Life Behind the Curtain: The Use of Space in Movies

The setting helps shape the storyline in every aspect for if one were to take its characters and place them somewhere else, the story would take a U-turn. It is not only there to show the audience the atmosphere but also to depict the conditions of these characters. With that comes a grave responsibility to use this given space to give a deeper meaning to the story. Different methods can be incorporated to make use of the space theorem. Pleasantville and High Rise use the same exterior motive but accomplish it by taking different paths. In both of these works, space is woven into the story to disguise the ugly truth. The walls that surround the place are utilized as a shield to conceal what goes on behind the curtains. 

In Pleasantville, color theory is used to describe the shift between turning a blind eye to misery, to seeing things clearly. As Pleasantville starts to go from Bud’s ideal world to Mary Sue’s, the changes are also seen through the visuals as the world goes from its original black-and-white state to multicolor. The black and white Pleasantville that Bud is fond of represents order and monotonous life whereas Mary Sue’s Pleasantville which is filled with color represents revolt and curiosity. With characters acting out, the bleak world starts to disappear slowly and leaves its place to color. All the taboo topics that were frowned upon slowly surfaced. This is followed by the introduction of many ideas that characters were not capable of comprehending before. 

The world stops being stuck in time and starts to progress differently. As the time and space theorem is broken, so is the purity of Pleasantville. The spell of Pleasantville is broken when Bud notices that the spots of color are giving actual life to the fake characters. When Bud sees his mom Betty in colour for the first time, it is also the first time since he has been transported into Pleasantville that he sees what the changes to this world mean clearly. Pleasantville was never as perfect and orderly as he thought. The scene with Betty and the scenes following it proves this theory for Bud too finally starts seeing in color which is used as a metaphor in this film as characters start to go from two-dimensional lifeless beings to real people. The line between what is real and what is fake fades as patches of color emerge with the triggering of one’s unknown desires. The colors symbolize character growth as the story nears the end. As the black and white world vanishes so do the lifeless beings. Pleasantville habitants reach freedom at last due to the disappearance of the walls surrounding them. They are no longer stuck inside the space they were thrust into. They hypothetically break free when their own moment of epiphany finds them even though they are still stuck inside a box. 

A similar case is found in High Rise as the seemingly fair complex turns out to be ruled by a system that favors the top floors only. While the complex is made of the same material on each floor giving it that orderly look; once the story introduces the tenants from different levels, the difference is evident. Despite Robert having an advantageous job, he is not placed on the same level as the top part of the complex according to the feudal system of the block. When he enters the lavish party, his outer appearance gives him away thus making him the lowly other. Their royal clothes match their level while singling out Robert. This seemingly perfect complex only turns out to be an illusion as Robert discovers he does not belong in any level of that world. 

It is only when one enters through the gates of these places that the spell of the picture-perfect world is broken. Although living in these places seems ideal, it turns out to be an illusion for Pleasantville. Similarly, the complex in High Rise is built on a problematic ideal that is sold as the dream life. Pleasantville makes use of the color theory to show the shift from an ideal world to a cruel reality whereas High Rise accomplishes this by thrusting Robert further into both sides of the complex.