Introduction
Alongside art, comedy, and music, cinema is one of the most subjective forms of media. However, since you have joined us here on this particular site, it’s also the most subjective. And that’s why it remains the most entertaining and inspiring! One hotly, and affectionately debated topic is what was the best year for cinema. We are celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of one of the forerunners, 1994. Cinema Scholars continues to present a monthly retrospective, that focuses on a pick of the cinematic talking points of this truly golden trip around the sun.
With three of the key players; Hanks, Wright and Zemeckis reuniting for November’s Here, now is an opportune moment to reflect on the impact of legacy of the multi-Academy Award winner.
Welcome to 1994 – Part Seven: July – Forrest Gump: The First and Last Blockbuster of Its Kind
The 1994 Summer Box Office was already bulging thanks to a rich mix of hits like last month’s focus The Lion King, The Flintstones, and Speed. Then Paramount Pictures released an adaptation of a novel about a simple Southern gentleman who unwittingly witnesses key events in America’s history.
Called Forrest Gump, Paramount positioned the film as a feel-good summer movie experience. They capitalized on Hanks’ rising superstardom and Zemeckis’ hit-laden catalog, including 1980s classics Romancing the Stone (1984), Back to the Future (1985), and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988).
A Critical and Commercial Hit
A testament to its impact on audiences, Forrest Gump would top the box office, be knocked off, then return to the summit five (yes, five) times through July, August, and September (with True Lies, The Mask, and Clear and Present Danger doing the knocking then being knocked). Unexpected to many, Forest Gump went on to become a true phenomenon.
A huge commercial hit, the film was also a critical darling, winning six Oscars. This included Best Director for Zemeckis and Best Actor for Hanks. Forrest Gump stormed into pop culture with its script and unforgettable characters, which are still quoted daily.
Audiences loved Forrest Gump. This was when Hanks could do no wrong and was branching into more dramatic roles. His warm, empathetic, and sensitive interpretation of the title character included his memorable vocal performance, inspired by the real southern dialect of the ‘Young Forrest’ child actor, portrayed by actor Michael Conner Humphreys.
We were swept along as Forrest taught the King of Rock and Roll to dance, became a Vietnam War Hero, a ping pong Olympian, and inspired an ex-Beatle’s greatest hit. All the while making it somehow acceptable and agreeable.
An Average Joe
The concept of an ‘average’ citizen impacting so many lives in a seismic and positive way, simply by putting his trust in, and following the instructions/perceived wisdom of others, was revelatory. These included his beloved Mama (Sally Field), Jenny (Robin Wright), Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise), and Bubba (Mykelti Williamson). Gump also became a millionaire in the process. He was a walking (or running) American Dream.
Forrest remains blissfully and naively unaware of his many once-in-a-lifetime achievements. He promised Jenny he would run. He made a deal with Bubba to start a shrimping business. And he followed the input of his fellow soldier not to take his eye off the ping pong ball. Forrest delivers a fun, optimistic, and brisk history lesson, only pausing to offer others at the bus stop a chocolate.
What else turned out to please the crowds was director Robert Zemeckis’ subtle use of cutting-edge special effects. Much like his mentor Steven Spielberg, this was used to compliment the story, not to distract from it. The lack of overuse meant that the FX would still hold up thirty years later. This includes Hanks interacting with past Presidents on his visits to the White House and escaping a napalming as he single-handedly saves his platoon.
Not Without Scrutiny
It has not been calm waters for Forrest Gump. There were critics, at the time, who found the film too saccharine. They also felt Forrest was too naive and good-natured. The film also started to gain backlash during the awards season of 1994-1995, when it went up against Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (and in hindsight…The Shawshank Redemption). Pulp Fiction was so fresh and original that, in comparison, Forrest Gump seemed old-fashioned and safe.
Others highlighted that the adapted screenplay chose to ignore the darker and more adult aspects of Groom’s novel, opting for a light-hearted family-friendly tone. International audiences and critics often cite the film for being a blissfully unaware/ignorant exercise in American backslapping, where the only non-American icon Forrest meets is ridiculed.
Thirty Years Later
Today’s audiences still attack the pro-American tone of Forrest Gump, as well as some of the film’s characterization. Forrest’s one true love, Jenny, is generally considered to be one of the most detested characters in cinema history. One reason was for her having unprotected sex with Forrest while possibly knowing she was ill, then walking out on him…again. Also, Lieutenant Dan’s fiancee being an Asian American was a bit too on the nose. Film buffs are still sore that Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption went home empty-handed at the Oscars.
However, it cannot be denied that Forrest Gump was created by two key players at the peak of their powers. Its director, and its leading man. Novel and screenplay differences aside, the film is undoubtedly as good-natured as its title character. It takes its audience on an amazing journey and masterfully evokes emotions with tears jerked out of sadness, tragedy, fulfillment, and joy.
Conclusion
Since it rode the waves of the box office for three solid months, it is difficult to recall a film like it with anything like a similar narrative or lasting legs in theatres, specifically a summer release. We have gone through the era of disposable summer blockbusters, established the awards-baiting seasons, and are in the midst of streaming wars and franchise fodder. There was and is nothing quite like Forrest Gump. Run Forrest! Run!
