The movie "Forrest Gump" was born in the magical year of 1994. In this year, countless classic works were born at the same time, which was regarded by netizens as the year of blockbuster movies in the history of movies. The biggest winner of the Oscar is undoubtedly "Forrest Gump", which won the most important directing, editing, acting, editing, visual effects and best film, and won the box office champion in North America that year with the blessing of many awards. . At every level, the success of "Forrest Gump" is obvious to all, and Forrest Gump, as the spokesperson of the American Dream, interprets the birth of an American myth.
As far as the narrative of the entire film is concerned, it is a typical linear development narrative, and takes the growth of the characters as the trajectory and sets off the major events in American history, reflecting a personal and grand narrative perspective. Forrest Gump is the first-person perspective of the narrative. The whole film is accompanied by Forrest Gump's silly narration. Love and running, as the narrative driving force of the film, run through the film and become an important carrier of the core expression of the entire film. Different from the personal biographical themes in the general genre, the character stories of "Forrest Gump" are completely fictitious (only major historical events are real), so the director can add more dramatic plots and details to portray Characters, rich stories. The narrative of the film can be organized with a concise and direct timeline, from the birth of Forrest Gump to the appearance of the little Forrest Gump at the end of the film. This narrative method avoids fancy means, just like a road movie. The long-distance running encounters in this life are shown in sequence, and the whole story is shown between the causes and consequences. Of course, as a Hollywood classic, it has always pursued the continuity of the narrative, because it wants to satisfy the most common audience, and strive to be understood and touched by everyone. Forrest Gump's legendary life attracts every ordinary person who watches it. Because of a certain similarity in life, Forrest Gump can be recognized in the broadest sense.
As the absolute protagonist of the film, Forrest Gump undertakes the core output of the entire film expression. Of course, this is also the so-called most politically correct and American-style characterization. As we all know, the American Academy Awards are different from the three major European film festivals, which pursue the artistry and creativity of films. As an expression of mainstream American social values, the Oscars cannot offend the audience because of the ratings and box office images. Choose a film that is correct, realistic, and that expresses mainstream values. The most obvious example is that Ang Lee's gay film "Brokeback Mountain" won the Golden Lion Award, but because of the marginal political discourse of homosexuality, he lost to the expression of race. "Crash", which is discriminatory but of average quality, did not return to mainstream discourse until many years later. These Oscar anecdotes are no longer unspeakable secrets. What I want to express is that as a film "Forrest Gump" that focuses on American history, it must reflect the expression of this mainstream discourse. For the United States, the most seductive and mainstream value is the "American Dream", compared with the specific definition of the American Dream (the "American Dream" has been believed by generations of Americans since 1776, as long as A better life can be achieved through persevering struggle, that is, people must prosper through their own diligence, courage, creativity and determination, rather than relying on a specific social class and the assistance of others), Forrest Gump's life is undoubtedly a A quintessential realization of the American dream. Although he is born with physical defects, he is kind and simple, and uses his own efforts and struggles (continuous running) to create a miracle and achieve success in the general sense. Forrest Gump's successful life can be used as a direct metaphor - as long as you work hard, you will be successful. For more than 200 years, this belief has inspired countless young people with dreams around the world to work hard to realize their dreams in life.
Compared with Forrest Gump's protagonist's halo, the supporting roles of this film are also brilliant. The first one is, of course, Forrest Gump's mother. The story of her mother in the movie is not unfolded, but she can feel her role as Forrest Gump's mother and teacher. There is no doubt that her mother's influence on Forrest Gump has played the role of a navigation light. Point the way for Forrest Gump. The mother's sophistication (hooking the principal) reflects the sacrifice she made to Forrest Gump's growth. He cared for Forrest Gump's growth with unreserved love and encouragement. The brilliance and greatness of motherhood can also infect the audience in front of the screen without being deliberately presented. , which is everyone's perception of life, family, and love. The second is Jenny, who has accompanied Forrest Gump at an important growth point in his life, although she is absent most of the time. On the one hand, Jenny's role exists as an "affiliate" function of Forrest Gump, because Forrest Gump's IQ deficiency requires the encouragement and support of a girl to lead Forrest Gump through those young and green years; on the other hand, Jenny is also Existing as an independent character, when Forrest Gump bravely ran into the university and made a brilliant life, Jenny became a part of the turbulent wave in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States as a hippie. She took drugs, promiscuity, parades, etc. , which represents the self-reflection side of American culture is reflected in Jenny and has become a very important part of American culture. The third character is Lieutenant Dan, who was an aggressive officer at the beginning, expressing the aggressive attitude of the United States in the Vietnam War, and then lost his legs in the war. , and also married a Vietnam War wife, which is almost a kind of first decline and then improvement of the image of the United States. After the defeat of the Vietnam War, the confidence of the United States was frustrated, and in the end, it was hopeful and resolved contradictions. Once again on the peak of life, this is not the sentence Is it a metaphor for "Make America great again"? Compared with the main line narrative expression of the protagonist Forrest Gump, the side lines of these supporting characters soften the main story that is too politically correct and inspirational, so that the whole story presents multiple thoughts and values.
Maybe many people will not believe that "Forrest Gump" is a full-fledged special effects blockbuster. Different from Hollywood special effects blockbusters in the traditional sense, such as "Star Wars" and "Jurassic Park", the special effects of "Forrest Gump" faithfully serve the plot. I can't feel the existence of special effects. In many historical shots, Forrest Gump's indiscriminate entry has no sense of disobedience. This was a great achievement in the era when computer special effects were just starting. In the exploration and practice of special effects, director Zemeckis has previously had the sci-fi film "Back to the Future" trilogy and the live-action animation "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", all of which have their own attempts in special effects. And exploration, the special effects are fully integrated into the needs of the plot. In "Forrest Gump", the director can handle special effects scenes more skillfully, such as the feathers at the beginning, Forrest Gump's handshake with the president, playing table tennis, Lieutenant Dan's broken leg, etc., all seamlessly integrated into the film reality , making the film more expressive. The director's handling of special effects is actually the same as the entire film's handling of real history and fiction. When Forrest Gump entered and interacted with the real historical scene, the audience witnessed the process of how Forrest Gump entered and created history. This is of course also in line with the expression of the whole film. Only through unremitting efforts and struggles, when an individual achieves enough success and has enough influence, can an individual create history and become a part of history.
More than 20 years later, will "Forrest Gump" become outdated? Of course not, because the American dream is never out of date and America still needs myths.
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