National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

Forrest Gump was released by Paramount Pictures in the summer of 1994, directed by Robert Zemeckis from Eric Roth's adaptation of Winston Groom's novel. The film swept that year's Academy Awards, winning six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, and became one of the defining cultural touchstones of the decade. Its blend of personal history against the backdrop of American events from the 1950s through the 1980s gave it an unusually broad emotional reach.

This cell, titled Forrest Gump, captures Forrest Gump in an animated, open-mouthed expression while seated in an interior setting, a television or monitor visible behind him. The three frames preserve a continuous moment of unguarded reaction, offering a close study of Tom Hanks's physical performance in one of cinema's most recognized roles.