Forrest Gump - film analysis

Institutional information

Forrest Gump is a drama film that was released in October 1994 after being directed by Robert Zemeckis. The 12 rated 143 minute long film  fetched $11,302,303 in the opening weekend , and took $15,803823 gross in 1995. It was produced by Paramount Pictures, and is currently rated 8.8 stars out of 10 on the IMDB website.

Narrative

Forrest Gump is a romantic drama that follows Forrest through his eventful life in America, although this is all irrelevant to him as all he can think about is his childhood sweetheart Jenny. The opening to the film introduces it as a drama due to the music and focus on one particular character (Forrest) and no one else. It is made clear that he is the main character which allows the audience to build a bond and form a connection with him, making them more emotionally involved in the film.

Mise en scene 

The opening scene to Forrest Gump begins with a main focus of a feather floating down, with the
camera following it. Stereotypically, feathers have connotations of freedom and peace and the white colour of the feather signifies an angelic aspect to the film as well as purity. The feather is first introduced in front of a dark sky, suggesting to the audience that the dark sky represents a negative aspect of a characters life and that the feather is a possible glimmer of hope.
By the camera tracking and panning to follow the feather it produces an establishing shot that shows the audience where the location is; an American town or city, suggesting realism in the film.
The audience follow the journey of the feather as it gets closer to the ground, interacting with more people, suggesting that the characters in the film are quite down to Earth and grounded. The fact that the feather lands at Forrest's feet signifies to the audience that it is fate and it makes the audience think that the feather could represent Forrest as a person.
We first meet the main character when the feather lands on his shoes; we see that he is wearing a smart linen suit, although paired with the muddy trainers could connote that Forrest doesn't necessarily pay massive attention to his appearance. Equally, the muddy shoes would normally be

associated with teenagers perhaps, although this is deceived when the audience see his face. The genteel way that Forrest picks up the feather shows that audience that he is slightly different to other people, as this would not normally be something that attracts a persons attention like it does Forrest's. Similarly, the way that the main character is sat makes the audience aware to possible social difficulties that he has, as he acts in a very nervous manner. Upon putting the feather in his suitcase, the audience see what appears to be children's story book; connoting that although he is an adult he still has child like tendencies, giving a possible insight to the narrative of the film.
With him sitting at the bus stop and paying attention to the bus that arrives, it symbolises that he is about to embark on a journey, also supported by props he is using; a suitcase and its contents.
The light in the opening sequence changes from dark to light as the music begins, signifying to the audience that something good is going to happen in the town. Given that the light is very natural, it suggests realism and that the town is ordinary and that anything can happen.

Editing/camera angles

The opening to Forrest Gump uses one continuous shot for 2.30 minutes, with a small cut to a second shot at the end. The continuous shot pans and tracks the feather that floats down from the sky to Forrest's feet, creating an establishing shot and aerial shot in one long sweep. This shot also turns into a high angle shot, over the shoulder shot and overhead shot toward the end of the opening sequence. The way the camera has been used is very skillful, merging all the different types of shot together with out cutting once; the continuity of the shot and the focus of the feather draws the audience into the film, to follow the journey of the feather. The way that the camera uses the feather to introduce the character ensures that the shot isn't broken, representing possibly how the characters goes through life. Shallow focus is used to draw attention to the feather.

The main credits of the film run through the opening sequence, fading in then back out again. The major cast and crew  are included in the credits which all appear in white. The colour of the text represents similar ideas to the feather; purity, innocence and an angelic aspect to the film.

A Sans serif font is used, and this typography relates back to the Roman Empire, signifying a traditional element in the film.

Sound

The opening to the film includes a sound bridge that covers the entire sequence; the sounds has a mythical feel to it, and is the type of music associated with drama as it sounds quite emotional, evoking a sympathetic feeling within the audience. There is also use of ambient sound, including; birds and traffic - this helps to create an atmosphere that the audience can relate to as it something most people are familiar with. It also creates a sense of realism in the film. Diegetic sound comes into play when the camera is focused on the main character, with the noise from the actions Forrest makes, and the bus arriving. 

Conclusion

I think that Forrest Gump uses a lot of stereotypical features of a drama film, including conventional sound bridges, very skilled camera work, and a relatable mise en scene that draws the audience in. However due to the lack of varied shots, it can feel slightly boring and can take quite a while to become engaged in the film.