The Forrest Gump is one of the most critically acclaimed films of the twentieth century. This paper will answer several questions relating to this film.
Forrest Gump is a cross-genre movie, spanning the genres of drama, comedy, and romance. It brings out the drama through its reiteration of the life of Gump, who is the main protagonist in the storyline. His slow wits offer comic effect in various parts of the film and create the comedic effect. Finally, Gump’s story of love with Sally, their love for each other since childhood and eventual marriage bring out the romantic element of the movie.
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The film addresses various cultural/sociological issues. The portrayal of the younger Forrest for example illustrates the social issue of bullying, which Gump faces due to his physical and mental inadequacies. This bullying goes on until he is all grown up, illustrating the challenges that the handicapped in society go through in their lives. This is also portrayed by the character of Lieutenant Dan Taylor, who becomes crippled during the Vietnam War. Other social and cultural issues, such as racial prejudices, are covered in the film through portrayals of groups such as the Black Panther.
The plot line for Forrest Gump is episodic, with the storyline being narrated by the protagonist in chronological order from the beginning of his memories, to the current day. Narrations in different parts explore the characters, their temperament and the era, all of which is interrelated to the protagonist, his challenges and how he overcomes.
Standard Plot Line
Exposition – some of the exposition scenes in the film includes the opening scene, where Gump introduces himself to the audience, beginning at the very start with the memory of his first pair of shoes. Another exposition occurs when the audience meets Bubba, Gump’s military friend. From this exposition, we get the history of slavery by Bubba.
Inciting incident – a turning point scene in the film is the scene where Gump realizes his strength. While before this scene he was just a dumb boy with leg braces, after the threat by bullies, he is able to run until the braces come off, and he realizes his gift for running. It is this gift the opens doors for the character, including college.
Rising action – the first rising action scene seems to be that of Gump beating on a guy Jenny is making out with while he is in college. From this point on, he is always trying to overcome his ‘dumb’ tag to befit Jenny’s desire. Gump’s action of joining the army is another scene/s, illustrating the maturing of this character towards a particular achievement. Finally, a third scene is that where he saves members of his platoon, including his lieutenant; here is shows his courage by disobeying a direct order to save the lieutenant’s life.
Climax – it is hard to pin point the climax scene in the movie. However, the scene with Gump running until his leg braces come off seem to be a turning point for the character and the film in general. Bubba’s death is also quite climatic, and plays a major role in the next scenes of the film.
Falling action – there are numerous falling action scenes. The scene where Gump receives his military discharge is one such scene since it takes the plot towards the final parts of the storyline.
Resolution – the resolution scenes begin with the scene where Gump losses his mother. The scene after his wife Jenny’s death where he stands over her grave site and speaks to her is also a resolution scene that wraps up the story for the viewers (Speidel, 2007).
The casting for this film is meticulous, beginning with the main actor all the way to the extras. A good demonstration of the good casting is the role of Jenny, who goes through bad choices and hardships in her life and they change her until she is fully mature and understands Gump.
The screenplay of the film is well written, with great characters and character development, its integral setting, themes, conflicts and overall plot.
References
Speidel, S. (2007). Film form and narrative. Introduction to Film Studies, New York , 60-89.
