Thoughts on Forrest Gump 1994 & 2014

来源：

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/forrest-gump-1994

http://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/forrest-gump

Roger Ebert

July 6, 1994

I've never met anyone like Forrest Gump in a movie before, and for that matter I've never seen a movie quite like "Forrest Gump." Any attempt to describe him will risk making the movie seem more conventional than it is, but let me try. It's a comedy'kɑmədi/, I guess. Or maybe a drama. Or a dream.

The screenplay /'skrin'ple/ by Eric Roth has the complexity/kəm'plɛksəti/ of modern fiction, not the formulas of modern movies. Its hero, played by Tom Hanks, is a thoroughly/AmE ˈθərəli,/ decent/'disnt/ man with an IQ of 75, who manages between the 1950s and the 1980s to become involved in every major event in American history. And he survives them all with only honesty/'ɑnəsti/ and niceness/'naisnis/ as his shields/'ʃild/.

screenplay /'skrin'ple/

* n. 编剧，剧本；电影剧本

* complexity/kəm'plɛksəti/

* n. 复杂，复杂性；复杂错综的事物

* thoroughly/AmE ˈθərəli,/

* adverb①(meticulously)彻底地 chèdǐ de ②(completely)极其 jíqí ‹dangerous, nice, reliable›③(without reservation)完全 wánquán ‹agree, approve, enjoy›

* decent/'disnt/

* adj. 正派的；得体的；相当好的

* honesty/'ɑnəsti/

* n. 诚实，正直

niceness/'naisnis/

* n. 美好的事物；讲究；精密

* shields/'ʃild/

And yet this is not a heartwarming story about a mentally/'mɛntli/ retarded /rɪˈtɑrdɪd/ man. That cubbyhole /'kʌbɪhol/ is much too small and limiting for Forrest Gump. The movie is more of a meditation on our times, as seen through the eyes of a man who lacks cynicism/ˈsɪnɪˌsɪzəm/ and takes things for exactly what they are. Watch him carefully and you will understand why some people are criticized for being "too clever by half." Forrest is clever by just exactly enough.

mentally/'mɛntli/

* adv. 精神上，智力上；心理上

retarded /rɪˈtɑrdɪd/

* adj. 智力迟钝的；发展迟缓的

* cubbyhole /'kʌbɪhol/N-COUNTA cubbyhole is a very small room or space for storing things. 储藏室

* cynicism/ˈsɪnɪˌsɪzəm/

* n. 玩世不恭，愤世嫉俗；犬儒主义；冷嘲热讽

*

be too clever by half

to be too confident of your own intelligence in a way that annoys other people:

She was too clever by half - always correcting the teacher or coming back with a smart answer.

Tom Hanks may be the only actor who could have played the role.

I can't think of anyone else as Gump, after seeing how Hanks makes him into a person so dignified /'dɪɡnɪfaɪd/, so straight-ahead. The performance is a breathtaking /'brɛθtekɪŋ/ balancing act between comedy and sadness/'sædnis/, in a story rich in big laughs and quiet truths.

dignified /‘dɪɡnɪfaɪd/

* adj. 庄严的；有尊严的；高贵的

* v. 使高贵（dignify的过去式）

straight-ahead adjective

The definition of straight ahead is something that is right in your path.

breathtaking /'brɛθtekɪŋ/

* adj. 惊人的；惊险的；令人激动的

Forrest is born to an Alabama boardinghouse owner (Sally Field) who tries to correct his posture /'pɑstʃɚ/ by making him wear braces/'breisiz/, but who never criticizes/'krɪtə'saɪz/ his mind. When Forrest is called "stupid," his mother tells him, "Stupid is as stupid does," and Forrest turns out to be incapable /ɪn’kepəbl/ of doing anything less than profound /prə'faʊnd/. Also, when the braces finally fall from his legs, it turns out he can run like the wind.

