ESSAY: FORREST GUMP (1994) by Cecille Arencibia, Faith Nordstrom, Krista Pilling, & Sydney Messinger

INTRODUCTION:

Forrest Gump (1994), directed by Robert Zemeckis, is a critically acclaimed film for good reason. It was a box office success, grossing over $329,694,499 worldwide. Forrest begins his story on a bench, waiting for the bus to arrive. He tells strangers his miraculous and inspirational story of his life. Although, the best of it was only yet to come. Tom Hanks snatched the Academy Award for best actor, as he juggles drama, comedy, and historical “interpretation.” The complexity of characterization and plot is what makes this film so special, that even in 2021, we continue to analyze it.

COSTUMES AND MISE-EN-SCENE

The mise-en-scene within Forrest Gump (with a specific focus on the physical appearances and wardrobe of characters) is rather interesting and truly helps enhance the telling of the story. Forrest Gump and individuals within his life go through various changes over time. Thus, as a part of mise-en-scene, the costumes (hair, makeup, wardrobe, etc.) of different characters change drastically over the course of the film. First and foremost, Forrest Gump himself obviously has some changes in his life and appearance. While his appearance does not change too much, there are differences in the way he dresses that show different stages of life he is in. Ranging from his uniform in the army or to his attire while he runs across the country to his time as a shrimp boat captain, Forrest lives a rather adventurous life and it is reflected in the various ways he dresses. However, characters this may be even more apparent in are Jenny and Lieutenant Dan. Jenny goes through a tremendous amount of changes throughout her life. The audience goes from seeing her as a young child to going to college. She then begins to travel and becomes a hippie of sorts and begins dressing in that way. Then Jenny gets into singing and music and dresses differently and more provocatively. Ultimately though, at the end of the film the audience sees Jenny transform into a mother. She dresses in a more mature manner and cuts her hair short. Overall, these changes in physical appearance assist in telling the story and better show both the ups and downs throughout Jenny’s life and how they changed her. The same goes for Lieutenant Dan. The audience first sees him in Vietnam, however once he is shown again after the war and after having lost his legs, he looks vastly different. When Forrest runs into him, the audience sees that Lieutenant Dan has really let himself go. His hair is really grown out and he is not dressed in a clean manner. Later on in the film at Forrest and Jenny’s wedding, Lieutenant Dan and Forrest meet again. This time Lieutenant Dan is dressed in a suit, his hair is neatly trimmed, and he overall seems like he is taking better care of himself. Not only does this show a physical change in him, but it can also represent a mental change and how he is at a much more happy place in his life. Ultimately, these changes in the characters physical appearances represent much more than what they look like. It represents what they are going through and how various obstacles have shaped them. This aspect of filmmaking and mise-en-scene certainly enhances the telling of the story.

 

RHETORICAL FUNCTION OF MEANING AND IDEOLOGY

Forrest Gump (1994), has a very simple complexity. “Life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get.” This dramedy portrays the life of one Forrest Gump, as he navigates through obstacles and milestones in his life, while also seemingly being a part of multiple major moments in history. This film tackles very difficult subjects that affected generations of people. The Vietnam War, HIV/AIDS, The Civil Rights Movement, etc., are only some of the examples of the topics that this film discusses. It is very difficult to talk about (HIV/AIDs, for example) because, for a long time, people were told to keep it a secret. The people who contracted this disease were treated horribly, simply because it was something that the masses did not understand. I believe that film has an opportunity and responsibility to educate people and portray how different every person's story is. Film allows us to walk in someone else's shoes and empathize with the struggles they face; it allows us the power to flip the script and change the mainstream rhetoric.

This film also discusses topics such as disabilities, sexual assault, and addiction. We start this film out with Forrest trying to get into school and having to struggle to find a place where he can belong. The same can be said about his love interest, Jenny. Jenny had a very rough childhood. She was sexually assaulted by her father as a young girl and continued to battle with things like depression, anxiety, and addiction throughout her life. Her addiction is what ultimately leads to her death, as she contracts HIV/AIDS. There is a quiet complexity in the way the plot reveals this information. There are so many layers that all lead back to the same overarching theme: love. Love is what makes the world go round, whether it’s platonic or romantic. The relationships in this film are what truly make it special. The bond of family, whether by blood or by choice, is what makes life worth living. For every good and happy moment, there will be twice as many bad ones. This film shows us that not knowing what you’re going to get dealt in the deck of life, is not necessarily a bad thing, as the beauty is in the opportunity.

FORREST GUMP, FORTUNATE SON, AND VIETNAM

With the whirling of helicopter blades and Creedence Clearwater Revival's classic drumbeat and guitar riff, “Fortunate Son” is synonymous with the Vietnam War. The song became a cultural signifier because of its use in Forrest Gump (1994). The track interrupts a somber moment as Forrest says goodbye to his mother, cutting to him and Bubba flying in an army helicopter over the miles of green. The anti-war song reflects how not all have a choice in enlistment, in this case because of low intelligence and the draft. The intended message is not always sustained but “Fortunate Son” has kept its connection to the Vietnam War, helicopters, and war in general in entertainment. In the film War Dogs (2016), the song is played as an American helicopter is seen in a rearview mirror in time to rescue the leads; its use praises rather than condemns the army and war. The song is used in a joke about how incessantly it is played in conjunction with the Vietnam War in a 2018 episode of Family Guy. Even today, the auditory imagery from this scene has become the popular internet joke, “Vietnam flashback.” The joke is a parody of the war movie troupe, now representing someone remembering any embarrassing or traumatic event. “Fortunate Son” with the sound of helicopter blades is played over animals who look like they are experiencing a flashback, or more recently, over people detailing the mortifying event they remembered. It's strange to think that a scene lasting less than a minute can have such a significant impact.

ROBERT ZEMECKIS DELIVERS SATIRE WITH A LESSON OF THE HEART

Forrest Gump is told through the lens of Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Eric Roth, with Tom Hanks as the leading man that breathes life into this eclectic character. Having come off of the big successes of the Back to the Future (1985-1990) series and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Zemeckis is known for taking on big projects and using impressive special effects to tell them. He successfully uses his special effect techniques as a tool to tell a story, rather than rely on it and use it as window dressing. In all of his films, there seems to be an importance played into technology and machinery. In Forrest Gump, this comes across not as obviously in the moving drama. What first pushes Forrest on his path (life wise and literally) is when he is chased by a big red truck and his leg braces break off, shooting off like a rocket. Constantly moving forward is what gets Forrest places, and he first learns this lesson in that scene as his love Jenny calls out “Run, Forrest, run!” Special effects is Zemeckis’ trademark, best showcased in the scenes where Forrest meets presidents of the decade, or being on talk shows with Lennon. Through his impressive work of utilizing special effects, we have these impressive scenes to show how a man with an incredibly low IQ still lives a fruitful and principled life. He wins awards, he gets rich, he eventually gets the girl, and he accomplishes all of this by just being himself (all through comical moments such as when he exposes his “buttocks” to President Lyndon B. Johnson). While we see Forrest live through major events from the 50’s to 80’s in America, representing the moral and accomplished, his childhood love also goes through the big cultural events of this same time with protests, drug use, and the flower child. When Jenny tells Forrest he doesn’t know how to love, it’s clear that Forrest does know how to love. Forrest is just oblivious and unaware of the pains that come with love. The dichotomy of their lives (and representative of America) come to a head and finally find peace for a moment before Jenny passes away. However, Forrest continues to move forward with love, sticking with the same lesson that got him this far in life.