Ladyzhave
2006-04-21, 12:07:08
Wenn einer von euch mal Zeit findet kann er diesen Text ja mal überfliegen...
Historical Background of Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is sitting on a bench in Savannah, Georgia and is reporting his life. The special thing about his life is, that he is always there when history is written.
It begins with the young musican, who stays in Mrs. Gump’s Farmhouse for a while.
Forrest enjoys listening to him when he is playing on his guitar and develops a new dancemove to it . The musican, which we later know as Elvis Presley adopts this dancestyle on stage on becomes famous for it.
The whole movie is a parody to the American dream and lifestyle of the Americans after the Second World War. It criticizes the Vietnam War and the educational system. Forrest Gump represents the idea that a man in America can achieve everything that he wants just when he wants to. Actually he is not allowed to visit a usual school but with the help of his mother and his talent for running he even finishes the College.
He becomes the first shrimp millionaire just because a Hurricane destroys all other shrimp boats. All these coincidences show how easy it is to become rich and wealthy in America. Forrest Gump is just an example of a million.
The movie shows important vertices of the American history and makes the illusion that Forrest has contributed to it. Especially while Forrest is in the army and when he is send to Vietnam. The Vietnam War was a civil war between the north and the south of Asia, a war between the deputies and an independence war against the growing interests of the USA in the Southeast of Asia because they supported the land. In 1967 there were 500.000 US soldiers in Vietnam. The war had his highlight in 1968 when the north of Vietnam brought the USA and soldiers of South Vietnam into distress. The US troupes caused a massacre in a small village on the civil population. It was also the time when Richard Nixon becomes new president of the USA. More and more people of American population rejected the war. In 1969 president Nixon wanted the US soldiers to remove from Vietnam gradually but in 1972 the north of Vietnam occupied again a province in the South. In 1973 the cease-fire is decided in Paris,
this induced the withdrawal of the USA in the Vietnam War. With the movie we also get to know the “million-dollar-wound”. This is a shot into your bum. Although is not so bad like a fracture for example, you are allowed to leave the army. Forrest is one of a few who is given the medal of honour by President Lyndon B. Johnson because of his engagement in war. Absolutely selfless he has rescued all members of his troupe during a bombardment in the war. Lyndon B. Johnson became President after John F. Kennedy. His presidency was mainly coined of the Vietnam War. He had the abandonment to send troupes into the war. Johnson was not liked by the population, especially by the Hippies and opponents of war because the war coasted many resources of the land. In 1968 he refused a new candidature although he was allowed to, but he gave Robert Kennedy a member of his party the primacy
During his life Forrest also meets John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
John f. Kennedy was President from 1961 to 1963. In spite of his short presidency he is still one of the most popular presidents of the USA. Especially his speech in Berlin and his announcement for the first moon landing has made him popular. The film clearly points out the assassination on him, which has happened on November 22 in 1963. He was shot by a sniper when he was on the way for his election campaign. Although his security firm has advised him to use a car with closed canopy top he wanted a car with open top. The incidence happened in Dallas, Texas where he wanted to hold a speech. After many shots on him a bullet hit him straight in his head. The murderer was Lee Harvey Oswald who was shot by a nightclub owner when the police wanted to convey him into jail.
In the fifties and sixties the USA and China always tried to improve their relation to each other. The Ping-Pong player were significantly responsible for good relations between both sides which developed in 1971 when the China invited the American Ping-Pong players to China during the World Championship. Afterwards many politicians moved to China whereby tensions between the countries were taken down. These events are known today as the “Ping-Pong-Diplomacy”. With the invitation to China Forrest meets President Nixon.
He was president from 1969 until 1974.
Nixon was the first president who resigned during his presidency. The reason was the Watergate affair. And of course Forrest also is involved into it. While he is staying in the Hotel opposite the one where the incident happened he notices that “there is something going on” opposite him. The Watergate affair is named after the Hotel in which the burglary into the headquarter of the Democratic Party happened during the presidency election campaign in 1972. The incident crashed the United States of America into a big crisis. In the years before Nixon’s period of office there always had been conflicts between the republicans and the Democratic Party. Especially Nixon saw the followers of the Democrats as his greatest enemies. The burglary into the headquarter was already the second one. The five men who performed the break-in should adjust microphones to put trace on their discussions and make some photos of documents. In 1974 seven advisers of Nixon had been found guilty because of the conspiracy in the Watergate affair. In 1972, shortly after the incident a tape was found in which Richard Nixon and his chief of staff planed how to block the evaluation of the Watergate affair. This certain piece of evidence and the falling support of his party members forced him to resign in 1974.
With the character of Forrest's secret love Jenny we also experience something about the civil rights movement and the Hippie scene during the sixties and the early seventies. The movement against the Vietnam War was particularly stamped of the student opposition which was mainly organised outside the parliament. There were strictly against the Vietnam War. Their permanent resistance against the War contributed that the USA retired from the war until 1974.
One of the multitude of civil movement organisations are the “Black Panthers”.
Forrest becomes acquainted with them when he meets Jenny after he returns from Vietnam.
They engaged for the social discrimination of the blacks. There were of course coined of Martin Luther King whose idea was to fight non-violent against racism.
Another interesting point in the movie is the invention of the smiley. Forrest becomes responsible for the invention because someone cleans his face on Forrest T-Shirt, so that there is a smiley on his shirt. Actually the smiley was invented by a graphic designer called Harvey Ball in 1963 who wanted to cheer up his colleagues. The dilemma was that H. Ball missed to save the rights for the smiley. In 1971 a French journalist saved the patent for the smiley and became millionaire. Now he has the right of use in over eighty countries.
