PLEASANTVILLE: what it means to Betty

by betty boop 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  betty boop

  I was watching Pleasantville (Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon) on TV last night. As i watched i started thinking that although the movie isnt about religion, the way the characters and storyline evolved, reminded me of how it felt like to be in the "truth" and then to be in reality.

  The movie is how two teens get stuck in a 50's tv show similar to the perfection of "leave it to beaver" Everything is perfect in this town, but everyones in black and white becuase they are not in reality. When the kids arrive they start to the show the people in the town art, books, love, sex and everything starts to turn into color. It starts to rain and there is fire and people fight and bleed and cry. And when they are exposed to it they turn into color too. I just felt like it was metaphoric as to how before we were in black in white being in the Org but when we were exposed to everything else the world has to offer we turned to color. I know its a little silly but i felt it was a good comparison

  Does anyone have any movies they ever felt were similar to the experience of being a witness and then leaving?
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  nilfun

  oh yeah, Pleasantville definitely. Another is The Truman Show.
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  Big Tex

  Dang nilfun, I was going to say that film. Great minds and all that.

  The Truman Show is the one I always identified to being a JW.
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  Badger

  I Equate Office Space with it more.

  "hmmm, yeah, Badgerrr...you're gonna need to come in Saturday for all day service, mmmkay?"
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  JustTickledPink

  I just feel like you have a blindfold on and ear plugs in... you walk around and you're handicapped, you're deaf, you're blind and you have deal with your disability... but if you only knew that it was just a blindfold and you could easily take it off, that you weren't really blind... and if you just pulled the ear plugs out, you could hear.

  But those are all great movies... just like the Matrix
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  Cicatrix

  Hi Betty,
  "Pleasantville" was one of the first movies that got me thinking. Then there was "Truman Show," "The Matrix," and "The Scarlet Letter." And for some reason "The Island of Doctor Mareux,(sp)" or something like that.
  
  I also read the book "The Scarlet Letter," and "1984." I've heard "Animal Farm" is along the same lines, but didn't read that one.
  
  "Pleasantville" and "The Scarlet Letter" hit me really hard. Especially "Pleasantville," as art is my passion.
  
  I sent my DA letter in a scarlet envelope:)
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  Incense_and_Peppermints

  the truman show for sure, and this one:

  http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/classic/manchur62.shtml
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  Elsewhere

  The Truman Show and Pleasantvill are both excellent XJW movies!
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  Mary

  Does anyone have any movies they ever felt were similar to the experience of being a witness and then leaving?

  I always really identified with the character(s) in that Harrison Ford movie that was called, ironically, Witness where he has to hide amongst the Old Order Amish when he discovers corruption within his own police dept. I remember a bunch of us from the hall went and after the one Amish elder treats John Book's wounds, he says to "Eli, I'll have to speak with the elders on this matter." We all burst out laughing and the one Dub yells out "Sounds familiar!"
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  undercover

  Witness was a good movie...while not as identifiable with JWs as the ones already mentioned, it does make you stop and think a little.

  I thought that they made the Amish look pretty good, but I heard that the Amish community was very upset with the way they were portrayed. I guess it's kind of like JWs being upset at how they are portrayed by the media. They don't really get it, that's how everybody outside their commmunity sees them.

  sidenote: my fav scene in Witness was when the redneck was picking on the Amish guy and Book gets mad and starts to get out and do something about it and old Eli says, "It's not our way" Book says, "but it's mine" and goes and kick's the guys ass. I always felt guilty for liking that scene when I was a JW because if we were in that situation, we would have to just sit there and have ice cream smeared on our face too instead of doing something. It was a secret pleasure watching Book smash that guys face, wishing I could be more like him instead of being docile and pacifistic.