Sally Field

* n. 莎莉·菲尔德（女子名）

* posture /'pɑstʃɚ/

* n. 姿势；态度；情形

* vi. 摆姿势

* vt. 作…的姿势

* braces/'breisiz/

* n. 背带；吊带（brace的复数）

* incapable /ɪn’kepəbl/

* adj. 不能的；无能力的；不能胜任的

* profound /prə'faʊnd/

* adj. 深厚的；意义深远的；渊博的

That's how he gets a college football scholarship /‘skɑlɚʃɪp/, in a life story that eventually becomes a running gag/gæg/ about his good luck. Gump the football hero becomes Gump the Medal of Honor winner in Vietnam/ˌvjet'næm/, and then Gump the Ping-Pong champion/'tʃæmpɪən/, Gump the shrimp/ʃrɪmp/ boat captain, Gump the millionaire/ˌmɪljə’nɛr/ stockholder /'stɑk'holdɚ/ (he gets shares in a new "fruit company" named Apple Computer), and Gump the man who runs across America and then retraces/rɪ'tres/ his steps.

Medal of Honor

* 荣誉勋章

* champion/'tʃæmpɪən/

* n. 冠军；拥护者；战士

* vt. 支持；拥护

* adj. 优胜的；第一流的

* shrimp/ʃrɪmp/

* n. 虾；小虾；矮小的人

* vi. 捕虾

* adj. 有虾的；虾制的

* millionaire/ˌmɪljə’nɛr/

* n. 百万富翁；大富豪

* adj. 100万以上人口的

* champion/'tʃæmpɪən/

* n. 冠军；拥护者；战士

* vt. 支持；拥护

* adj. 优胜的；第一流的

* retraces/rɪ'tres/

* vt. 追溯；折回；重描

It could be argued that with his IQ of 75 Forrest does not quite understand everything that happens to him. Not so. He understands everything he needs to know, and the rest, the movie suggests, is just surplus/'sɝpləs/. He even understands everything that's important about love, although Jenny, the girl he falls in love with in grade school and never falls out of love with, tells him, "Forrest, you don't know what love is." She is a stripper/'strɪpɚ/ by that time.

surplus/‘sɝpləs/

* n. 剩余；[贸易] 顺差；盈余；过剩

* adj. 剩余的；过剩的

stripper/'strɪpɚ/

* n. 脱衣舞女；剥离器；脱模机

The movie is ingenious/ɪn'dʒinɪəs/ in taking Forrest on his tour of recent American history. The director, Robert Zemeckis, is experienced with the magic that special effects can do (his credits include the "Back To The Future" movies and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"), and here he uses computerized visual legerdemain/'lɛdʒɚdəmen/ to place Gump in historic situations with actual people.

ingenious/ɪn'dʒinɪəs/

* adj. 有独创性的；机灵的，精制的；心灵手巧的

legerdemain/'lɛdʒɚdəmen/

* n. 戏法，骗术；巧妙的花招

Forrest stands next to the schoolhouse/'skʊl'haʊs/ door with George Wallace, he teaches Elvis how to swivel /'swɪvl/ his hips /hɪp/, he visits the White House three times, he's on the Dick Cavett show with John Lennon, and in a sequence that will have you rubbing /‘rʌbɪŋ/ your eyes with its realism, he addresses a Vietnam-era peace rally /'ræli/ on the Mall in Washington. Special effects are also used in creating the character of Forrest's Vietnam friend Lt. Dan (Gary Sinise), a Ron Kovic type who quite convincingly loses his legs.

schoolhouse/'skʊl'haʊs/

swivel /'swɪvl/

* n. 转环；转椅座架

* vt. 使旋转

* vi. 旋转

hips /hɪp/

* n. 臀部；蔷薇果；忧郁

* adj. 熟悉内情的；非常时尚的

* rubbing /‘rʌbɪŋ/

* n. 摩擦；研磨；摹拓

* v. 摩擦；按摩；触痛（rub的ing形式）

* rally /'ræli/

* vi. 团结；重整；恢复；（网球等）连续对打

Using carefully selected TV clips and dubbed/dʌb/ voices, Zemeckis is able to create some hilarious /hɪ'lɛrɪəs/ moments, as when LBJ examines the wound/wund/ in what Forrest describes as "my butt-ox." And the biggest laugh in the movie comes after Nixon inquires /ɪn'kwaɪr/ where Forrest is staying in Washington, and then recommends the Watergate. (That's not the laugh, just the setup.) As Forrest's life becomes a guided tour of straight-arrow America, Jenny (played by Robin Wright) goes on a parallel tour of the counterculture /'kaʊntɚkʌltʃɚ/. She goes to California, of course, and drops out, tunes in, and turns on. She's into psychedelics /'saɪkə'dɛlɪk/ and flower power, antiwar rallies and love-ins, drugs and needles/'ni:dl/. Eventually it becomes clear that between them Forrest and Jenny have covered all of the landmarks /'lændmɑrk/ of our recent cultural history, and the accommodation/ə,kɑmə'deʃən/ they arrive at in the end is like a dream of reconciliation /ˌrɛkənsɪlɪ'eʃən/ for our society. What a magical movie.

