Focus on American language, history and culture via the film Forrest Gump

71 Pages·3.527 MB·English

by  Пичугина Е.В.

ББК 81.2АНГЛ
П36
По вопросам приобретения издания обращайтесь:
ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ
ООО «Антология трэйд»:
СПб [phone]; 326-0128; 323-7301
e-mail: [email protected] Настоящее пособие построено на материале фильма
Москва [phone] "FORREST GUMP", ставшего классикой американского кино.
e-mail: [email protected]
Первая часть содержит тексты для совершенствования на­
www.anthology.spb.ru
выков говорения и написания сочинений по теме "Кинема­
ООО «ИПЦ «КАРО»: тограф и кинокритика США", посвященные истории создания
СПб [phone]; 317-9460
фильма, его проблематике, актерам, сыгравшим главные
e-mail: [email protected]
роли, различиям сценария и книги, на основе которой он
Москва [phone]; 964-0210
был создан. Во второй части цитируются наиболее сложные
e-mail: [email protected]
www.karo.spb.ru для понимания отрывки аудиотекста и дается их граммати­
ческий, лексический и культурологический анализ. В тре­
тьей части рассматриваются исторические аллюзии фильма,
Рецензент: д.ф.н., проф. Санкт-Петербургского
приводится обширная информация об истории, политике и
государственного университета В. И. Шадрин
культуре США XX века для обогащения фоновых знаний сту­
дентов и обучения приемам ведения аргументативной дис­
П 36 Focus on American Language, History and Culture via куссии. В четвертой части содержатся упражнения,
the film Forrest Gump: Учебное пособие: Аудиокурс по развивающие навыки аудирования и последовательного пе­
фильму / Автор-составитель Е. В. Пичугина.- СПб.: Анто­ ревода. Пособие может быть использовано на занятиях по
логия, 2005.- 144 с.
аудированию, кинопереводу, а также на курсах "Странове­
ISBN 5-94962-088-7 дение США" и "История англоязычных стран".
Пособие способствует формированию фоновых знаний по
истории, политике и культуре США, знакомит с особенностями
американского варианта английского языка, содержит упражнения,
обеспечивающие освоение нового лексико-грамматического
материала, а также аудиоприложение, помогающее развить навыки
аудирования и освоить технику устного последовательного
перевода на основе фильма "Forrest Gump". Предназначено для
студентов филологических факультетов, факультетов иностранных
языков, а также для широкого круга лиц, развивающих и
совершенствующих разговорную речь и навыки устного перевода.
ББК 81.2 Англ
© Пичугина Е. В., 2005
ISBN 5-94962-088-7 © Антология, 2005
з
— £. B. riMHyrMHa Focus on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
1. FILM-MAKING
Lieutenant Dan Gary Siniese
An army officer that Forrest meets while serving in the
FORREST GUMP Vietnam war, who eventually becomes a loyal friend of
Forrest.
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Bubba Mykelti Williamson
Consensus: A touching and truly original film about the simplicity
A poor black soldier, and another friend that Forrest
of one man during America's most complex period of time.
makes in Vietnam.
Theatrical Release: July 6, 1994
Task 1. Read the text and be ready to retell in class.
AWARDS:
Academy Awards: (6) Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Thomas J. Hanks
Best Visual Effects, Best Screenplay based on Material from
Another Medium, Best Film Editing Born in Concord, California on July 9, 1956 Thomas J. Hanks
Golden Globes: (3) Best Picture-Drama, Best Director-Motion was the third of four children of Amos and Janet Hanks. His
Picture, Best Actor-Drama parents divorced when young Tom was 5 years old. Tom was
Director's Guild of America Award: Outstanding Directorial raised by his father along with siblings Sandra (born in 1951)
Achievement in Motion Pictures and Lawrence (Larry, born in 1953). Tom's younger brother,
People's Choice Awards: Favorite Ail-Around Motion Picture, James (Jim, born in 1961), was raised by their mother and grew
Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture up separated from the other Hanks children for the first several
Screen Actors Guild Award: Outstanding Performance by a years of his life.
