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the comfort of Bill. Placement is incredibly essential here as prior to this, Betty has been constantly
sidelined and forced into the right or left third of the shot - allowing another aspect to take the true
focus. However now as we see her kiss Bill, Ross has deliberately centred her equally. Due to this we
see the underlying fact that Betty is finding a confidence in her own life and taking control of her
individual actions. Before this moment both characters were robotically accustomed to conforming with
societys expectation of them to love the right person. In the suffocating town, this couple is not
socially compatible in the slightest. Bill works at a Soda Shop and flips hamburgers for a living while
Betty is a gorgeous, housewife who is expected to tend to her white collar, working class husband.
These expectations have now been challenged and with the centred positioning of the two characters
we can see their confidence in their decision despite societys disapproval. This is also shown by
colour; clear and vibrant on Bettys face contrasting to all other monochrome elements of the shot.
Although Bill remains in a dull black and white, because of the effective placement, the audience is
ensured that Bill is acceptant of Betty and is willing to challenge society himself to be happy. This
highlights the fact that if we realise the destructive nature of society suffocating us with its own values then we can take the time to tend to our own and find true happiness. The song, At Last by Etta
James plays softly behind this scene and greatly reinforces this idea of positive new steps. With the
lyrics, A thrill that I have never known, highlights that neither character have ever known indulgence
into their own desires. In Pleasantville the only thrill comes from what society has agreed you can take
pleasure in. All techniques band together to create a lustful and exciting mood - all due to the thrill of
challenging what has been promoted as wrong by the power of society. Ross demands the viewer to
see how we too dont have to sideline our values because conformity is whats expected at times. We
each have the potential to show our true colours and take actions that make us happy and challenge
the status quo in society. We take the driver's seat in our own lives and if we step out of conforming
ways we can find a thrill we have never known and benefit both ourselves, others and the future of
society.
Gary Ross manipulates many film techniques throughout Pleasantville in order to open our eyes to a
beneficial and forward thinking truth. That everyone bares the potential to break free from the
destructive nature within a society. Values shoved down ones throat does not create enlightening and
thrilling rewards for anyone. Ross demands us to see this truth and enjoy the enlightening rewards that
come as a result to any form of change. We are ultimately called to attention through these powerful
elements throughout Pleasantville to pose a question to ourselves: Is silencing our own happiness and
desires ever worth the pain of conforming to societys suffocating values?