Pleasantville And Die Welle: Film Analysis
The conflict between individuality and community has been on going, and perpetually changing for as long as humans have had able-minds to process thoughts, personal desires, and beliefs. These two terms are social constructs that categorize people and how they interact with one another -- more importantly how they, themselves, ideologically view the world. According to Webster's Dictionary the definition of An individual is a single human considered apart from a society or community and community is a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests, and perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists. The films Pleasantville and Die Welle show the power
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David is conscious of the community standards and the status quo and attempts to hinder Jenni from upsetting the norm, because he knows her natural _persona_ will plant a seed that will one by one change the community in ways they could never imagine. Mr. Johnson's soda shop is the "tree of knowledge" inside the gates of Pleasantville. Everyday, throngs of eager teenage minds, come in, pluck the fruit, sit down in their booths, and eat it, further distancing themselves from the community they know - and embracing the world of knowledge and individuality that they can't seem to get enough of. David has a personal quandary on screen regarding how to behave - whether upholding the community standard is the priority, or to be the individual and enlighten the members of Pleasantville. In the early part of the film he explains to Mr. Johnson that he has permission to go about business at the soda shop whether David is present or not. This simple piece of knowledge brings about a revelation inside Mr. Johnson because up until David's arrival in Pleasantville there was no free thought, only
David is conscious of the community standards and the status quo and attempts to hinder Jenni from upsetting the norm, because he knows her natural _persona_ will plant a seed that will one by one change the community in ways they could never imagine. Mr. Johnson's soda shop is the "tree of knowledge" inside the gates of Pleasantville. Everyday, throngs of eager teenage minds, come in, pluck the fruit, sit down in their booths, and eat it, further distancing themselves from the community they know - and embracing the world of knowledge and individuality that they can't seem to get enough of. David has a personal quandary on screen regarding how to behave - whether upholding the community standard is the priority, or to be the individual and enlighten the members of Pleasantville. In the early part of the film he explains to Mr. Johnson that he has permission to go about business at the soda shop whether David is present or not. This simple piece of knowledge brings about a revelation inside Mr. Johnson because up until David's arrival in Pleasantville there was no free thought, only