While playing the part of a person with special needs must be extremely difficult, especially in emotional scenes, Tom Hanks does an amazing job playing Forrest Gump, an adult with special needs. This scene is from the movie Forrest Gump, directed by Robert Zemeckis. In this scene Forrest’s wife, Jenny (Robin Wright), passes away and Forrest has to deal with that and goes to visit her grave. There are many stylish film techniques used to help the audience reflect on Forrest and Jenny’s lives and also feel remorse because of her death.
Some visual design techniques Zemeckis used in this clip are set design and lighting. One big thing that takes up a lot of the set, is Jenny and Forrest’s tree. This tree is important for many reasons. First of all, this Forrest and Jenny had a lot of special moments under this tree so it symbolizes their relationship. However, it also symbolizes life, and since Jenny has just passed, it it symbolizes her life specifically. Also, this scene is set in a large, open field. This makes you feel free, which represents Jenny being in heaven, since it is thought to be very open and free, like this scene. Another visual design element Zemeckis uses is lighting. This scene is set in the late afternoon to evening. At the end of the clip you can see that the sun is going down, and since Jenny has just passed away it represents her going to rest, like the sun.
There are also a lot of great cinematography techniques used in this scene add depth and motion and there are also different shot types used to show different things. There are lots of “over-the-shoulder” shots in this scene that help to give this scene with lots of talking some depth. These are very interesting especially because one of the “shoulders” is Jenny’s gravestone. This makes it seem like Forrest really is talking to Jenny, even though she is dead. These shots help show how close they are, because of how close Forrest is to the grave, but also how far away they are, since she is gone. There are also many close-ups used in this scene. This is to make the audience feel personally connected to the scene, and be able to feel sympathy for Forrest, especially as he begins to cry. As Forrest leaves, however, there is an extreme long shot that shows, the sunset, the tree, Jenny’s grave, and Forrest. This lets the audience take a breath at the end of the scene and take in everything that has just happened. It also makes the audience feel at peace, as Jenny’s grave was placed in such a beautiful, personal place.
Since this scene has a lot of talking, the wonderful editing techniques used in this scene help it to not feel boring, but to also get into the sad mood and feel for Forrest. First of all, the long takes and slow pacing of this scene make the audience feel sympathy for Forrest and really focus on what he is saying. If the scene had quick takes, the audience would feel high strung and would not be able to focus on Forrest’s words. However, because it is slow, the audience is able to listen to what Forrest is saying, see how he is feeling, and is forced to feel that way as well. There are also lots of spots in this scene with voice over narration. These spots help the audience connect on an even deeper level with Forrest because it essentially puts the audience in his head. It also makes the scene less boring because it gives the audience something to look at while Forrest is talking, rather than just watching him talk.
Overall, there are many great techniques Zemeckis uses in this scene of Forrest Gump to help the audience feel sympathy and remorse, and also to help reflect on Forrest and Jenny’s lives. The visual design, cinematography, and editing techniques all put together, create a one-of-a-kind scene that leaves the audience with all sorts of emotions, all the way from freedom to sympathy to sadness. Tom Hanks’ acting is only one small part of the emotion behind this scene, it is all of these thing put together that create true feeling. 