The actor in which I have decided to analyze the performance of is Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. This film was made in 1994, was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn and Gary Sinise.
I have chosen to analyze Tom Hanks' performance because I think that he is a very versatile actor in the way that he is able to play both a serious character like Captain John H Miller in the classic 'Saving Private Ryan' yet he is also able to play the role of Detective Scott Turner in the comedy 'Turner and Hooch'. I feel that it is this versatility that makes Hanks' audience believe and relate to each and every character he plays.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 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.
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.
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. As Lieutenant Dan repeats his commands and adds "Get down, shut up!" the narration quickly changes from a casual tone to a whispered one. His face becomes childlike as he strains to see what the problem is ahead.
As he describes the men that he is serving with, he gives each of their names and where they are from, 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 Forrest is unable to recall this information which conveys his underdeveloped memory. His shoulders drop as he tries to remember and he looks down in concerntration.
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. The commentary begins again as the men carry on walking "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.
"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.
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