Male Actor in a Leading Role
Writers Guild of America: Best Screenplay Based on Material Tom Hanks' father married twice more after divorcing Tom's
Previously Produced or Published mother and moved often until settling down in 1966. With a new
job and a new marriage Amos Hanks set up house in Oakland,
Major characters:
California. There young Tom was able to stay, attending both
Forrest Gump Tom Hanks
junior high and high school without another move to a new school.
A somewhat slow person, who happens to be incredibly
His years in Oakland saw Tom Hanks develop into a young man.
kind, decent, and, over the course of his life, quite lucky.
His interests were normal for the time: space (his heroes were
Jenny Robin Wright astronauts) and sports, especially baseball. It was here that his
Forrest's most important friend from early childhood, who talent for comedy was first noticed.
remains his friend for over 35 years despite the very
different lives that they will lead. After high school and with acting and theater still a big part of
Mama Gump Sally Field his life, Tom Hanks attended Chabot College in nearby Hayward,
Forrest's loving mother who will do all she can to give California from 1974 to 1976. After his two years at Chabot
Forrest a good life despite his lack of intelligence. College, Tom transferred to California State University at
Sacramento. While at Cal State, Tom worked building sets for
the university productions and met Susan Dillingham who would
4
Focus on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
Е. В. Личугин*
chance to audition for the pilot of Bosom Buddies. Tom Hanks
later take on her stage name - Samantha Lewes - and become
won the role of Kip Wilson and began his new television career at
Tom Hanks'first wife.
ABC in the fall season of 1980 earning $5,000 an episode.
1977 saw a move to Cleveland and the end of college for Tom
Tom moved his family to the San Fernando Valley in California. In
Hanks. He began work as an intern for the Great Lakes
1982, Ron Howard was developing a new film for Touchstone
Shakespeare Festival that spring. He was working with professional
Pictures, a new division of Disney, and was looking to cast the
actors for the first time. Since the tour of the company went on
lead role. Howard remembered Tom Hanks from his guest shot
until December of 1977, Tom Hanks missed the fall semester at
on Happy Days after having difficulty with casting the male lead
Cal State. He never went back to college, choosing instead to
for the movie Splash. He gave the role in the $9 million dollar
pursue acting in the theater. Between seasons with the Great
production to Tom and with it a chance for Hanks to make a
Lakes Shakespeare Festival, Tom worked at the Civic Theater in
name for himself on the big screen. Production began in 1983.
Sacramento building sets, rigging lights and running shows. When
Splash was released in January 1984 to good reviews and great
he returned to Cleveland in the summer of 1978 for the next season
box office and things for Tom Hanks began to change significantly.
of the Festival, he won the role of Proteus in the production of
Two Gentlemen from Verona. That performance garnered Hanks
Instead of sparse guest roles on television, Tom Hanks was now a
the Cleveland Critics Circle Best Actor Award. At the end of the
hot actor who had proved he could make a big budget film that
1978 season in Cleveland, Tom and Samantha headed for New
would succeed. He had a new manager with the famous William
York armed with little but his acting award and a desire to break
into the big time. Morris Agency and was getting noticed in Hollywood. His next
film was another box office success, Bachelor Party, released in
late 1984. Remembering lean times in New York and with a home
Now 22 years old, Tom Hanks lived in Hell's Kitchen and married
and family to provide for, Tom Hanks began work on six films
Samantha who had given birth to Tom's first son, Colin. Work as
over the next four years. The work schedule was grueling and
a performer in New York was practically non-existent sending
kept him away from home where his marriage with Samantha
Tom back to Cleveland in the spring of 1979 for his final season
Lewes was becoming increasingly strained.
with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival. Back in New York in
late 1979, Tom auditioned for the Riverside Shakespeare Theater
production of The Mandrake and won the lead role of Callimaco. In 1985 he filmed The Man With One Red Shoe, Volunteers, and
He also took on a manager, Joe Ohla with the J. Michael Bloom The Money Pit. On the set of Volunteers, he met Rita Wilson.
