The Keltner List is a popular sports survey that allows the classifications of certain players as being Hall of Fame-worthy. You can find the original list of questions here. It was created for baseball, but it was imperfectly adapted to basketball, and later for rock musicians for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Given the recent announcements for the National Board Of Registry, I figured it would be interesting to apply it to films. Specifically "Forrest Gump." Naturally, I had to alter the questions. If you think they can be altered a bit more appropriately, try it out. Again, it's a very imperfect system.
The Keltner List: FORREST GUMP
Was the film regarded as the best movie of the year? Did anyone, while the film was released, suggest it was the best film of the year?
“Forrest Gump” famously won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1995. It also won the BAFTA for Best Film, the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama, the MTV Award for Best Movie (this kinda-sorta meant something back then), the National Board of Review award for Best Picture and the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture. So, yes.
Were there any significant detractors at the time?
Not many, though the number has grown in recent years. However, the late Pauline Kael famously declared, “I hated it thoroughly.”
Was it the best film ever made by its director?
Robert Zemeckis had previously made such films as “Back To The Future,” “Used Cars” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” It is debatable by some, but I would say no.
Was it the truly the best film in its year of release?
1994 was a loaded year, and amongst the Oscar contenders, there was a funnier film in “Pulp Fiction,” a more dramatically appealing one in “The Shawshank Redemption” and a more biting American expose in “Quiz Show.” 1994 also sported one of Disney’s finer films with “The Lion King,” Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood,” groundbreaking documentary “Hoop Dreams,” Oliver Stone’s incendiary “Natural Born Killers,” Luc Besson’s “Leon” and “Red” and “White” from Krysztof Kieslowski’s “Three Colors Trilogy.”
Did the film feature great performances?
Yes. As much as can be said against the character of Gump, Tom Hanks created an indelible characterization. Fellow Oscar nominee Gary Sinese was also quite good, as was Robin Wright as the doomed Jenny. Points should be docked, however, for the hammy characterization provided by Sally Field.
Did the film have a shelf life?
It’s still a regular television fixture, particularly for some broadcast networks in the occasional prime-time slot. It’s got a stronger shelf-life than most films of the era.
Did the participants ever match the standard of this film ever again?
Zemeckis followed “Gump” with a series of box office hits, and while “Contact” and “Cast Away” have their fans, few would agree they equal “Gump,” and his shift into the world of motion capture led his fans to sour on him.
Hanks followed “Gump” with a very strong decade-long run, including “Apollo 13,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Green Mile,” “Cast Away,” “Road To Perdition,” “Catch Me If You Can” and “The Ladykillers.” One could argue his work in “Cast Away” is superior to his turn in “Gump,” though that is heavily debatable.
Screenwriter Eric Roth was highly in-demand after “Gump,” and later penned scripts for “The Insider,” “Ali,” “Munich,” “The Good Shepherd” and “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.” Out of those, his work adapting the true life story of “The Insider” comes across as being far superior.
Was the film a box office hit?
$677 million worldwide says yes. At the time, it was one of the all-time highest grossing films.
Is there any evidence to suggest the film’s success was a fluke?
Certainly. In addition to beating a few zeitgeist-y hits for the Oscar, “Gump” was a gamble coming out during a busy summer season. “Gump” had to score in a marketplace that included “The Lion King,” “True Lies,” “The Mask,” “Speed,” “Dumb And Dumber” and others. With the exception of “The Lion King,” “Gump” out grossed them all.
Did the film win Academy Awards?
Six, including Best Picture, best Director, Best Actor and Best Adaptated Screenplay.
Did the film win any other major awards?
In addition to the Best Picture honors mentioned above, “Gump” won an American Comedy Award for Best Actor, Outstanding Directorial Achievement from the DGA, the Chicago Film Critics Association award for Best Actor, a SAG award for Tom Hanks and a WGA Best Adapted Screenplay award.
In any other years, would the film be popular or well-regarded?
No. One can argue the optimism at the heart of “Gump” could only connect during the Clinton administration. The picture likely wouldn’t have broken through to the Oscars the previous years, when “Unforgiven” and “Schindler‘s List” were fairly unbeatable. 1995 and 1996 are a different story, as neither “Braveheart” nor “The English Patient” had the same baby-boomer mass appeal.
What impact did the movie have on film history? Did it introduce new technology? Did it change filmmaking in any way?
“Gump” is known for pioneering the use of special effects to allow modern footage to share space with older material, creating the illusion of Gump crossing paths with former Presidents. The Best Visual Effects Oscar was also earned for the illusion of Sinese’s Lt. Dan losing his legs.
What was the film’s pop cultural impact?
“Gump” introduced a raft of catchphrases and inside jokes, connecting with young and old. Too much to list here, but it’s worth noting few films had such cross-generational appeal and pop culture friendliness. Also see: Bubba Gump Shrimp.
Does the film have a questionable subtext?
Oh, boy, far too much. Zemeckis’ film features a story where the mentally impaired hero keeps his head down and successfully powers through life, while his free-thinking liberal lover becomes victim to a sea of drugs, rock and roll, and abusive Black Panthers. Gump becomes a war hero, and later independently wealthy, despite running when the going got tough. His catchphrases include “Stupid is as stupid does,” “shit happens,” and the zen koan “Life is like a box of chocolates.”
In conclusion, as much as I would quarrel with the content of the film, I think there’s more than enough evidence to support “Gump” belonging in the National Film Registry. It was unquestionably a movie of its time, and while we can bemoan that, we cannot ignore it.