Historical Background of Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is sitting on a bench in Savannah, Georgia and is reporting his life. The special thing about his life is, that he is always there when history is written.
It begins with the young musican, who stays in Mrs. Gump’s Farmhouse for a while.
Forrest enjoys listening to him when he is playing on his guitar and develops a new dancemove to it . The musican, which we later know as Elvis Presley adopts this dancestyle on stage on becomes famous for it.
The whole movie is a parody to the American dream and lifestyle of the Americans after the Second World War. It criticizes the Vietnam War and the educational system. Forrest Gump represents the idea that a man in America can achieve everything that he wants just when he wants to. Actually he is not allowed to visit a usual school but with the help of his mother and his talent for running he even finishes the College.
He becomes the first shrimp millionaire just because a Hurricane destroys all other shrimp boats. All these coincidences show how easy it is to become rich and wealthy in America. Forrest Gump is just an example of a million.
The movie shows important vertices of the American history and makes the illusion that Forrest has contributed to it. Especially while Forrest is in the army and when he is send to Vietnam. The Vietnam War was a civil war between the north and the south of Asia, a war between the deputies and an independence war against the growing interests of the USA in the Southeast of Asia because they supported the land. In 1967 there were 500.000 US soldiers in Vietnam. The war had his highlight in 1968 when the north of Vietnam brought the USA and soldiers of South Vietnam into distress. The US troupes caused a massacre in a small village on the civil population. It was also the time when Richard Nixon becomes new president of the USA. More and more people of American population rejected the war. In 1969 president Nixon wanted the US soldiers to remove from Vietnam gradually but in 1972 the north of Vietnam occupied again a province in the South. In 1973 the cease-fire is decided in Paris,
this induced the withdrawal of the USA in the Vietnam War. With the movie we also get to know the “million-dollar-wound”. This is a shot into your bum. Although is not so bad like a fracture for example, you are allowed to leave the army. Forrest is one of a few who is given the medal of honour by President Lyndon B. Johnson because of his engagement in war. Absolutely selfless he has rescued all members of his troupe during a bombardment in the war. Lyndon B. Johnson became President after John F. Kennedy. His presidency was mainly coined of the Vietnam War. He had the abandonment to send troupes into the war. Johnson was not liked by the population, especially by the Hippies and opponents of war because the war coasted many resources of the land. In 1968 he refused a new candidature although he was allowed to, but he gave Robert Kennedy a member of his party the primacy
During his life Forrest also meets John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
John f. Kennedy was President from 1961 to 1963. In spite of his short presidency he is still one of the most popular presidents of the USA. Especially his speech in Berlin and his announcement for the first moon landing has made him popular. The film clearly points out the assassination on him, which has happened on November 22 in 1963. He was shot by a sniper when he was on the way for his election campaign. Although his security firm has advised him to use a car with closed canopy top he wanted a car with open top. The incidence happened in Dallas, Texas where he wanted to hold a speech. After many shots on him a bullet hit him straight in his head. The murderer was Lee Harvey Oswald who was shot by a nightclub owner when the police wanted to convey him into jail.
In the fifties and sixties the USA and China always tried to improve their relation to each other. The Ping-Pong player were significantly responsible for good relations between both sides which developed in 1971 when the China invited the American Ping-Pong players to China during the World Championship. Afterwards many politicians moved to China whereby tensions between the countries were taken down. These events are known today as the “Ping-Pong-Diplomacy”. With the invitation to China Forrest meets President Nixon.
He was president from 1969 until 1974.
Nixon was the first president who resigned during his presidency. The reason was the Watergate affair. And of course Forrest also is involved into it. While he is staying in the Hotel opposite the one where the incident happened he notices that “there is something going on” opposite him. The Watergate affair is named after the Hotel in which the burglary into the headquarter of the Democratic Party happened during the presidency election campaign in 1972. The incident crashed the United States of America into a big crisis. In the years before Nixon’s period of office there always had been conflicts between the republicans and the Democratic Party. Especially Nixon saw the followers of the Democrats as his greatest enemies. The burglary into the headquarter was already the second one. The five men who performed the break-in should adjust microphones to put trace on their discussions and make some photos of documents. In 1974 seven advisers of Nixon had been found guilty because of the conspiracy in the Watergate affair. In 1972, shortly after the incident a tape was found in which Richard Nixon and his chief of staff planed how to block the evaluation of the Watergate affair. This certain piece of evidence and the falling support of his party members forced him to resign in 1974.
With the character of Forrest's secret love Jenny we also experience something about the civil rights movement and the Hippie scene during the sixties and the early seventies. The movement against the Vietnam War was particularly stamped of the student opposition which was mainly organised outside the parliament. There were strictly against the Vietnam War. Their permanent resistance against the War contributed that the USA retired from the war until 1974.
One of the multitude of civil movement organisations are the “Black Panthers”.
Forrest becomes acquainted with them when he meets Jenny after he returns from Vietnam.
They engaged for the social discrimination of the blacks. There were of course coined of Martin Luther King whose idea was to fight non-violent against racism.
Another interesting point in the movie is the invention of the smiley. Forrest becomes responsible for the invention because someone cleans his face on Forrest T-Shirt, so that there is a smiley on his shirt. Actually the smiley was invented by a graphic designer called Harvey Ball in 1963 who wanted to cheer up his colleagues. The dilemma was that H. Ball missed to save the rights for the smiley. In 1971 a French journalist saved the patent for the smiley and became millionaire. Now he has the right of use in over eighty countries.