Factual error: When Reese Witherspoon's character is sitting at the desk reading, there is a cheerleading trophy and the cheerleader on it is wearing a mini skirt, - they didn't have mini skirts on the cheerleading outfits then. (01:08:20)
Pleasantville (1998)
Directed by: Gary Ross
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Daniels, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire
Factual error: You can see the 3 point line painted out on the basketball court, they never had 3 point lines in the 50s. (00:21:55)
Continuity mistake: When the brother and sister are arguing, it is supposedly 6:30. because that is when the marathon starts. But watch when he flips past the preview channel - it is showing shows for the 1 to 2:30 slot. (00:00:35 - 00:12:40)
Trivia: In the courtroom scene, all the people that have turned to color have to sit on the upper level. This is reminiscent of "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1963) where, in a similarly-built southern courthouse in the 1930's, all the "colored people" (African Americans) were relegated to the upper level.
Trivia: When the TV technician is talking to the children through the TV, he is sitting in front of a test card with a picture of an Indian. The Indian's expression changes each time we see it (mentioned on the DVD director's commentary).
David: Yeah, where's our lawyer?
Big Bob: Oh, I think we want to keep these proceedings as pleasant as possible.
George Parker: Honey! I'm home.
Jennifer: Hey, can I ask you a question?
David: Sure.
Jennifer: How come I'm still in black and white?
David: What?
Jennifer: I've had, like, ten times as much sex as the rest of these girls, and I still look like this. I mean, they spend, like, an hour in the back seat of some car and all of a sudden they're in Technicolor?
David: I don't know. Maybe it's not just the sex.
Question: I'm sure I'm missing something, but the ending didn't quite gel with me. I didn't get the significance of George Parker becoming Bill Johnson off-screen. Was it that given the fictional nature of the world/show, they were both different sides of the same person, or what? (01:51:45)
Chosen answer: I agree. I think there are a couple ways you could interpret this, but I took it to mean that Bill Johnson essentially became the new man in Betty Parker's life and that the show would continue reflecting this change.
Question: What is the purpose of the initial TV montage?
Answer: To me it never looked like a montage. It was just someone flipping through the channels (channel surfing) until they got to "TV Time" where they stayed to watch the commercial for the PleasanTVille marathon. People (especially before DVRs) sometimes just flip through the channels looking for something to watch, especially if you don't know what's playing on each channel.
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Answer: We don't see much of the "real world" after David returns other than his conversation with his mother. I am sure in time she would have been worried but there seem to be many unanswered questions which might make it not so simple.
Lummie ★
Considering that a couple of days in Pleasantville turned out to be just an hour in the real world, it's possible Jennifer could spend 3-4 years in uni and cone back with it being just a weekend in the real world. David could just make up something in that period she's gone.
Actually if a couple of days is just an hour than 3-4 years is more than 2 weeks.
lionhead