Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

Bitrate:

 

Description: The title character leads viewers through an accidental travelogue of U.S. social history from the early 1960s through the present in this revisionist fable. Vietnam, desegregation, Watergate, and more are presented from the perspective of Tom Hanks's loveably slow-witted Forrest Gump as he finds himself embroiled in situations he can't quite comprehend. Hanks leads an excellent cast, featuring Robin Wright Penn as Jenny, Forrest's lifelong love; Gary Sinise as the irascible Lt. Dan, his Vietnam superior; Mykelti Williamson as Bubba, a shrimp- loving soldier; and Sally Fields as his devoted mother. Robert Zemeckis's emotional, heartwarming film garnered 13 Academy Award nominations and six wins, including Best Picture, Director, Actor--Tom Hanks, and Adapted Screenplay.

 

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

Audio :

Extras :

The two audio commentary tracks on the feature disc are duplicated from the last DVD edition. Robert Zemeckis, producer Steve Starkey and production designer Rick Carter were each recorded separately for theirs and director Zemeckis does most of the speaking. It is expectantly a bit scattered but still interesting. Producer Wendy Finerman does an excellent job dealing a lot with the move from script-to-screen. Also remaining from the last 2-disc DVD are the 7 screen tests with Michael Conner Humphreys and Hanna R. Hall (3) - Robin Wright (2) - and Haley Joel Osment (2) and some, now listed as 'archival', short featurettes on production, make-up, sound and visual effects - plus the trailers. This batch is relegated to the second dual-layered Blu-ray disc. While the films runs you can access the Musical Signposts to History with a 4-minute introduction by Ben Fong-Torres. Music as "Chronological Set Design" for the Times of Forrest Gump - when Treble clef appears click to activate the American pop and rock music from the film. The rest of the featurettes - all on disc 2 - are all in HD. Greenbow Diary is 26-minutes on the South Carolina locations of the shoots, The Art of Screenplay Adaptation runs 27-minutes, Getting Past Impossible - Forrest Gump and The Visual Effects Revolution is also 27-minutes and Little Forrest lasts 15. The most interesting for fans of the film will be the, almost hour long, 'Evening with Forrest Gump' where Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Robert Zemeckis and Eric Roth sit onstage and discuss the film with occasional questions posed by a University of Southern California student audience after a screening. It has some value and many might find it worth watching although it goes by quite quickly.

BOTTOM LINE:
It's so easy to be cynical these days. One doesn't have to appreciate this film for coyly revisiting modern American history in both newsworthy and cultural veins. In simplest terms it's really a sweet, amusing film with some very intelligent and cute referencing. Those who caustically snub their nose - should really learn to have some fun. In Forrest Gump Robert Zemeckis gives a clinic on thorough and detailed filmmaking perfection. This is another great Paramount Blu-ray. I don't know what the "Chocolate Giftset' package entails but I'm sure fans of the film will thoroughly enjoy this Blu-ray - so, yes, it has our full endorsement.