Forrest Gump

For my chosen film, I have selected Forrest Gump. This is an extremely influential film, and while the main character and story line are fictitious, the national events that take place during this time are very important to American history. Such memorable events as the Vietnam War, assassination of Bill Clinton, the Watergate scandal, and the success of Elvis in world media easily illustrates the importance of icons and values at this time.

The simplicity of the Gump has become innovation in the way American’s are viewed. While Gump is treated as slow and generally ‘stupid’ character, he displays a sense intellect adopted from his mother, which helps him to gain success and popularity within American society. In this way, Gump becomes a national celebrity becoming the essence of the American character to the rest of the world. The need for icons and success is just one of the film’s themes or motifs.

The film also exhibits debates about racism in America, mentioning the first time Africans attempting to get into an all white school, and mentions the Black Panthers fighting against the conscription of working-class ‘blacks’, the first time they were able to properly fight with their white counterparts. It shows the progression of the civil rights movements and Americas hostility to such changes in the South specifically. It is also interesting to mention that the first character introduced after Gump is a ‘black’ women in a nurses outfit. Her first words are- ‘My feet hurt,’ displaying many of the signs of hard work exhibited in Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed. Gump immediately goes n to talk about the origins of his name as a relation to General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. This irony of prejudices and innocence together comes together for a very interesting outlook on life from Gump’s perspectives.

It was difficult to find a review which didn’t look at the film as merely a piece of fictional drama. This http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdsMqRaz2WY shows the movie trailer that shows the fictional character in so many well known and important events in American history. I chose this review http://www.reelviews.net/movies/f/forrest.html because it illustrated exactly what was felt by so many audiences- ‘the naiveté that comes through a limited understanding of the world around him gives Forrest a uniquely positive perspective of life,’ one which many people would languish over.

I feel that this film has not only mastered the technology that allows the character to be imbedding in some of America’s most significant footage, but it also gives an important message to us all. Gump continues through his life, never really questioning anything or anyone. Maybe this is why he is continually is innocently unaware of racism and the point of war, never questioning it. Gump has captured everyone and shown what we should perhaps aspire to rather than frown upon.

Overall feel this is a masterpiece in film making, and in the retelling of America’s modern history.