The Oscar-winning film “Forrest Gump” was released in theaters on this day in history, July 6, 1994.
An adaptation of the 1986 novel of the same name by author Winston Groom, the film was a huge success, grossing $678.2 million worldwide.
It was the second highest-grossing film of 1994, behind only “The Lion King,” according to Box Office Mojo.
Starring Tom Hanks as the title character, “Forrest Gump” tells the life and times of a “kind of slow” man, a man who also leads an extraordinary life amidst some of the most important events in history.
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The film is narrated by Gump, who sits on a bench waiting for the bus and begins to tell everyone sitting next to him the story of his life, starting with his childhood in the 1950s.
Raised in Alabama by a single mother, played by Sally Field, Gump becomes close to Jenny (played by Robin Wright), the only person who will allow him to sit on the school bus.
The movie “Forrest Gump,” starring Tom Hanks as Gump, was released on this day in history, July 6, 1994. (Fake Images)
One day, while being teased and bullied at school, Gump discovers that he can run quite fast.
His athletic ability eventually leads to him being selected by the University of Alabama to play football, which sets the rest of the story in motion.
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After college, Gump joins the Army and is sent to Vietnam to fight in the Vietnam War.
In the military, he befriends “Bubba” and the two aspire to open a shrimping business once they return to the States after the war.
Hanks was awarded Best Actor, the first time anyone had won back-to-back Best Actor awards since the 1930s.
Bubba, sadly, is not returning home from Vietnam.
In the film, Gump saves the lives of his commanding officer, Lieutenant Dan (played by Gary Sinise), as well as others. Gump is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism and becomes a ping-pong star while recovering from his war wounds.
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At an anti-war demonstration, Gump meets Jenny, now grown, and Lieutenant Dan, and discovers that Jenny has fallen into the hippie lifestyle of the 1970s.
Tom Hanks, Sally Field and director Robert Zemeckis attend the Hollywood premiere of “Forrest Gump” on June 23, 1994, at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California. (Fake Images)
Upon meeting Lieutenant Dan, Gump fulfills his and Bubba's dream of buying a shrimp boat and forms the “Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.”
Both Lieutenant Dan and Gump become extremely wealthy after Lieutenant Dan invests the profits “in a fruit company”, which is later revealed to be Apple.
Gump proposes marriage to Jenny, which she rejects.
In response to her rejection (and her disappearance, once again, from his life), Gump begins running across the United States.
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Finally returning to Alabama after a few years, Gump discovers that he is the father of Jenny's son, Forrest Jr., and that she is dying of an unnamed disease that is assumed to be AIDS.
Forrest and Jenny finally marry before his death.
Actor Tom Hanks played the title character “Forrest Gump” in the 1994 film. He won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance. (Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images)
Reviews were mixed when the film was released.
Some critics called it “an American classic,” while others called the narrative “programmed” and the film “nonsense.”
Malcolm Johnson wrote in The Hartford Courant: “Hanks's power as an actor makes us believe in Forrest. He also makes us enter Forrest's mind and moral system. And he presents a singular film character who will be seen and loved as long as people continue to embrace cinema.”
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Jay Carr of the Boston Globe said: “'Forrest Gump,' the new Tom Hanks film directed by Robert Zemeckis, is a unique experience.”
Robin Wright as Jenny and Tom Hanks as Forrest in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump”, directed by Robert Zemeckis. (Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images)
The film received the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 67th Academy Awards in 1995, the Academy's website notes.
Hanks was named best actor, the first time anyone had won back-to-back best actor awards since the 1930s, the Academy said. (In 1994, Hanks won for his role in “Philadelphia.”)
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In winning the Best Actor Oscar for “Forrest Gump,” Hanks beat out fellow nominees Morgan Freeman, Paul Newman, John Travolta and Nigel Hawthorne that year.
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“Forrest Gump” also won Oscars for Best Direction, Editing, Visual Effects and Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.
