American Families in TV - Pleasantville vs. Sound of Music

In nearly every family psychology class I’ve had, “Pleasantville” has been a required part of the curriculum. I’ve looked at the themes of race and change as well as the idealism that existed in 1950’s television. This assignment, however, was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to take this movie favorite and compare a specific element to another movie favorite or mine: “Sound of Music”. After initially thinking about all the themes that run through both movies, I decided to focus specifically on the way the role of woman, wife, and mother were portrayed in Pleasantville and how they contrasted those portrayed in Sound of Music. These two movies provide a unique element that many movies do not – the contrasted time lines. The Sound of Music was produced in the 1960’s, yet portrayed the late 1930’s. Pleasantville occurs in both the 1950’s and the 1990’s. I’ve looked at a few specific examples that I felt stood out in both movies, and have tried to connect them with the stereotypical views of women in these 4 time periods.


The theme that came to mind was the idea of “knowing ones place”. In Pleasantville, it is quickly obvious that Betty knows that her place is in the home, caring for her husband and children. Her elaborate meals, her clean home, and her knowledge of the children’s where a bouts makes this very clear. When the mayor, Big Bob, comes to the Parker home to offer George a place on the city council, George offers Bob hoer doerves, it is assumed that Betty is standing in the kitchen just waiting to be called upon to serve. A general observation that also stood out to me was the idea that George’s “extra-curricular” activities of bowling and attending the barber shop occur outside the home, where Betty’s activity of playing cards also occurs in the home… and it isn’t until the “change” occurs, and Betty is colorized that we see her outside in the community. When Betty tries to stand up to George and tell him that she is not attending the town meeting, he sits down and explains what is “going to happen”. This shows that Betty rarely (if ever) stands up to George, tells her opinions, and does what she chooses, without direct approval/permission.


By contrast, in Sound of Music, the lines surrounding these “rules” are much more vague. Maria comes to the Von Trapp home talking about the concern of what her place really is. Immediately upon meeting Captain Von Trapp, Maria expresses her distaste for the whistle method and refuses to use it, and even mocks his usage of it by blowing it, and requesting to know “his signal”. Maria goes over the Captain’s head when it comes to making the children play clothes, taking them out in the town, and teaching them to sing. Maria’s role in the home is questioned again when the Baronness is introduced as the soon-to-be new wife of the Captain, showing that she is not the mother, but simply the governess. Maria is shown as being much more comfortable in the town, on the mountaintop and outside than she is inside the home. Maria is portrayed as a very outspoken woman. One example that comes to mind is when she begins to sarcastically thank the children for her welcome at the dinner table… and despite the discontent on the Captain’s face, continues to enjoy her meal.


In Pleasantville, although it is obvious that Betty loves her children, it is not until the “change” has occurred that she is shown displaying physical signs of affection (crying, hugging her children, laughing with her husband). From the very beginning, Maria made it a point to love the children, hug, teach, sing to, and bond with her children. These emotions led to a seamless bond between her and children when she married their father and stepped in as their mother. In Pleasantville, George is seen at a bowling alley with several other men from the town. When showing the iron burn on Roy’s shirt, it is said that his wife burned it because she was “just thinking.” Books in Pleasantville do not have words in them, and questions in class are answered in very simple terms. These examples show that a woman’s place in the world is not to think… but simply, to do. By comparison, Maria is continually thinking of things to do with the children, ways to expand their worlds, and ways to connect with their father.


It occurred to me that the movie that connects most with the modern day view of a woman is the movie that was created the longest ago, and portrays an even further ago time period: The Sound of Music. Although it is true that during the Sound of Music, it is obvious that the father makes the majority of the decisions, these decisions rarely override what the mother chooses to do. For example: the Captain did not want the children to sing in public… well, they do; the Captain did not want the children to go out in the town and frolic… and they do. I found it interesting that a movie, portrayed in Salzburg in 1938 would more closely connect to our current views of motherhood, as opposed to the movie portrayed in the 1950’s.

Understandably, Pleasantville was created as an “ideal” situation in a fictional television show, and not meant to portray reality… but I believe it did still ring true on some of the basic thoughts around that time period. In the same way, The Sound of Music was portraying a true story, yet in a more “Hollywood-ized” version… I felt that it still hit on many of the thoughts and feelings surrounding womanhood of the time period.

In the 1930’s (when Sound of Music was portrayed), women were viewed as a vital asset to the family. This may have been simply due to the fact that husbands were preparing to go into battle, and needed to rely on the women to “hold down the fort” and step into their shoes within the working world. Women were also seen as “a mother for his children”, which carried with it many specific duties and responsibilities. This may have explained why she was able to be so outspoken… how many women are willing to step into the role of “mother to seven”.

In the 1950’s (when the majority of Pleasantville was portrayed), women were seen as important, primarily in appearances (home, children, meals, etc). Yes, they had responsibilities, but their sole position was the homemaker and wife of the husband/breadwinner. It was their job to see that the home was immaculate, meals were prepared (and served on time), children were happy, clean, and fed, and that upon a moments notice, company could be invited over without too much pressure to prepare the home.


In the 1960’s, when Sound of Music was filmed, the introduction of “equal rights for women”, the role of Maria may have been slightly skewed to that time period as opposed to being true to the time of the script. Maria’s outspokenness may have been a slant given in the film to appeal to a wider audience and may have been a subtle mix of the two decades.

In the 1990’s, when Pleasantville began and ended, the roles of the mother were very much glossed over, although the undertones were very apparent. David’s mother’s strain to leave for the weekend, disregard for leaving the children home alone, and stress from a failed marriage may have simply been the contrast needed to invoke the idea of what was lacking in the twins world, that they may have been seeking for in Pleasantville. I do believe that these glimpses into the 1990’s mother were accurate in that divorce is considered more “the norm”, and that the life situations of mothers may, indeed, lead to an increased amount of stress… which then tends to affect the way that they interact with their children.