New Legs..... Magic Legs

I watched a large part of Forrest Gump on Sunday. We have it on DVD. But, I'm more likely to watch it if I just happen upon it on TV. There is something about the rewarding of innocence and optimism that just rings true with me. It's not my favorite movie. But, it's pretty high on the list. The fact that it won 6 Oscars (and very possibly should have won 7, poor Gary Sinise) reveals its universal appeal. Tom Hanks is genius. (This was confirmed again when he did most of the music for "That Thing You Do.") Of course, I like a lot of the same things everyone else does about it. Alan Silvestri's score is great.

I like the bookends of the feather on the wind and its tie in to the two different philosophies expressed by Momma Gump (Is there a Mr. Gump? Mrs. Gump.) Forrest mentions this when addressing Jenny at her burial marker near the end of the film: "I don't know if Momma was right or if, if it's Lieutenant Dan. I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time."

I like the symbolism of the birds used in connection with Jenny and her life.

I love the reconciliation of Lieutenant Dan and when he finally thanks Forrest for saving his life.

There was a vast difference between the lives of Forrest and Jenny. Yet, they are connected. They gaze at the same moon in the sky even though they are separated by miles.

One of my favorite scenes:
Jenny Curran: Were you scared in Vietnam?
Forrest Gump: Yes. Well, I-I don't know. Sometimes it would stop raining long enough for the stars to come out... and then it was nice. It was like just before the sun goes to bed down on the bayou. There was always a million sparkles on the water... like that mountain lake. It was so clear, Jenny, it looked like there were two skies one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun comes up, I couldn't tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It's so beautiful.
Jenny Curran: I wish I could've been there with you.
Forrest Gump: You were.

There are a couple of details that Mr. Hanks includes in the body language/personality of Forrest Gump that seem to me dead on. When he makes the peace sign back to Jenny in the Bus, he does it with both hands, as if the mentally disabled Forrest would subject that gesture to some extra bit of processing and would not do it spontaneously. Also, when Forrest goes to comfort Jenny after she has been throwing rocks at her old home, he squats and then finally sits on the ground next to her. His movement and hesitancy seem exactly correct for the character and the situation. Lastly, I believe it is right after Jenny has turned down his proposal of marriage and he goes outside the screen door and stands with his back to her and his hands high on his hips.

When we were growing up there was a girl on our street who was mentally disabled, in very much the same way as Forrest Gump. I don't believe she was Down Syndrome. She didn't have the typical mongoloid features. Tom Hanks moved and acted a lot like I remember this girl acting and reminds me of her many times throughout the movie.

Of course perhaps the best bit of acting in all of filmology is when Forrest finds out that he is a father. The next time you watch that bit keep your eyes on Robin Wright. I think she matches him very well, plays off of his acting very well, without stealing the limelight. She was performing on much the same level as Mr. Hanks in that scene.