Agency in Los Angeles. The agency got Tom his first film role in Tom's friendship with Rita would develop into much more after
He Knows You're Alone for the Screen Actors Guild minimum pay 1988 but at that time provided a respite from the hustle of an
rate of $785 a week. active career and the hassle of an unhappy home life. In an attempt
to support his wife and perhaps save his marriage, Tom spent
time early in 1985 producing, directing and even building the
In January 1980, ABC Television began a Talent Development
sets for a small play by Steve Tesich called The Passing Game at
Program designed to discover and develop new talent for the
the Gene Dynarski Theater. Samantha co-produced and
network. Tom attended multiple auditions, surviving cut after cut
performed in the play. The marriage did not survive and by the
in the program and wowing Jan McCormackand Joyce Selznick.
end of 1985 the couple had separated.
They gave Tom, now 23 years old, a $50,000 contract and a
7
6
on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
That same year Tom earned his first $1 million paycheck for a man to win back to back Best Actor Oscars (Spencer Tracy being
film role when he went to Israel to make Every Time We Say the first to do so) taking home his second gold trophy for Forrest
Goodbye. The film was a critical disappointment but proved thaft Gump. 1995 also brought Tom Hanks an unusual and historic honor.
Tom Hanks could be a romantic leading man in a serious drama. That year he was named the Hasty Pudding "Man of the Year" by
The following year Tom made Dragnet, a commercial success the Harvard,Lampoon. To round out 1995, the fourth of Tom's
but another critical disappointment. children, Truman, was born the day after Christmas. The busy year
of 1996 saw the release of Apollo 13 and the production of Tom's
Tom and Rita married in 1988 on April 30th. Tom's first blockbuster first feature directorial effort That Thing You Do!
hit came with the release of Big, a film that grossed over $100
million in American box office. The film was directed by Penny In 1997, Tom traveled to Europe to film the Steven Spielberg war
Marshall, who cast Tom as the boy in a man's body Josh Baskin. epic Saving Private Ryan. His portrayal of Capt. John Miller would
A wonderful, whimsical performance netted Tom his first Best earn Hanks his fourth Best Actor Oscar nomination in 1999. The
Actor Oscar nomination in 1989. shoot was grueling but Tom was committed to honoring the WWII
veterans who fought the war on the Normandy coast on D-Day.
The decision to return to films after a two-year break brought So much so that Tom wentto boot camp and along with the
with it a new management company, Mike Ovitz's Creative Artists seven other actors who would portray an eight man squad sent to
Agency, and the choice to return to the successful direction of find Pvt. James Ryan in the film, endured a week of long marches,
Penny Marshall. Tom Hanks won the role of Jimmy Dugan, a drunk little sleep, standard military rations as food, push-ups and the
and down and out baseball manager, in A League of Their Own. incessant cold. Saving Private Ryan was released in the summer
The release of A League of Their Own began what has been a of 1998 and became a worldwide phenomenon.
non-stop string of wonderfully crafted and successful films, i 993
saw the release of Sleepless in Seattle, Tom's first collaboration The year 2000 was a busy one for Tom. He filmed the movie Cast
with Nora Ephron and his second film with Meg Ryan, and Away in two parts with a now legendary break in the midst of
Philadelphia, the film that would earn him his second Oscar filming so that he could lose 55 pounds for the role of a (one
nomination for Best Actor. That year also saw Tom branch out survivor who spends four years on an island before rescue. During
from acting and take a stab at directing. the summer of 2001 Tom filmed Road to Perdition, breaking out
of the good guy role mold to portray a mafia hitman. Road to
What followed would be nothing less than legendary. Tom Hanks Perdition was released on July 12,2002. In 2001, Tom Hanks was
went on to win the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Andrew named as the next recipient of the American Film Institute's Life
Beckett, an attorney suffering from AIDS, in Philadelphia in 1994. Achievement Award. He is only the 30th person to receive this
That same year he filmed Forrest Gump, Toy Story (doing a honor. The award was given on June 12, 2002.
