Analysis of Forrest Gump

The utilization of music throughout the movie emphasizes important scenes, adds to the story, and provides underlying emotion. The movie opens with the theme “I’m Forrest…Forrest Gump” by Alan Silvestri. This score can be found throughout the movie as Forrest recalls especially fond or important memories. Examples of these reprises occur when Forrest is talking about his family home and when he visits his mother on her deathbed. The use of this score in both scenes establishes underlying emotions, as with the first reprise, Forrest is remembering a happy time with his mother, and the second reprise plays during an especially sad time. The connection of the memory and the score forces the audience to remember the happy memory while they watch as Forrest talks to his dying mother. “I’m Forrest…Forrest Gump” is also playing during the final scene of the movie, mirroring the opening to the film. 

This technique is also used with two other scores, the first being “Run Forrest Run”, which can first be heard during the pivotal scene when Forrest breaks his leg braces. This score is also heard at a grander scale during his football match and then again during his run across the country. This score brings about emotions of success and determination. The second score that utilizes this technique is “Pray With Me”, which was introduced in the scene where Jenny is running from her father. “Pray With Me” can also be heard when Jenny is talking to Forrest on the bridge and once again when Forrest receives all the unopened letters he’s sent to Jenny during his time in Vietnam. This score seems to be a representation of Jenny and her inner conflicts. Noticeably, this score is not playing when Forrest visits Jenny’s grave, which might suggest that Jenny had defeated her inner demons before her death.

In general, the cinematography of Forrest Gump was nothing to write home about. The opening shot is a moving close-up of a feather floating on a breeze, allowing for a slow reveal of the setting of the film. After, the audience is given a shot of Forrest’s shoes, which provides foreshadowing for the story that’s about to take place. This shot is especially important because, as we learn later in the film, “there’s an awful lot you could tell about a person based on their shoes” (0:4:10 Forrest Gump). Some other interesting pieces of cinematography include the following: during Forrest’s runs, wide, sweeping shots are used to capture both the motion and setting. The jump-cuts from scene to scene as Bubba talks about shrimp creates a humorous sequence. Almost every time Forrest refers to Jenny, there’s a cut to her. And finally, the closing shot mirrors the opening shot of the feather, tying up the story in a comprehensive way. In sum, Forrest Gump is comprised standard cinematography.

The overall message that Forrest Gump leaves with the audience is that one’s expectations is not necessarily reality. This is seen clearly in Forrest himself. He is, as he said, “not the smartest man”, but he went on to do things that people couldn’t imagine. He lead a full life of success despite the fact that he lacked in what society determined what was intelligence. Forrest also understood deep pains and emotions, as seen during his last moments with Bubba, and in the quote “I may not be the smartest man, but I do know what love is” (1:49:18 Forrest Gump). This message is also revealed in part by Jenny. While not explicitly said, one can gather that due to Jenny’s abusive upbringing, she expects that she is incapable of being truly loved, which is why she surrounds herself with toxicity. This, however, is incorrect because Forrest loves her deeply and truly. Lastly, this message is shown in Lieutenant Dan. He expects to die in serving in Vietnam like is ancestors, but is instead rescued and must live his days as a cripple. He believed that his destiny was death in combat, but in reality, Dan was able to live out an even greater destiny once he got past his expectations.

Regarding my own opinion, I thought that Forrest Gump was a really enjoyable movie. I liked the story, the characters and their development, and especially the narration of Forrest while he waits for his bus. I would give this film ⅘ stars, because there is always room for improvement (possibly in the cinematography department).