National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2011
“As "Forrest Gump," Tom Hanks portrays an earnest, guileless "everyman" whose open-heartedness and sense of the unexpected unwittingly draws him into some of the most iconic events of the 1960s and 1970s.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Robert Zemeckis
Studio
Paramount Pictures · 142 min
Box office
$678.2M worldwide on a $55M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 6 wins, 13 nominationsNational Board of Review — 2 winsAmanda Award — 1 winAll 9 wins · 13 nominations on record
Academy Awards: Best Director
Academy Awards: Best Picture
Academy Awards: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
Academy Awards: Best Film Editing
Academy Awards: Best Actor
Academy Awards: Best Visual Effects
National Board of Review: Best Film
National Board of Review: National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Amanda Award: Best Foreign Feature Film
Scholarship
Named in the title of 31 peer-reviewed works
Examples
Forrest Gump — Iverieli (National Parliamentary Library of Georgia), 2015
Forrest Gump, 2022
Forrest Gump: — State University of New York Press eBooks, 2017
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Forrest Gump arrived from Paramount in the summer of 1994, directed by Robert Zemeckis and adapted from Winston Groom's novel. It became a cultural touchstone, sweeping the Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor for Tom Hanks, and redefining what visual effects could do in service of a sincere, sweeping American story. Blending decades of history with one man's improbable path through them, the film's technique of inserting its hero into real archival footage became its most celebrated innovation, allowing Forrest to stand alongside presidents and cultural figures as though he had always been there.
This cell preserves one such splice, pairing Forrest Gump with Abbie Hoffman, the countercultural activist and Yippie co-founder whose presence anchors the sequence firmly in the anti-war rallies of the Vietnam era. Collectors prize these composite frames precisely because they document Zemeckis's technical sleight of hand, the seamless placement of a fictional character into genuine historical company. It stands as a snapshot of the film's larger ambition: using one ordinary man to walk through extraordinary decades, brushing against the real figures who shaped them.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of Forrest Gump (1994).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame visible on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched edges appear clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge of the picture area, appearing as a fine wavy line consistent with a stereo variable-area format; a narrow band that may indicate a Dolby Digital data block region is visible between the perforations on the lower edge, though resolution limits certainty.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers, manufacturer text, or SAFETY FILM legend.
Base & colour
The clear base shows a warm, slightly amber-cream tint typical of colour print stock; the dye image appears intact with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are discernible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a release print of Forrest Gump (1994).
Era check
The variable-area optical track, warm colour print base, and perforation layout are all consistent with a mid-1990s theatrical release print, matching the 1994 production date on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063990
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