voiceover performance as Woody for the animated feature) and
Apollo 13 (his second collaboration with Ron Howard). The role of 2002 saw Tom's production company, Playtone, release My Big
Forrest Gump would bring another Oscar nomination for Best Actor Fat Greek Wedding. This film produced in part by Tom's company
and his role of Jim Lovell, NASA astronaut, in Apollo 13 allowed has received critical acclaim and tremendous box office success
him to return to his childhood passion for space. Forrest Gump and proves, once again, that Tom is a man of many talents. Also
was released in 1994. In 1995, Tom Hanks became only the second in 2002 Tom completed principle filming in a starring role on his
8 9
E. B. nHnynmm focus on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
next collaboration with Steven Spielberg working on Catch Me If prefers roles that depict women as "heroines or powerful anti-
You Can, the film to be released at the end of 2002. establishment women" as she put it in a 1996 interview with
Hilary De Vries; the types of roles that appeal to her feisty
Whatever he is doing, we can all be assured that great films and j Independent nature. For this reason, scripts for Jurassic Park.
projects will be the result. And the best thing about that is that The Firm, Batman Forever, and Sabrina to name a few, all ended
they will be available for all of us to enjoy. up on her reject pile. Robin has continuously side-stepped
Hollywood's expectations and has chosen to take the low road
• Why does Hollywood immediately come to mind when to stardom with such films as Denial, Loved, Moll Flanders and
American film-making is mentioned? She's So Lovely. Yet, in spite of her strong mindedness,
• What problems have been treated in American films of Hollywood continues to love Robin, and it is only a matter of
late? time before one of those low-profile, non-mainstream films wins
• Do these films have box office appeal? her the attention and respect of a much larger audience.
• What is an actor's road to success in Hollywood?
At present, Robin lives with husband and fellow thespian Sean
Task 2. Read to answer the following questions: Penn and their two children; daughter Dylan and son, Hopper, in
1. Is Robyn Wright's career in Hollywood typical of many
Santa Monica.
actresses?
2. Why did she reject scripts for Jurassic Park, The Firm,
Batman Forever, and Sabrina? Task 3. Read the text to be ready to retell and discuss it
3. How has Robin side-stepped Hollywood's expectations?
in class.
4. What traits of character help people become successful
professionals?
Robert Zemeckis
Robin Wright Biography from Baseline's Encyclopedia of Film
Raised by her divorced mother, a Mary Kay Cosmetic executive, Born in Chicago, IL in 1952; educated at Northern Illinois University
Robin Wright fell into acting at the urging of her modeling agent. and USC, Los Angeles (film). Gifted producer-writer-director of
Strangely, she had only taken up modeling in order to finance a zesty if fairly traditional Hollywood entertainments. With a flair for
month-long trip to Europe. Her primary goal at the time was to cutting edge special effects and an impressive track record for
live in a Third World country and be a nurse to poor and dying eliciting strong performances, Zemeckis is the star graduate of
children. the Spielberg School of Genre Filmmaking. After directing and
co-writing several small projects which Spielberg produced, he
Fate had other plans, and after winning a role on the soap Santa demonstrated that he could also helm blockbusters of his own.
Barbara, Rob Reiner cast her in his film The Princess Bride in This billion-dollar director of nostalgic period pieces, fast-paced
1987. Although this role got the attention of Hollywood, the offers adventures, and eye-popping fantasies also displays a penchant
that followed were hardly what Robin had hoped for. She was for the macabre, as displayed in the popular TV series "Tales
not about to be type-cast as an English princess. Robin Wright From the Crypt".
10 11
on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
While studying filmmaking at USC, Zemeckis met kindred soul . What films directed by Robert Zemeckis have you seen?
and future screenwriting partner Bob Gale. While many of their What are your impressions of them?
peers genuflected before European art films, the Two Bobs For what reasons do you think Michael Douglas chose
grooved to American genre fare. The team made their feature Zemeckis to direct the romantic adventure Romancing
debut with / Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), a cheery romp about the Stone!
early Beatlemania, with Zemeckis directing and Steven Spielberg
debuting as executive producer. They also collaborated on the Task 4. Read the review to retell and discuss the
script of 1941 (1979), Spielberg's poorly received WWII comedy. statement: "Forrest's simplicity and small outlook on
Neither their first film nor their enjoyably adolescent followup Used life is such a blessing for him." Is there a notion of the
Cars (1980) stimulated much box-off ice action; they did, though, wise or holy fool in your culture?
get the attention of Michael Douglas, who hired Zemeckis to helm
the hit romantic adventure, Romancing the Stone (1984). With Forrest Gump
Gale producing and co-writing, Zemeckis directed the immensely
"Forrest Gump" is a very special movie, a movie in which so many
popular, clever, and surprisingly poignant Back to the Future
values, traditions, historical.events and occurrences are all seen
(1985). He and Gale also provided a surprisingly hard-boiled
through the eyes of one man who is affected by all of the above
action script for Walter Hill's riveting Trespass (1992).
mentioned aspects of life. This man is the very embodiment of
American innocence in a time when that innocence was fading
Without his partner, Zemeckis crafted Who Framed Roger Rabbit
from sight, with such events as the Vietnam War and segregation
(1988), a bravura example of integrating live action with animation
and a major blockbuster for Disney and Amblin. He has also issues plaguing the country.
branched out into producing for network TV ("Johnny Bago",
The film is a complex and stunning journey that involves many
CBS 1993) and features (The Public Eye, 1992). After the relative
characters, all of whom represent a separate and unique
commercial disappointment of Death Becomes Her (1992) - a
stereotype of the 50's, 60's and 70's. The events portrayed
gruesome comic showcase for Meryl Streep, and Goldie Hawn -
throughout the movie are handled with meticulous detail and
Zemeckis took on an unusual project. With the sometimes fanciful
through the eyes of Forrest Gump, we see everything in a new
and often moving comedy-drama Forrest Gump (1994), the skillful
light. His simplicity and limited education seem more of a blessing
toymaker proved that he could successfully tackle a large-scale
than a curse, and it may cause viewers to look at their own lives
story that foregrounded human elements. Adapted from the book
and take stock of themselves as well. Forrest begins his journey
by Winston Groom, the film has been described as essentially a
as a skinny child who must wear leg braces for his crooked
picaresque novel for the screen as it covers three tumultuous
back. His mother will do just about anything for him, including
decades in the life of America as seen through the innocent eyes
giving special favors to the public school principle in order to
of a child-like Southerner. Tom Hanks delivered a bravura
get her son enrolleekpn his first day of school, he meets a
performance in this critical and commercial hit which seamlessly
young girl named Jenny, whom he falls in love with at first sight.
integrated special effects within a realistic storyline. For his efforts
He will carry this love with him for the rest of his life, protecting
Zemeckis was rewarded with his first Oscar. More recent credits
her from her abusive father and staying by her side through
in directing / producing include What Lies Beneath, Cast Away
their school years. His high school career offers him a position
(both 2000) and Ritual (2001).
12 13
Focus on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
on football team, which leads him to college, where he becomes' "Forrest Gump" works on so many different levels of emotion,
ensconced in many different cultures and beliefs, as well as his intensity and passion for life that it becomes a success many
first taste of segregation. Jenny begins to branch off into more times over. It will not soon be forgotten, so long as we all look for
risky lines of work, evolving into the drifter hippie that so a way to better simplify the events of our lives, seeing things with
symbolized the 60s. Forrest stays in touch with her, even after
the naivety of a small boy who rose to such heights of fame yet
he is drafted and sent to Vietnam to fight in the war. There, he
never really realized his social status. To him, it did not matter;
meets Bubba Blue, and they become fast friends due to their
he was just living life.
ostracization from the rest of the group's men. Their
commanding officer, Lieutenant Dan Taylor, is harsh and strict,
Answer the questions:
so it comes as no surprise that when a battle goes terribly wrong,
1) How would you describe Forrest to a friend? What are his
he loathes Gump for pulling him out instead of leaving him to
best features?
die. From this point on, Forrest will become a national hero as
2) What were the most important historical events that Forrest
well as someone that every human being, decent or loathsome,
and Jenny lived through?
can come to admire.
3) How were the lives of Forrest and Jenny different?
