30 Movies In 30 Days. Day 12 – Forrest Gump
I don’t think I’d be wrong in saying that Forrest Gump shares similarities with Triumph Of The Will.
Harsh words. True though. Both are technically accomplished films. Both were made by directors at the peak of their careers. And both combine half-truths and bias in order to subvert reality and propagate a politically skewered version of reality.
But rather than re-write my university essay on the subject, here’ s the bullets on what this beloved, brilliant and beautiful classic has to say:
- That even a subservient, stupid, docile imbecile can prosper in America, providing he follows the establishment and the status quo.
- That questioning the order of things, campaigning against the administration and leading a life different to the norm will get you killed you by aids.
- That the Black Panthers were mean, nasty black people who beat women and needed to be taught a lesson by moronic white men.
- That the only reason women joined the counter-culture in sixties America was because they were sexually abused and victims of incest.
- That finding God solves inner anger, turmoil, and turns drunks into stand-up citizens.
- That only when women renounce their past life and go and live with a man can they truly be forgiven for their choices.
No question, Forrest Gump is pure Republican trash. And it’s because of this that its enduring popularity makes me sad. A large degree of people I talk to know only of Vietnam, Watergate and Kennedy through the eyes of Gump.
And given how brilliantly put-together the movie is, I see that degree only growing larger.
Tags: 30_days
