Tuesday, October 27, 2009

FORREST GUMP


Why is there a common notion that only rich or intelligent people can only be successful in their personal lives? Shouldn't others also be given opportunities to succeed?

Forrest Gump is a tale adapted from the novel of the same name by Winston Groom published in 1986 told thru the innocent eyes of Forrest ( Tom Hanks) who recalls his journey thru life. The movie is literally a triumph of the human spirit. My fav scene is when Jenny asks Forrest about his experiences in Vietnam. One of the few movies i really cried my heart out especially when Jenny dies in the end. Robert Zemeckis ( credits include Back to the future , Cast away,What Lies Beneath) has employed a smart move by incorporating real life individuals into the reel like Lennon, Nixon. Another noteworthy and romantic scene i can never forget is when Jenny wades thru the water in order to meet Forrest who has just returned from the war in a ceremony to commemmorate the brave soldiers.Even the leaf at the end signifies life which goes thru ups and downs.

Is it really possible for one individual to achieve so much in a lifetime?Why not??? One of cinema's most unforgettable characters, Tom Hanks became only the second actor in movie history since Spencer Tracy who won back to back Oscars in 1938, is a delight who emotes his expressions thru his eyes.Hank's Performance is said to be inspired from that of the legendary Peter Sellers in Being There released in 1979.This is one movie which will make you cry and laugh at the same time. Another interesting aspect is the usage of the timeless Byrds track (Turn,Turn,Turn) in the movie's soundtrack video especially the shot of Forrest staring at the panaromic sunset and great one liners too like ( “Run Forrest,Run” ; “Life is like a box of chocolates,you never know what you are going to get”)

Released in 1994 , i was unhappy that The Shawshank Redemption lost out on the major Oscars to this movie, nevertheless Forrest Gump is a great movie in its own right. Actually John Travolta was first approached to play Forrest thank god he declined!!! Not only one of the best movies of all time but also one movie that can be watched repeatedly.

1 comment:

Aditi Chaudhuri said...

wow!! beautiful description of a beautiful movie..

shows that a lot of research and hard work has gone into writing this ..

Keep up the good work!!