4) This film shows much of the social change that the United
Forrest's simplicity and small outlook on life is such a blessing for
States went through between the 1950s and the 1980s.
him, and that is shown through the plot of this movie. He sees
Did your country go through similar changes?
everything going on around him, but none of it ever really registers
5) What did you like and not like about this movie?
in his mind the way it would someone of a higher IQ. Forrest lives
his life the way a child would that has been taught by his mother Task 5. Read and retell the following article by Rebecca
the values of life, and Forrest holds extremely true to those values, Ascher-Walsh, discuss the example of some other famous
never breaching them for a second. His small outlook on such a
actor or actress who had kept fame at arm's length until
vast melting pot of societal woes becomes the way in which we
they starred in a blockbuster hit.
would like to look at the world, and at ourselves.
Stage Veteran Gary Sinise Storms
Tom Hanks gives his best and most memorable performance
Hollywood with a Searing Performance
ever in this film. He plays Gump with all the simple-mindedness
in Forrest Gump
and naivety that the movie needs, and brings such vivid and
emotional life to the movie. We believe in his ability to create such
Gary Sinise (pronounced suh-NEESE) is a scarred man. "This is
beautiful images with his simple words. Robin Wright plays his
from training for the Vietnam scenes in Forrest Gump," he says,
girl, Jenny, who has a profound effect on us despite her many
touching a thin line on the white, marred underside of his right
mistakes in her life. Throughout the movie, she seems to be wanting
arm. "This," he continues in his nasal Chicago drawl, drawing
something more than just the popular scene and lifestyle, and
his finger-along a lower, deeper gash, "is from a fight scene in
Wright brings all of that out with vivacity and excellence. Gary
The Grapes of Wrath. And this," he adds, lingering on a fresh,
Sinise plays Lieutenant Dan, and his embittered attitude towards
pink scratch, "is from playing with my children." The 39-year-
his country prove to be quite a challenge for Sinise, who readily
old actor-director may have kept fame at arm's length until now,
accepts and makes the role his own.
but thanks to his turn as Lieutenant Dan, Tom Hanks' surly
14 15
Focus on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
Vietnam commander in Forrest Gump-following his starring ro sets in, the more it feels like you've been found out. Now, it's
in ABC's high-rated May miniseries of Stephen King's The Stand* good," he says cautiously. "But in time, it will be somebody
Hollywood is paying attention. "I've never done anything that else's turn. That's the way it's always been."
anyone's ever seen before," he says, nervously shifting in his
seat at a Pasadena eatery as the waiter circles like a shark, "The question of destiny is at the heart of Sinise's character
trying unsuccessfully to place Sinise. It's not easy. His most in Forrest Gump." Do you think everybody has a destiny,
notable work has been in the theater, which, he says, "I probably or we all are self-made people?
never would have started in if I were interested in fame and • Could you see Forrest Gump as being an allegory implying
fortune. When I think of work, it's mostly about having control God or angels who look out for the simple and the pure
over your destiny, as opposed to being at the mercy of what's of heart?
out there." The question of destiny is at the heart of Sinise's
character in Forrest Gump, as well, a person who feels he should Task 6. Read the review and answer the questions asked
have died in battle rather than live on as a double amputee. The
in the essay.
character turns from a driven military man into a raging alcoholic
who ultimately reclaims his life. While special effects erased
"No Box of Chocolates":
Sinise's legs in some scenes, Gump director Robert Zemeckis
The Adaptation of Forrest Gump
says, "Thetrue illusion is 80 percent Gary's performance." Sinise
also went to South Carolina, where under the eye of Vietnam vet
This essay appeared in Literature/Film Quarterly
and film consultant Dale Dye, he led his movie platoon for three
25.1(1997)
days across leech-filled marshes. "It was amazing to be in a
jungle and have it totally dark, and suddenly machine guns are Like Chance the Gardener in Being There, Forrest is the creation
going off. People took it seriously." of his audience, a Nowhere Man positioned at the center of an
historical tableau, the gooey nougat at the heart of a video sampler.
In 1974 Sinise cofounded the Steppenwolf Theatre Company - Ironically, the fictional scenario which that 1979 film so skillfully
famous for its high-octane, physical acting style - and was joined satirized, in which a mentally incompetent man rises to popular
by Laurie Metcalf, John Malkovich, and actress Moira Harris, acclaim, became the political reality of 1994, the Year of Gump.