dubbed/dʌb/

* vt. 配音；轻点；打击；授予称号

* n. 笨蛋；鼓声

* hilarious /hɪ'lɛrɪəs/

* adj. 欢闹的；非常滑稽的；喜不自禁的

inquires /ɪn'kwaɪr/

* vt. 询问；查究；问明

* vi. 询问；查究；询价

* straight-arrow

* [美国口语]循规蹈矩的

* counterculture /'kaʊntɚkʌltʃɚ/

* n. 反主流文化（60和70年代美国青少年中盛行的一种思想）

* drops out

* 退出；退学；脱离

* psychedelics /'saɪkə'dɛlɪk/

* adj. 引起幻觉的

* n. 迷幻剂

needles/'ni:dl/

* N-COUNTA needle is a thin hollow metal rod with a sharp point, which is part of a medical instrument called a syringe. It is used to put a drug into someone's body, or to take blood out. 注射针

* landmarks /‘lændmɑrk/

* n. [航]陆标；地标；界标；里程碑；纪念碑；地界标；划时代的事

* adj. 有重大意义或影响的

* accommodation/ə,kɑmə'deʃən/

* n. 住处，膳宿；调节；和解；预订铺位

* reconciliation /ˌrɛkənsɪlɪ'eʃən/

* n. 和解；调和；和谐；甘愿

James Berardinelli

September 05, 2014

Since its theatrical /θɪ'ætrɪkl/ release in the summer of 1994, Forrest Gump has become one of those movies seemingly/‘simɪŋli/ everyone is familiar with. It's a cultural touchstone/‘tʌtʃ'ston/  with lines like "Life is a box of chocolates" appearing everywhere from tee-shirts to greeting cards. The film's popularity was italicized /ɪ'tælɪsaɪz/ by the way it rampaged /'ræmpedʒ/ through the 1995 Oscars, winning six awards (including the "big three" of Best Picture, Director, and Actor). Now, for its 20th anniversary, the decision has been made to do something Hollywood almost never does during the home video era: a big screen re-release.

theatrical /θɪ'ætrɪkl/

* adj. 戏剧性的；剧场的，戏剧的；夸张的；做作的

* seemingly/‘simɪŋli/

* adv. 看来似乎；表面上看来

* touchstone/‘tʌtʃ'ston/

* n. 试金石；（检验）标准

* italicized /ɪ'tælɪsaɪz/

* vt. 在字下划横线；用斜体字排字；强调

* vi. 用斜体字

* rampaged /‘ræmpedʒ/

* n. 暴怒；暴跳；乱闹

* vi. 狂暴；乱闹；发怒

How to get people into theaters to watch (or re-watch) Forrest run when it's a lot easier to do it at home? Enter the IMAX gimmick/'ɡɪmɪk/. Calling it anything less crass /kræs/ would be dishonest since there's no inherent reason why Forrest Gump should be bulked/bʌlk/ up for IMAX (or pseudo/'sʊdo/-IMAX, depending on how one views the smaller AMC version of the product). Still, commercial /kə’mɝʃəl/ considerations /kən,sɪdə’reʃən/ aside, there's something majestic /mə'dʒɛstɪk/ about watching this tall tale /tel/ unfold on a larger screen than one can find in the average family room. The IMAX format is a nice way to entice /ɪn'taɪs/ some viewers to see the movie in a theater while maintaining the original composition.

gimmick/'ɡɪmɪk/

* n. 暗机关；骗人的玩意；花招

* vt. 使暗机关；搞骗人的玩意

crass /kræs/

* adj. 愚钝的；粗鲁的；非常的

* n. (Crass)人名；(英)克拉斯

* bulked up/bʌlk/

* 胀大；形成大数目

* pseudo/'sʊdo/

* n. 伪君子；假冒的人

* adj. 冒充的，假的

* majestic /mə'dʒɛstɪk/

* adj. 庄严的；宏伟的

* tall tale /tel/

* n. 吹牛，说大话；夸张的故事，荒诞的故事

* entice /ɪn'taɪs/

* vt. 诱使；怂恿

The original review holds up today because, unlike some decades-old motion pictures, this one doesn't seem dated. It wears its age well. Here's what I wrote in 1994 when the movie was first released:

