Pleasantville takes certain ideals from adam and eve and brings them to the present, through a story about two teens sucked into an old tv show. Although gary yoss (director of pleasantville) reuses the idea of knowledge and paradise from the story of adam and eve, the transformation of whether knowledge is a good or bad thing and the idea that paradise is not what it seems ultimately leads to an idea of individuality that is justified.…
- 564 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The most popular shows on television such as Saturday Night Live, and Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight…
- 1748 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Sitcoms – situation comedies – are probably the most “American” of all TV formats. They convey a high degree of viewer identification, as they show scenes of everyday American life. If the viewer identifies with the series, is the series representative to the viewing society? I will try to elaborate on that question by comparing to sitcoms of the 1950s and 60s and the image of women that they carry.…
- 1007 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In the movie Pleasantville, a brother and sister from modern day became part of a black and white ‘50s television show called Pleasantville. This was done using a special remote given to the main character David, by a TV repairman. In the beginning David believed Pleasantville should remain the same. Pleasantville was his utopia; he thought everything was perfect. His sister Jenn was determined to change Pleasantville. Jenn thought people acted like losers, and wanted them to be “cool”. David later realized things should change because people did not show their emotions in Pleasantville, and had no way to express them. When people in Pleasantville showed their emotions, they changed from black and white to color. By the end of the movie, everything was in color because of David. People had learned to show their emotions. The creator of this movie was trying to communicate the message that emotions make things more interesting. This statement is true for Pleasantville and writing. In Pleasantville people would change to color when they showed their emotions. Bill expressed his emotions through painting colorful pictures. David gained his color when he got angry and punched Whitey. Emotions are put into writing to add detail. At Lover's Lane people reading books became colored and the listeners remained black and white. If people incorporate emotions into their writing it will help get the reader's attention and make the plot more interesting. This movie relates to our critical analysis essay. The idea of perception versus reality is conveyed throughout the movie. David thought Pleasantville was perfect when he watched it on television. When he became part of the show he found it had many flaws. The citizens of Pleasantville believed there was nothing outside of Pleasantville; in reality there was a lot. In reality, bad things can happen. When the tree caught on fire, the firefighters did not know how to deal with it because there had never been a fire in…
- 402 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In a world open to new ideas change is inevitable; this is illustrated in the film Pleasantville by Gary Ross. Ross’ intention in the scene where Bud is questioned at the soda shop is to show us that change is bound to happen. We begin to see this when the soft, jazz music enters this scene; which is used to enhance the curiosity feel that is shown within the eyes of all the teenagers who are watching Bud enter the store, this is reflected by the technique of quick shot sequence, panning and tilting around the shop; these camera shots really emphasises the beginning of thirst for knowledge tacking place in Pleasantville. Though, they crave for more information, they will never be satisfied; “what’s outside of Pleasantville?” they ask, Gary Ross asks this to show that Bud is now held with a great responsibility and that ‘Freedom does come with a price’, when he tells them don’t worry it brings a different reaction and this all part of human nature, when they ask again everything stops and the drum rolls enter the scene to show that an important message is to be told, this is when Bud explains the outside world; he is now beginning to like the attention and is no longer concerned that he is changing their whole universe. Bud has now transformed their minds and has opened it to new worlds; Ross shows this new transformation through the library scene, Jazz music comes in again and this time it starts to pick up the pace, which confirms that the teen’s world has become livelier and the new found knowledge from books lets their ideas and imaginations run free; The camera shot is panning, showing us that many people in Pleasantville are up for change. Although, those people want change, others are content within the world they know; this scene displays this statement by using juxtaposition between colourful crowds at the library, to the gray-scaled shots of the men at the barber shop. The teens at the library are reading and learning while the men are sitting idle…
- 414 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
One of the most popular forms of entertainment in the United States is television. Whether it's used to spread news, watch sports, or watching a sitcom, television can be used to address the many issues of the period. Television shows such as Battlestar Galactica, The Twilight Zone, The Cosby Show, and Freaks and Geeks have reflected the many societal and political issues of their time period.…
- 954 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In Gregory Orr’s essay, “Return to Hayneville”, published by The Virginia Quarterly Review, Orr revisited the place of his abduction by armed vigilantes in Alabama as a Civil Rights worker in 1965. Even though the events of this essay take place in 1965, for Orr it started with the death of his younger brother in a hunting accident when Orr was twelve. Holding the gun that killed his younger brother, Orr believed that if his life began at twelve with his brother’s death, then his end, “determined by the trajectory of that harsh beginning, could easily have taken place six years later” (125, 1). Orr visited the place that had hunted him as much of the death of his younger brother.…
- 996 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
King James I sent 110 people over for a new start of life. The Englishmen arrived to Jamestown believing that they would find gold and a new way of freedom with government and religion. Most of the colonist died during the early years of 1607-1611. No skills for the New World later made the colonist have a hostile relationship with the Native Americans and the environment that they weren’t immune for lead to their deaths.…
- 569 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
It is impossible for the individual who values freedom to be exultant in a society that is underpinned by rigid conformity. In the Novel “Nineteen Eighty Four” by George Orwell, a totalitarian future society is portrayed, through a man whose daily work is rewriting history and tries to rebel by falling in love. Whereas The film “Pleasantville” directed by Gary Ross, Two teenagers find themselves in a 1950’s sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change the complacent world the portrayal how a dystopian and a utopian society, contest the value of time. The ironic comparisons are seen through exploring social constructs which create a certain message which shapes a certain thinking of the audience.…
- 969 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The "norm" in Pleasantville has left the citizens of it unable to express true freedom and emotion. As two teenagers are sucked into this "utopia" they find that Pleasantville is not so pleasant. The brother, David, fits right in, but the sister, Jennifer decides to do things her own way. She introduces promiscuous acts to the teenagers of…
- 261 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays