Forrest Gump - Robert Zemeckis (1994) |
The_film_by_Robert_Zemeckis of 1994 which enshrined Tom Hanks as the number one American actor, it has also a notable soundtrack. Forrest Gump is perhaps a metaphor of the pure American, pioneer and winning because he is not distracted by the doubts that come from the knowledge (and intelligence), as, instead, is the case of his girlfriend. Perhaps instead it is an ironic mockery of the American myth, where anyone can become president, or at least successful entrepreneur, even if starting from scratch (or even -10, understood as IQ) but on condition that he will be totally gullible and follows the instructions without ask any questions. In the ambiguity of the character, beautifully made by Hanks, lies the strength of the film: it makes people laugh but also causes emotional involvement, it ironizes on the myths that run alongside the main character, without undermining his only real goal, take up with his classmate in elementary, Jenny, and in the same time makes an overview of the myths themselves (and the American history alongside) from the '60s to the '90s. Myths that pass near the unflappable protagonist without touching him, only scratching very little its steel core and his few but strong certainties. So to succeed you need to be pure, or even stupid? And apart from the material success in the end, Forrest is happy? And the myth of the run, several times in the movie, it's a race to the future or a runaway? These are the questions that make the film intriguing. |
Soundtrack / Characters / Images from the film / Many others images / Quotes |
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On the
soundtrack it is present all the music that has made rock history, from Elvis
Presley to the generational anthems like Blowin' in the Wind of Bob Dylan (sung
by Joan Baez, two myths in one) to Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth, to
the Jefferson Airplane's Volunteers, then the Doors, Creedence Clearwater
Revival, Simon & Garfunkel, Lynyrd Skynyrd, in an effective and non-trivial ride
summary. |
Title |
Performer |
Author |
Moment |
Lovesick Blues |
Hank Williams |
Cliff Friend & Irving Mills |
The blues played on guitar by Elvis in his room at the guest house of the mother of Forrest. |
Hound Dog |
Elvis Presley |
Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller |
Elvis Presley, former lodger of his mother, dancing on a TV show as he had seen doing by Forrest. |
Rebel Rouser |
Duane Eddy |
Duane Eddy & Lee Hazlewood |
The race of Forrest to escape his high school classmates in the car. |
(I Don't Know Why) But I Do |
Clarence "Frogman" Henry |
Paul Gayten & Robert Gudry |
Forrest looks at Jenny, who is in a Chevrolet with a guy, Billy, in rain, out of his female college, and intervenes. |
Walk Right In |
The Rooftop Singers |
H. Woods, Gus Cannon, Bill Svanoe & Eric Darling |
In the background on the radio at Jenny's room, home to Forrest after the previous episode. |
Hanky Panky |
Tommy James & The Shondells |
Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich |
Forrest at the entrance of the club where he performs Jenny after his expulsion from college, because her photos were published on Playboy magazine. |
Blowin' In The Wind |
Joan Baez |
Bob Dylan |
The song chosen by Jenny for his theatrical performance of almost strip-tease, not very much appreciated by the public. |
Fortunate Son |
Creedence Clearwater Revival |
John Fogerty |
Upon arrival by helicopter in Vietnam, in the operational area. |
Respect |
Aretha Franklin |
Otis Redding |
The meeting with Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise), at the base camp. |
Sloop John B |
The Beach Boys |
Brian Wilson |
During the brief training of Forrest and Bubba on part of the Lieutenant Dan (main advice: let keep your socks dry). |
All Along The Watchtower |
The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
Bob Dylan |
The first exit in exploration with the platoon of Forrest and Bubba, looking for "Charlie " (the nickname for the Viet Cong guerrillas). |
People Are Strange |
The Doors |
The Doors |
The beginning of the rainy season in the jungles of Vietnam. |
California Dreamin' |
The Mamas And The Papas |
John Phillips & Michelle Phillips |
Forrest in the jungle under the the rain, he wrote letter after letter to Jenny. |
For What It's Worth |
Buffalo Springfield |
Stephen Stills |
End of the rainy season and the commencement of the War of the Vietcong, which attack and destroy his platoon. |
What The World Needs Now Is Love |
