I can understand why this is a classic with viewers.
The way the story is put forth is genuine. There is little
elaboration, or what is was not intentional. Forrest explains his life as he
saw it. Nothing special, maybe, but it’s what he has. The acting was good, sets
were appropriate and the sound was interesting. The whole thing feels as if it just happened.
The entire story isn’t in past tense, which was cool. There
was little foreshadowing, but seemingly because the storyteller knows his story
so well the cues to change scenes were fluid and not unpredicted. Forrest
begins at the beginning, as far as he can tell. The people at the bus stop come
and go, and he keeps talking. Eventually he catches up to himself in the
storyline. The beauty in that moment is that someone cared enough to lend him a
hand, and he found a reason to run again. Then the story switches to “real
time”. The rhythm of scenes stays the same, which makes it feel faster because
little time passes between scenes. Ending as it began brings everything full
circle.
Acting was great. The little things that give a character
credibility were carried out well. There was rarely a break in accent. The way
Forrest cocks his head carried though the film. Forrest’s mother keeps the same
tone whenever she explains something. There was also consistency in the
carriage of the characters. The way they reacted, or didn’t, and even down to
the way they walked stayed with them the whole time.
The mix of sound in the film, namely music, was well done.
Sometimes the music was in the film, sometimes over. The lighting was decent.
Camerawork was varied enough to keep interest, but wasn’t anything thrilling.
It’s just there to tell Forrest’s story.
The complete ownership by Forrest of his story is what makes
this so classic. His commanding yet relaxed nature over the events of life is phenomenal. He doesn’t make more of anything than he deems necessary, often
making less than what most would. His overall innocence is kept. The story
itself is fun, entertaining and enjoyable. It makes a good movie.