Sinise's wife since 1981. After first winning notice for his That this picaresque tale of an idiot has been taken straight
Steppenwolf productions, Sinise earned a Tony nomination for (picaros have traditionally been satirical figures) tells us all we
his 1990 Broadway role as Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath; need to know about the death of irony in our culture. The
later that year, John Steinbeck's widow, Elaine, granted him metamorphosis of Forrest Gump the novel into Forrest Gump the
the rights to direct an Of Mice and Men remake. The critically film (1994) rises questions that are central to not only an
acclaimed film looked like his big break, but then, for the next understanding of the film's tremendous popularity but to any
year, nothing, only occasional parts in marginal films. Sinise is assessment of the current state-of-the-art and go right to the
determined to change that. Praise does little to soothe Sinise's heart of our postmodern era.
occasional sense of being a newcomer. Nor does his newly won
role, again opposite Hanks, as an astronaut in Ron Howard's In an interview broadcast on CNN, novelist Winston Groom has
Apollo 13. "I have that insecure acting thing, and the more it insisted that he was not troubled by the changes screenwriter
16 17
focus on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
E. B. nnnyrHHa
Why change "Being an idiot is no box of chocolates" to
Eric Roth made in adapting the book of Forrest Gump for the
screen. He would not hesitate, he insisted, to have another of his "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what
books adapted by Hollywood. Certainly some of the changes are you'll get"?
understandable and logical.
Why make Forrest a devoted and loving son? In the novel,
Obviously it was not possible, with Tom Hanks cast in the central Forrest Gump ignores his mother for years on end. While he is in
role, to make Forrest Gump 6 ft, 6 inches tall and weighing 245 Vietnam, the family house burns to the ground, and his mother
pounds. And the logic of making Forrest a shrimp boat captain eventually ends up in the poorhouse, which causes Forrest no great
rather than a very-uncinematic shrimp farmer is easy to accept. distress. In the film, Forrest Gump is resolutely faithful to his mother;
Time constraints also shaped the screenplay. In its present form, he literally comes running when he learns she is ill; and he is at her
Forrest Gump is, at 142 minutes, already a very long film. As is bedside when she dies and grieves long and hard over her passing.
almost always the case in the adaptation of any complex novel to Her sacrifices on his behalf give him a chance in life (enable him,
the screen, a great deal of cutting was needed. And so in the for example, to be mainstreamed at school), and her wisdom
movie we do not get to experience Forrest Gump become a ("Stupid is as stupid does", "Life is like a box of chocolates") provides
professional wrestler, spend time in a mental hospital, save Mao the guidance by which Forrest steers his life.
Tse-tung from drowning, journey into outer space, live with a
cannibal, become a masterful chess player, play the monster in a Why make Bubba an African American? In Groom's novel,
remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon, or run for the United Forrest's buddy Bubba is white, and they meet at the University
States Senate. of Alabama, where he and Forrest are members of the football
team. The filmic Forrest meets Bubba, an African American man
Forrest Gump's adaptation nevertheless raises persistent with a distended lower lip, on the bus on the way to basic training
questions: for the army. In both novel and film, Bubba makes possible
Why is Forrest made smarter in the movie? Forrest's ventures in the shrimp business. In the film, however,
• Why make young Forrest crippled as a child? Biyou la Batre, Louisiana's shrimp business is a largely African
Why make Forrest a devoted and loving son? American enterprise, and Forrest's triumphant success (after a
• Why make Bubba an African American? hurricane wipes out his competition) is at the expense of the other
Why make Forrest into a college graduate? Black shrimpers. (Later, of course, he gives a sizeable percentage
Why have Forrest enlist in the Army instead of being of his money to Bubba's family.)
drafted?
