The film begins with a feather floating through the air. There are many interpretations as to what this could mean. Some saw it as a symbol for Forrests’s kind and wandering nature that is likened to a floating feather that is at at mercy of the wind.
This take can even be emphasized in his line about the chocolates “you never know what you’re gonna get.”However you see it, it’s one of the most powerful and thought-provoking scenes in cinema history and it really sets the tone for the whole film.
Shot in Savannah
Many scenes of the movie were shot in Savannah, Georgia. Filming also took place in South Carolina, on Fripp Island and Hunting Island. This gave the film a historical and realistic look. Hunting Island was used for many of the film’s war scenes. Today, Hunting Island is one of the most popular state parks in South Carolina, welcoming more than a million visitors each year.
Ocean Creek Golf Course on Fripp Island was used as a backdrop for some of the Vietnam war scenes. Forrest Gump, Bubba, and Lieutenant Dan marched through the Fripp Island maritime forest, with mountains digitally added in the background.
A Successful Flop
Despite the movie’s eventual profit of $678 million, in the year it was released it was not monetarily successful. Even with such a profitable revenue, the film was called a "successful failure." This was largely due to the high paycheques of both the director and the lead actor, and ultimately even more crippling price tag, the distribution fees.
This ultimately resulted in a $62 million loss for Paramount Pictures. And that was with a $55 million budget. Some people say distribution fees were far too greedy and pocketed more than necessary. Sometimes, with a film this good, everyone wants a piece of the pie.
Mykelti Williamson Gets Type-Cast
Mykelti Williamson was lucky to get cast as Bubba in the film, however, he later had trouble getting cast in other films due to the type of character he played in Forrest Gump. Apparently, people in the entertainment industry didn’t realize that Bubba’s lip deformity was created by a prosthetic lip device that Williamson used during filming.
For that reason, Williamson wasn’t recognized for previous shows he had been in, despite the fact that he acted in over 10 prior to the film. He eventually landed roles in films like Heat and Con Air, but it wasn’t easy.
Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle joked on the Daily Show that he wasn’t a fan of the film because Forrest Gump, a character with low I.Q. was a better actor than him. Don't let Chappelle's jokes trick you. The famous comedian has a staggering IQ score of 185.
On the show with Stewart, Chappelle expressed some more negative feelings over the film, saying that it angered him seeing a man with a mental disability get so far in life when able-bodied people struggle so much. Luckily he didn't act in it!