The film in which I have decided to analyse is Forrest Gump. It was made in 1994, was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn and Gary Sinise. I decided to look at this particular film because of its huge success; in the first eighteen days the film took $100 million at the American Box Office, which was a record-breaking amount for Paramount Pictures. I feel that the micro elements used in the film contributed greatly to its accomplishments. The micro elements that I have decided to look at in further detail are performance, cinematography and sound. I have chosen to analyse the scene from the film when Gump joins the US army and is sent to Vietnam. I have chosen this scene because it incorporates a lot of action and with it, an excellent use of different micro elements. I think that this scene is particularly powerful, as it highlights how the main character, Forrest Gump, does not have to be intellectual to be as brave and heroic as he is.
Tom Hanks plays the leading role of Forrest Gump, a mentally challenged and very naive person who leads an incredibly lucky lifestyle. He has a highly supportive mother and a best friend that he obtained at a young age to whom he ends up falling in love with. The film takes place from the 1950's to the 1980's and shows some of America's most vital events in history such as the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. Eventually Gump makes a lot of money and marries his childhood sweetheart Jenny.
The sequence I have chosen to study is when Gump has joined the US Army and was walking through Vietnam with his platoon while he has a commentary running over the top of it.
The sequence begins with a long shot of the path ahead showing that it stretches on very far and it also shows the American soldiers walking along it. The first thing that the audience is able to hear is the backing track ‘All along the watch tower’ by Jimi Hendrix, this song is very uplifting and very upbeat which is contrasting to the dangerous situation that Gump is faced with, the contrast will either put the audience more at ease with the uncomfortable surroundings or it will instantly grab their attention by the way the music is so ill-fitting with the scene. The camera then tilts upwards revealing more of the path. The scene then cuts to a medium close up of the side of Hanks’ face as the camera is crabbing beside him, after three seconds the camera then slows down into a tracking movement behind Hanks.
The next sound that the audience is faced with is the voiceover, which is non-diegetic. The commentary begins with "We was always looking for this guy named Charlie." This speech is delivered in a Southern American accent and is said quite slowly, the quote highlights Forrest's mental state as it shows that his understanding is limited and childlike due to the fact that he thinks that Charlie is a person as apposed to a codename used to represent the Vietcong. This will make the audience’s respect for Gump grow considerably as he has mental issues yet he is still out fighting for his country. At the same time, the audience may begin to fear for the characters wellbeing, as they may doubt his safety and ability to look after himself.
Next, a long shot of the path is used which, again, shows the men walking and the huge stretch of land. This time, however, the shot shows the men duck into the shrubbery to the sides of the path. Still as part of the commentary, Gump states "It wasn't always fun." This is referring to being in Vietnam and it shows that he is regarding the experience as
some sort of fun activity; it also shows his lack of acknowledgment and understanding of the war itself. In this section, a medium close up of Hanks is used along with the rule of thirds as Hanks is in the left side of the shot only.
Cutting the commentary short, Lieutenant Dan shouts "Hold up!" At his men and with this Forrest ducks quickly into the undergrowth along with the other men, his body turned ridged with anticipation and questioning. During this movement, the audience is able to hear the diegetic sound of the troop’s bags and uniforms rattle which pulls the audience out of the false sense of security that the backing track had previously provided and highlights the reality of the dangerous situation the men are now faced with. Consequently this will make the audience feel uneasy thus grabbing and holding their attention.
As Lieutenant Dan repeats his commands and adds "Get down, shut up!" the narration quickly changes from a casual tone to a whispered one, this effect has been used to show that Gump fears his Lieutenant much like a small child would fear their parent, it signifies how he needs to be treated like a child would, this may make the audience feel even more sympathetic towards him.
The shot cuts to a medium shot of lieutenant Dan in addition the shot is also framed by shrubbery from the sides of the path, thus showing that the camera angle is representing Hanks’ distorted view from the side of the path.
We then move back to a medium close up of Hanks’ face again which shows his face become childlike as he strains to see what the problem is ahead. Also, the rule of thirds has been used as Hanks has been placed to the left hand side of the shot; this is used to show more of the character’s background. Shot reverse shot is then used as the camera cuts from Hanks to Lieutenant Dan and back again.As he describes the men that he is serving with, he gives each of their names and where they are from – as each man is named, a medium close up of each of their faces is given to show specifically who we are hearing of, this is until he gets to a man names Tex and he is unable to remember where the man is from. This is comical because the man is obviously from Texas, yet Gump is unable to recall this information, which conveys his underdeveloped memory. His shoulders drop as he tries to remember and he looks down in concentration. This performance element is effective as it shows that even though Gump is fighting in the US army he is also very vulnerable and naïve, which makes the audience feel sympathetic towards him.
There is a short three-second pause between speech where the shot is silent, this builds up suspense as lieutenant Dan searches the area for any immediate danger, this will increase discomfort within the audience. Lieutenant Dan then orders his platoon to get on their feet and Forrest obeys his wishes quickly as a small child would, again showing his underdeveloped mind. With this, a medium long shot is shown of lieutenant Dan.
Quickly the shot changes to a long shot of the path once again, only this time it is showing the men following the command to stand up. Again the soundtrack begins as the men carry on walking, the song is, once again, uplifting much like the song at the beginning of the scene which signifies to the audience that there was no danger to be found, thus allowing them to watch comfortably again. This is shortly followed by the commentary. "The good thing about Vietnam is that there was always some place to go." This shows his optimism, not dislike the mindset that a young child would have, again showing his naivety. As Gump finishes his sentence, dynamite explodes in the background, the diegetic sound is extremely loud and would usually startle a person, however it did not phase Gump, this is comical to the audience and very entertaining as it shows that he does not understand the danger of where he is and what he is doing.
"And there was always something to do." Here Gump is told to search a possible Vietcong hide out and he does the job willingly and with enthusiasm because he thinks that he is being, in some way, rewarded by having something to do. Here, he quickly jumps down a hole in the ground with a gun at hand and searches the area for any sign of the Vietcong. Much like a small child he has a poor attention span and needs to be occupied. This is made clear by the way he fidgets and plays with his hands when he is stood still before he is asked to search the hiding place. Throughout this dangerous job that he is doing, the upbeat and cheerful music is still playing, hinting to the audience that nothing bad will happen to Gump, giving a sense of relief.