decades-old 老式

motion pictures 电影

dated

* adj. 陈旧的；过时的；有日期的

* v. 注有日期（date的过去式和过去分词）

Ever find the grind /ɡraɪnd/ of life getting you down? Is the day-to-day struggle threatening to drag you under? If so, there is a movie out there that can replenish /rɪ'plɛnɪʃ/ your energy and refresh your outlook'aʊtlʊk/. Passionate/'pæʃənət/ and magical, Forrest Gump is a tonic/'tɑnɪk/ for the weary/'wɪri/ of spirit. For those who feel that being set adrift/ə'drɪft/ in a season of action movies is like wandering into a desert, the oasiso'esɪs/ lies ahead.

grind /ɡraɪnd/

* vt. 磨碎；磨快

* vi. 磨碎；折磨

* n. 磨；苦工作

* replenish /rɪ'plɛnɪʃ/

* vt. 补充，再装满；把…装满；给…添加燃料

* outlook'aʊtlʊk/

* n. 展望；观点；景色

* vt. 比……好看；用目光压倒

* vi. 朝外看

* Passionate/‘pæʃənət/

* adj. 热情的；热烈的，激昂的；易怒的

* tonic/‘tɑnɪk/

* n. 补药；主调音或基音

* adj. 滋补的；声调的；使精神振作的

weary/‘wɪri/

* adj. 疲倦的；厌烦的；令人厌烦的

* vi. 疲倦；厌烦

* vt. 使疲倦；使厌烦

* adrift/ə'drɪft/

* adj. 漂泊的；漂浮着的

* adv. 随波逐流地；漂浮着

* oasiso'esɪs/

* n. 绿洲；舒适的地方；令人宽慰的事物

* wandering /'wɑndərɪŋ/ into 游荡到

* wandering /'wɑndərɪŋ/

* vi. 徘徊；漫步；迷路；离题

* vt. 游荡，漫游

* n. (Wander)人名；(英)万德(女子教名)

Back when Tom Hanks' movie career was relatively new, the actor made a film called Big, which told the story of a young boy forced to grow up fast as a result of an ill-advised wish made at a carnival/'kɑrnɪvl/. In some ways, Forrest Gump represents a return to the themes of that earlier movie. In this case, the main character remains a child in heart and spirit, even as his body grows to maturity. Hanks is called upon yet again to play the innocent 'ɪnəsnt/.

ill-advised

* adj. 没脑筋的；欠考虑的

* carnival/'kɑrnɪvl/.. 狂欢节，嘉年华会；饮宴狂欢

innocent'ɪnəsnt/

* adj. 无辜的；无罪的；无知的

* n. 天真的人；笨蛋

* n. (Innocent)人名；(英、西)因诺森特；(法)伊诺桑

Forrest Gump (Hanks), named after a civil/'sɪvl/ war hero, grows up in Greenbow, Alabama, where his mother (Sally Field) runs a boarding house. Although Forrest is a little "slow" (his IQ is 75, 5 below the state's definition of "normal"), his mental impairment doesn't seem to bother him, his mother, or his best (and only) friend, Jenny Curran (played as an adult by Robin Wright). In fact, the naiveté that comes through a limited understanding of the world around him gives Forrest a uniquely/ju:'ni:kli/ positive perspective on life. Across the span of the next thirty years, Forrest becomes a star football player, a war hero, a successful businessman, and a pop icon. Through it all, however, there is one defining/di'fainiŋ/ element in his life: his love for Jenny. She is never far from his thoughts, no matter what he's doing or where he is.

civil/'sɪvl/

* adj. 公民的；民间的；文职的；有礼貌的；根据民法的

* n. (Civil)人名；(土)吉维尔；(法)西维尔

* uniquely/ju:'ni:kli/

* adv. 独特地；珍奇地

* pop icon流行偶像

A trio/'trio/ of assets lifts Forrest Gump above the average "life story" (melo)drama: its optimism /'ɑptɪmɪzəm/, freshness, and emotional honesty. Though the movie does not seek to reduce every member of the audience to tears, it has moments whose power comes from their simplicity. Equally as important is laughter, and Forrest Gump has moments of humor strewn/stru:n/ throughout.

