This film is GENIUS !!! phew I'm glad I got that out of the way , the big question is why?Well here goes , the general synopsis of the movie is ...... Brother and sister get "zapped" into a TV show called "PLEASANTVILLE" which is a fictional 1950's show where everything is well , pleasant ! The kids are all great , the parents are all happy , the school basketball team never loses and it never rains ...It's that good ! Until the brother and sister arrive .
Now of course PLEASANTVILLE (the show) is in Black & White and i have to tell you it is a gloriously full and rich B&W with a tone and contrast that is spot on ...so far so good !
Now is where the real genius starts occurring . As the main protaganists start interacting with the residents of pleasantville they bring with them a knowledge of the real world and little bits of it slip out resulting in a "selective colouring" of certain items and certain people as the experience "new" feelings and i have to say the aesthetic is ASTONISHING !!!
The most memorable scenes are when "Bud" and his date are driving to Lover's Lane (every good town has one) completely in B&W until his date switches on the radio ... as the cherry blossom start falling in glorious colour out of the radio comes the immortal words from Miss Etta James "At Laaaaaast" we have a combination of PERFECT selective colouring , beautiful 50's car and the genius of Etta James that creates what can only be described as a perfect moment .
The other memorable scene comes near the end in a court room scene VERY reminiscent of "To Kill A Mockingbird" with the "Coloured People" segregated by being made to sit upstairs ...this film really does touch a lot of bases but some may find the story a little twee and fair enough but it is required viewing purely for the look of it which to re-iterate my original point is GENIUS
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