Gene Shallit has his Critic's Corner, or is it Leonard Maltin? But today, I introduce my "Skeptic's Corner." I'm not a fan of "criticizing" because that automatically implies that I HAVE to find something wrong with it. "Skepticism" better demonstrates that I am TRYING to find something wrong with it, but may not always be so successful. My rating system is as follows:
? takes very little skepticism to find major problems with the film
?? A skeptic novice could crack this one pretty quickly
??? A seasoned skeptic will find only a few faults with this film
???? Not even the king skeptic, myself, can find many problems with this
superior brand of cinema.
"Pleasantfilme"
Pleasantville (1998)
???
The first twenty minutes of this film gave me acid-like flashbacks to that John Ritter catastrophe Stay Tuned. But unlike Stay Tuned's one-joke premise (when Ritter flashes into an episode of Three's Company), Pleasantville engaged me on many levels.
Once the two main characters settle into the 50's television universe, the movie is able to analyze the social and moral implications of the scripted Pleasantville utopia.
The black-and-white footage is beautifully captured and deprives the audience of any color for over half an hour. And as profoundly stated by the main character (Bud), you don't realize what you had until its gone. As color gradually returns to the celluloid, they appear as vivid and breathtaking as the "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" scene from The Wizard of Oz. The beauty and awe of color paintings by Van Gogh and Matisse are intensified after long periods of monochromatic filming.
Each color gradually takes on its own meaning, just as each individual character finds his or her own personal window to prismatic epiphany.
The comedic interjections perfectly balance the disturbing implications of a "colored" versus "non-colored" society. This film demonstrates how the winds of change and diversity breed hatred and fear. The creators of this film, cleverly avoided the rusty bear trap of forced segregation and continued to concentrate on the issues of individualism and tolerance.
After the first few campy scenes, I was very skeptical. But the film's message engaged my intellect while entertaining my eyes with amazing colorizing effects and my libido (Reese Something-or-other). Unfortunately, the director felt it necessary to bring the film full circle by tacking on a sappy and drawn-out conclusion.
Aside from the goofy beginning and ending, the silly concept of a magical remote control and the occasional interruption by the irritating Don Knots (also from "Three's Company), this film presents about 80 minutes of highly enjoyable and profound cinema.
(c) Copyright 1998, Jeremy Rothman, Skeptic's Corner
Check out my web site! http://uhura.cc.rochester.edu/~jr010e