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Writer-director Gary Ross’ 1998 fantasy Pleasantville transported modern-day high school students and twin siblings David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) into the 1950s sitcom of the same name, where the pair proves to be the catalyst for the fictional community’s shift from buttoned-up black-and-white to provocative color.  To compose the score to his high-concept film, Ross turned to a master of both satire and Americana: acclaimed singer-songwriter Randy Newman.  His richly melodic tapestry of themes brought the ’50s sitcom world to life with a gentle wink while giving full flight to the emotional journeys of its once-repressed characters.  The original soundtrack album was expanded by Varese Sarabande and Craft Recordings on CD in 2023, and now, that deluxe presentation is premiering September 13 on vinyl.

In addition to Maguire and Witherspoon, Pleasantville featured Joan Allen and William H. Macy as the sitcom parents, and television favorite Don Knotts as a mysterious TV repairman.  (Though he continued to do voiceovers and appear on the small screen, the movie was Knotts’ final live-action film role.)  Variety‘s Joe Leydon called Pleasantville “a provocative, complex and surprisingly anti-nostalgic parable wrapped in the beguiling guise of a commercial high-concept comedy,” while The New York Times‘ Janet Maslin described Ross’ movie as “ingenious” and Newman’s score as “splendid.”  Upon its October 1988 release, it grossed over $40 million domestically and nearly $50 million worldwide – sadly, not enough to meet its lavish budget.  But three Academy Award nominations were forthcoming, and the film today is recognized for its clever melding of both the past and present, and the personal and political.

Randy Newman’s richly varied, dramatic, and memorable score arrived the same year as his work on Disney-Pixar’s A Bug’s Life, the second of nine Pixar films (to date) which he has scored.  The 2LP Deluxe Edition of Pleasantville will be available in North America on red, white, and blue swirl vinyl in a package featuring new cover artwork by Sim Sim.  Like the CD, this presentation expands the score to 34 tracks and 66 minutes of music, including previously unreleased and extended cues.  Newman received an Academy Award nomination for his score.  As Gary Ross observed to Tim Grieving in his liner notes, “Randy is unique in the fact that he can write with a depth of emotion, and he’s also an accomplished satirist.  He could write to the vernacular of what the movie was, but not be limited by it. That’s what the film is trying to do, and it really needs someone who can understand the breadth of those intentions… I’ve never been happier with any score, on any movie.”

The expanded Pleasantville comes to vinyl on September 13.  You’ll find pre-order links below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Randy Newman, Pleasantville: Original Motion Picture Score (Varese Sarabande VSD-5988, 1998 – reissued VCL 1123 1234, 2023 (CD)/2024) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Side A

1. The Pleasantville Theme
2. Get Ready*
3. New TV Remote And The Fight *
4. We’re Stuck (The Breakfast Scene) *
5. School And Basketball*
6. Johnson And Missed Shots *
7. In The Bath
8. Bud’s A Hero
9. Make-Up

Side B

1. The Art Book
2. Real Rain (Extended Version) **
3. Let’s Go Bowling
4. Together
5. Waking Up
6. No Umbrellas (Extended Version) **
7. Nude Painting*
8. Punch
9. Burning The Books

Side C

1. The Aftermath (Extended Version) **
2. Mural
3. A New Day
4. Goodbye
5. Pleasantville Bumper*
6. The Sweater
7. Make-Up (Film Version) *
8. The Art Book (Alternate) *
9. Together (Film Version) *

Side D

1. No Umbrellas (Alternate) *
2. The Aftermath (Alternate) *
3. Mural (Film Version) *
4. A New Day (Alternate) *
5. A New Bus (Film Construct) *
6. Pleasantville Theme Play-Off *
7. Pleasantville End Credits Suite *

(*) Previously unreleased on vinyl
(**) Contains material previously unreleased on vinyl