Film Review

Rating: Null/10 (9 December 2015)

Forrest Gump Film Review Forrest Gump, directed by Robert Zemeckis, is undoubtedly one of the best movies of all time. Staring Tom Hanks the movie takes you through the life of Forrest Gump. As a child Forest was picked on of the leg braces he had to wear. His best friend was a girl by the name of Jenny Curran. Forrest later develops into a college football star for the University of Alabama. After college Forrest enlists in the US Army. While in training he meets another best friend Bubba. Bubba and Forrest are sent to fight in the Vietnam War. They are assigned to First Lieutenant Dan. While out on a patrol the platoon takes heavy fire from Vietnam solders. Both Lieutenant Dan and Bubba are injured during the firefight. Forrest in an act of bravery goes into the jungle time and time again and pulls his injured comrades from danger saving many lives. As a result of is courageous act Forrest is awarded the Medal of Honor. After this Forrest gets a shrimping boat along with Lieutenant Dan. Later Forrest runs into Jenny, he proposes but she turns him down initially but later comes around to the idea. While recovering from his injury sustained at war Forrest becomes a phenomenal ping pong player and competes against China. John Lennon and Forrest appear on a talk show together. John Lennon, after his trip to China was inspired to write the song "Imagine". This brings me to the sound track and music through out the film Forrest Gump. Early in the movie Elvis comes to the Gump's guesthouse where he encounters Forrest. Despite having the leg braces on, Forrest is able to move his hips to "Hound Dog". The dance moves then become Elvis' signature moves. One track that is featured is "For What Its Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. This song is played as Forrest and his platoon travel through Vietnam. This song has also been connected with the Vietnam conflict and the transition to the counter culture in the 60s. Another song in Forrest Gump is "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. This song is heard s a Drug addicted Jenny climbs to the ledge of her hotel balcony as if to jump to her death. The famous guitar solo builds as she climbs to the edge the suspense of the scene is matched with the guitar opening up. There are several instances of mise-en-scene, this helps the viewer feel a strong connection with Forrest. Forrest through out the film has a pretty consistent good attitude. However there are some low points through out the movie and the director uses mise-en-scene to capture these emotions. Once when he is struggling in Vietnam after a firefight. Another time when Forrest is running around the country and hits a wall and realizes this isn't what he wants to do anymore. During happier moments the director uses a low contrast look, which gives a mood of happiness and contentment. There is also a presence of shots that help feel emotion for example at the end of the film when Forrest is looking down at Jenny's grave. The camera looks at Forrest from a low angle and captures the emotion that Forrest feels for jenny.