• Why have Forrest save Lieutenant Dan's life? Why make Forrest and Dan close, life-long friends? In
• Why make Forrest and Dan close, life-long friends? Forrest Gump the movie, Lieutenant Dan is Forrest Gump's
Why have Lieutenant Dan lose his legs but not become commanding officer and is saved (against his will) by Forrest
badly scarred? Gump's heroism when he carries him away from a Vietnamese
Why have Lieutenant Dan become reborn? fire fight. In the novel, however, Dan is not Forrest's commanding
Why have Forrest and Jenny marry? officer, nor does Forrest save him in battle (he meets him later in
the hospital). In the movie, Dan loses his legs in combat, but in
• Why have Forrest raise his child by Jenny?
• Why have Jenny die? the book he has not only lost his legs but is horribly scarred by
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E. B. flHHyrHHa focus on American Language, History and Culture via the film Forrest Gump
burns received in combat. In the novel, Dan becomes a grotesque Forrest Gump: A Subversive Movie
character in an American tradition stretching back to Poe's "The
Man Who Was Used Up" and plays a distant and ironic role in (The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc.,
Forrest's life. The last time we meet him, he has become a bitter July 1995, Vol. 45, No. 7)
communist. In the film, Gary Sinise's Dan serves first as Forrest's
A Hollywood movie is like a box of chocolates: it tastes good, but
mentor, then, after struggling with his own despair and depression
it's really bad for you. Of course, it isn't bad to eat a small amount
and plunging into a life of drunkenness and debauchery, learns
of chocolates; likewise, not all Hollywood movies are bad for you.
the will to live from the indomitable Forrest. His service on Forrest's
shrimp boat turns his life around and gets him "back on his feet," But after seeing Forrest Gump, the charming aphorism that was
so to speak. At film's end, he has acquired a new pair of prosthetic central to the film ("My momma says that life is like a box of
legs and (happily) married an Asian woman. chocolates") metamorphosed in my mind in this fashion. I caught
myself enjoying the film while realizing that I was enjoying
something unhealthy. As time passes since the film's release, it
It would be tempting to suggest that all the changes from novel
not only grows in popularity, but the associated merchandising
into film listed here were in fact the result of marketing decisions.
increases. One can buy collections of Gump sayings, tins of
After all, we live in an age in which movies are tried out on test
groups in order to ascertain, prior to release, what exactly "BubbaGump Shrimp,"'Gump t-shirts, and so on. As the film's
audiences want. I do not mean to suggest, however, that Forrest appeal grows, so does the need to examine its message. The
Gump's distortions were the result of such pandering. movie won six Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best
Actor for Tom Hanks) - so the film is clearly an influential social
Forrest Gump's $149 million dollar US box office and $480.9 and cultural item.
million box office world wide were supposedly a complete surprise.
Before criticizing the film's vices, I first praise its virtues. It is
They should not have been. Virtually every decision made in
very well executed. The by-now-well-known special effects that
altering Winston's Groom's novel for the screen - from Forrest's
make Tom Hanks appear in old newsreel footage and play
heroic (and very cinematic) overcoming of his childhood handicap,
to his very un-90s moral uprightness, to his Hallmark Greeting championship ping-pong, and that make Gary Sinise's legs
Card good son persona, to his politically correct and southern- disappear, are outstanding. Hanks adds another finely crafted
stereotyp^-defying friendship with an African American, to his performance to his resume. The film's narrative structure is tight,
inspirational influence on the courageously handicapped (but not and strikes the right balance between serious drama and light
deformed) Lieutenant Dan, to the Love Story death of the child- comedy. Indeed it is truly an excellent film, in the sense that it
abused Jenny, to Forrest's "new male" single-fathering - can be tells a story well and conveys a message. But the values
seen in retrospect as a kind of self-censorship-for-profit portrayed, like a box of chocolates, are too sweet and not entirely
reconceptualizing of a Cand/cte-like novel, appropriate to the era healthy.
of the death of irony.
This film is subversive. It doesn't subvert the Constitution of the
United States, but rather it is subversive of the human spirit. This
Task 7. Read the review by Aeon J. Skoble and discuss
claim will come as a spoilsport voice-in-the-wildemess to the many
whether Forrest Gump is really a subversive film. What
who are trumpeting the film as a triumph of the human spirit.
is the main message of the film?
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