Jackie De Shannon |
Burt Bacharach & Hal David |
Forrest discovers ping-pong (or vice versa) in the clinic. |
Hello, I Love You |
The Doors |
The Doors |
First table tennis game. |
Break On Through (To The Other Side) |
The Doors |
The Doors |
During the training of the future champion of table tennis Forrest. |
Mrs. Robinson |
Simon & Garfunkel |
Paul Simon |
Homecoming for Forrest, awarded the Medal of Honor for saving his comrades (and the reluctant Lt. Dan Taylor). |
Marty Balin & Paul Kantner |
The largest demonstration for peace in Vietnam in 1969, in which is involved an unconscious Forrest, war hero and veteran. |
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Pump And Circumstance |
Dresden Philharmonic |
Sir Edward Elgar |
The sensational encounter between Forrest and Jenny in the big event. |
Hey Joe |
The Jimi Hendrix Experience |
Billy Roberts |
In the background during the speech of the Black Panthers. |
Where Have All The Flowers Gone |
Pete Seeger |
Pete Seeger |
Other famous pacifist anthem of the 60s, in the background during the dialogue between Jenny and Forrest, after the previous episode. |
Get Together |
The Youngbloods |
Chet Powers |
Walking at night with Jenny in Washington. |
San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) |
Scott McKenzie |
John Phillips |
When Jenny tells of his wanderings in America, direction San Francisco, of course. |
Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) |
The Byrds |
Pete Seeger |
The departure of Jenny (but with her revolutionary man). |
Aquarius |
The Fifth Dimension |
James Rado, Gerome Ragni & Gault McDermott |
Ping pong game. |
Joy To The World |
Three Dog Night |
Hoyt Axton |
The challenge of table tennis with the Chinese players. |
Everybody's Talkin' |
Harry Nilsson |
Fred Neil |
The new meeting with Lieutenant Dan, desperate war veteran. |
Silent Night |
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(tradizionale) |
Performed by the military in Vietnam, on television, in the hotel room of Lieutenant Dan |
Love Her Madly |
The Doors |
The Doors |
Jenny leaves her hotel room and her lover in the New Year's Eve 1971. |
Amazing Grace |
(tradizionale) |
Sung by all together for the new year. |
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Let's Work Together |
Canned Heat |
Wilbert Harrison |
In the hotel room with Lt. Dan and the two prostitutes met at the bar. |
Jesus On The Mainline |
Solista: Donny Gerrard |
(arr. Alan Silvestri) |
Gospel music, in the background during the meeting with Bubba's mother. |
Get Down Tonight |
KC & The Sunshine Band |
Harry Wayne Casey & Richard Finch |
Dance music played in the room where Jenny and her friends take cocaine. |
Free Bird |
Lynyrd Skynyrd |
Allen Collins & Ronnie Van Zant |
The dramatic scene of the suicide-proof of Jenny, spiked with her partner (this time with heroin), poised on the ledge of a balcony, on a skyscraper. The lyrics of the Lynyrd Skynyrd's song connects to the sentence that said Jenny girl, when she dreamed of flying away like a bird, from the bad things in the world. |
Mr. President (Have Pity On The Working Man) |
Randy Newman |
Randy Newman |
Looking for shrimps with Lieutenant Dan in the fishing boat named Jenny. |
Plant My Feet On Higher Ground |
Coro gospel |
Ruth E. David |
Gospel music in the church. Forrest prays to find finally the shrimps out in the sea. |
I've Got A New Home |
Coro gospel |
(Arr. Marlena Smalls) |
Gospel music in the church. Forrest has found the shrimps. |
Sweet Home Alabama |
Lynyrd Skynyrd |
Ronnie Van Zant, Ed King & Gary Rossington |
Jenny coming back to Alabama. |
Running On Empty |
Jackson Browne |
Jackson Browne |
First song that accompanies the race without end, from one end of America, of the abandoned Forrest. |
Go Your Own Way |
Fleetwood Mac |
Lindsey Buckingham |
Another song during the race of the indefatigable marathon man. |
It Keeps You Runnin' |
The Doobie Brothers |
Michael McDonald |
Again about the race. |
Against The Wind |
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band |
Bob Seger |
The race continues. "Mama always said, you have to throw the past behind you, before going forward. " |
Other songs in the movie |
Title |
Performer |
Author |
Sugar Shack |
Jimmy Gilmer And The Fireballs |
Keith McCormack & Fay Voss |
Paramount Newsreel Music |
E.Y. Harburg, Elsie Janis, Irving Kahal & Jack King |
Alessandro Cicognini, Sammy Fain, Jay Gorney, |
Land of 1000 Dances |
Wilson Pickett |
Chris Kenner |