trio/'trio/

* n. 三重唱；三件一套；三个一组

* n. (Trio)人名；(意)特里奥

* optimism /'ɑptɪmɪzəm/

* n. 乐观；乐观主义

* strewn/stru:n/

* v. 撒；散播（strew的过去分词）

* adj. 撒满的；散播的

During the 60s and 70s, no topic more inflamed/ɪn'flemd/ the turbulent/'tɝbjələnt/ national consciousness/'kɑnʃəsnəs/ than that of Vietnam and those who were sent overseas to fight. Forrest, as might be expected, has a singular viewpoint on his time spent there: "We took long walks and were always looking for this guy named Charlie." This observation emphasizes the essence of the title character's nature.

inflamed/ɪn’flemd/

* vt. 激怒；使燃烧；使发炎

* vi. 燃烧；发炎；激动

turbulent/‘tɝbjələnt/

* adj. 骚乱的，混乱的；狂暴的；吵闹的；激流的，湍流的

consciousness/'kɑnʃəsnəs/

* n. 意识；知觉；觉悟；感觉

Through the miracle/'mɪrəkl/ of`` visual effects, Forrest meets his fair share of famous people - George Wallace, Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, and John Lennon. While mixing the real footage of these notables with new images featuring Hanks is not a seamless process, the result is nevertheless effective. (This is a precursor of what would become commonplace in future films as the effects work employed here became refined.)

Forrest Gump has several messages, few of which require much digging into the subtext to unearth. The most frequently recurring theme is an admonition not to give up on life. Why surrender when you don't know what lies ahead? By contrasting Forrest's life with the lives of those around him, and by showing how the passage of time brings solace to even the most embittered hearts, the movie underlines this point.

Tom Hanks won 1994's Academy Award for Philadelphia, but his performance here is more nuanced. [With Forrest Gump, he would become only the second man to win back-to-back Lead Actor Oscars, joining Spencer Tracy.] The Alabama accent may seem a little awkward at first, but it doesn't take long for the acting to dwarf the twang. Hanks fashions a human character free of guile and deceit, and barely able to comprehend a concept like evil. Robin Wright gives the best performance of her career, surpassing what she accomplished in The Playboys. Looking and seeming like a younger Jessica Lange, she is believable as the object of Forrest's undying affection. The scene-stealer, however, is Gary Sinise. A renowned stage director and actor, Sinise is probably best known to film-goers (to the extent that he is known at all) for his portrayal of George in 1992's Of Mice and Men (which he also directed). In this movie, his portrayal of Lieutenant Dan Taylor is riveting. The passion and pain he brings to the middle portions of Forrest Gump hold together some of the film's weaker moments.

The soundtrack boasts a variety of sounds of the era - perhaps too wide a variety. Often, music can be useful in establishing a mood, but Forrest Gump rockets into the realm of overkill. There are sequences when the choice of song is inspired (the use of "Running on Empty" for Forrest's "long run" comes to mind), but the soundtrack could have used a little pruning. There are times when it seems as much designed to sell CDs as to cement the setting.

Ultimately /'ʌltɪmətli/, however, any such gripes /'graips/ about Forrest Gump are minor. This is a marvelous /'mɑrvələs/ motion picture -- a mint julep on a hot summer's afternoon.

Ultimately /'ʌltɪmətli/,

* adv. 最后；根本；基本上

* gripes /'graips/

* n. 抱怨（gripe的复数形式）；胃绞痛；肠绞痛

* v. 控制；抓住（gripe的第三人称单数）

* marvelous /'mɑrvələs/

* adj. 了不起的；非凡的；令人惊异的；不平常的

* mint/mɪnt/

* n. 薄荷；[金融] 造币厂，巨款

* vt. 铸造，铸币

* adj. 完美的

* n. (Mint)人名；(毛里塔)明特

* julep/'dʒulɛp/

* n. （美）冰镇薄荷酒；糖浆药水

Quick Read

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[Good Sentences]

The original review holds up today because, unlike some decades-old motion pictures, this one doesn't seem dated.

Passionate/'pæʃənət/ and magical, Forrest Gump is a tonic/'tɑnɪk/ for the weary/'wɪri/ of spirit.

For those who feel that being set adrift/ə'drɪft/ in a season of action movies is like wandering into a desert, the oasiso'esɪs/ lies ahead.