I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) |
The Four Tops |
Edward Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland |
Rainy Day Women#12 & 35 |
Bob Dylan |
Bob Dylan |
Soul Kitchen |
The Doors |
Densmore, Krieger, Morrison, Manzarek |
Stoned Love |
The Supremes |
Frank E. Wilson & Yennik Samoht |
Thanks For The Memory |
Bing Crosby |
Ralph Rainger & Leo Robin |
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head |
B.J. Thomas |
Burt Bacharach & Hal David |
Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree |
Tony Orlando And Dawn |
L. Russell Brown & Irwin Levine |
My Rock |
Solista: Oren Waters |
(Arr. Paul Owens) |
I've Got To Use My Imagination |
Gladys Knight & The Pips |
Gerry Goffin & Barry Goldberg |
On The Road Again |
Willie Nelson |
Willie Nelson |
Camelot |
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Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe |
Webster's Boomer |
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David Frank |
Interpreter |
Character |
Notes |
Tom Hanks |
Forrest Gump |
A fundamental interpretation in the career of the great American actor. |
Robin Wright Penn |
Jenny Curran |
The love of a lifetime for Forrest, Jenny is a character opposed to that of the protagonist, a symbol of that part of America that is never satisfied and it's always looking for something more, regularly frustrated, inevitably destined for unhappiness. Jenny also represents, however, an inexhaustible thrust behind the success of Forrest.. |
Sally Field |
Mrs. Gump |
The great actress plays the mother of Forrest, single mother and absolutely determined to get all that America can give to a boy, regardless of its starting point. She will succeed fully using all lawful means, or almost. |
Gary Sinise |
Second Lieutenant Dan Taylor |
Reference point and vice father for Forrest, he will also get a lot from his former soldier. |
Mykelti Williamson |
Benjamin Buford 'Bubba' Blue |
The close friend of Forrest in Vietnam, with the same intellectual level and with the same propensity to set a goal and never give up. As Forrest, he is a perfect soldier. |
Michael Conner Humphreys |
Forrest Gump as a child |
Perhaps he looks not so much to Tom Hanks, but is perfect for the part of a very special kid. |
Hanna Hall |
Jenny Curran as a child |
Very effective in making the nuances of melancholy of the little Jenny, the baby actress then began a career as an actress with several film and television productions, including participation in the Sofia Coppola film "The Virgin Suicides. " She was 9 years old during production of the film (born 1984). |
Haley Joel Osment |
Forrest Gump Jr. |
The son of Jenny and Forrest. |
Siobhan Fallon |
Dorothy Harris, School Bus driver |
Gruff but friendly, she is the link to the outside world, both for Forrest and then for his son. |
The feather ... |
... and the bench, the theme of the film |
A complicated childhood |
Enlightened by a decisive encounter |
Two children, and their oak |
A partnership that will last forever |
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Hero of racial integration, with JFK |
Forrest in Vietnam, with Bubba and Dan |
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Fighter ... |
... and war hero ... |
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... at the march for the peace, with Jenny |
... in TV with John Lennon |
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Lieutenant Dan fights against the sea |
... live up to the promise made to his friend Bubba |
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Pause for reflection, throughout America |
The wedding with Jenny ... |
... unfortunately short ... |
... but that leaves to him the most important thing in his life. |
Images taken from the film, copyright of the producers. The images are selected only for criticism purposes and to promote the knowledge of the film. See also many others images. |
"Life's a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get." (Mrs. Gump) |
"Dear God, make me a bird. So I could fly far. Far far away from." (young Jenny) |
"You have to do the best with what God gave you." (Mrs. Gump) |
"Stupid is as stupid does." (Forrest Gump) |
"Have you ever been on a real shrimp boat?" (Bubba) |
"My Mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on." (Forrest Gump) |
"I wish I could've been there with you." "You were." (Forrest answers to Jenny) |
A wide selection of quotes here. |
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© Alberto Truffi March 2013 - Music-Graffiti |