Watcher
09-01-2002, 09:32 PM
<B><I>PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT.</I>
<center><H2>FORREST GUMP</h2>
Release Date: Out now!
Paramount Home Entertainment
Rating: M15+
RRP: $39.95 </center>
<UL><center>SPECIAL FEATURES AND SPECS</b></center>
<LI>Audio Commentary by Director Robert Zemeckis, Producer Steve Sarkey
and Production Designer Rick Carter
<LI>Audio Commentary by Producer Wendy Finerman
<LI>Through the Eyes of Forrest Gump Featurette
<LI>Seeing is Believing: The Visual Effects Of Forrest Gump
<LI>Building the world of Forrest Gump: Production Design
<LI>Through the Ears of Forrest Gump: Sound Design
<LI> The Magic Of Makeup Featurette
<LI>Screen Tests
<LI>Photo Gallery
<LI>2 Theatrical Trailers
<LI>Running Time: 136.17 minutes.
<LI> English Dolby Digital 5.1
<LI>Subtitles: English,Greek, Spanish, Hebrew, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovenia.
<LI> Additional Subtitles: English or Spanish on Audio Commentaries.
<LI>Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
<LI>Aspect: 2.35:1 widescreen 16:9 enhanced.
<LI>Dual layer/ Single sided.
<LI>2 discs</ul>
<center><b>CAST</b></center>
Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER</b></center>
"Life is like a box of chocolates...
you never know what you're gonna get."
Forrest Gump is the movie triumph that became a phenomenon. Tom Hanks gives an astonishing performance as Forrest, an everyman whose simple innocence comes to embody a generation. The winner of six Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Zemeckis) and Best Actor (Tom Hanks).
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL</b></center>
The English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack serves this movie well but one thing I
noticed was that the rear speakers seemed to be lifeless for a lot of the movie.
Don't worry though as they come to life in the Vietnam scenes.
The sub gets a good workout at times and rumbles and thumps in all the right places.
The front sound stage is dominant and broad with some good speaker separation and is well suited to the screen. Dialogue is clear and in sync and the music was consistently of a good quality and never over shadows the action or dialogue.
Forrest Gump is presented with an aspect of 2.35:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.
This is mostly a clean transfer that is of a very good quality but some people may find the occasional appearance of very fine grain in some places distracting or annoying.
Thankfully this is the only thing I feel that is worth pointing out and personally did not find it to be an issue. There is the odd spec or two on screen here and there but again I did not find this too much of an issue.
The picture was very sharp and clear throughout and the colours were good but not outstanding.
Overall it is a very nice looking transfer and I think that most will be pleased.
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES</b></center>
Audio Commentary by Director Robert Zemeckis, Producer Steve Sarkey
and Production Designer Rick Carter-
This was more of a technical audio commentary that consistently moved along with an abundance of technical information regarding casting decisions, filming, locations used,
the list goes on. I didn't find this commentary dull in any way and recommend it to anyone who enjoys this movie.
Audio Commentary by Producer Wendy Finerman -
Just when you thought the 3 guys could tell you everything there was to know in their commentary, you pop this one on and you are soon involved in yet another good Gump commentary.
Although she offered a great deal of information and covered a lot of things the previous commentary didn't, you will find that her commentary was not as fast paced or consistent as the first .
But then again, she is there by herself for the whole duration where as the previous commentary was shared amongst 3 individuals. I did feel that there was a lot of emotion when she spoke about the movie and she is obviously proud of the end result.
Through the Eyes of Forrest Gump Featurette -
This is a 30 minute making of that features interviews with major cast and crew, behind the scenes footage and clips from the movie and has a lot to offer in regards to the production of the movie.
This is a worthwhile addition as are the other features on this disc.
Seeing is Believing: The Visual Effects Of Forrest Gump -
This feature offers 11 different sections that mostly show how Hanks was inserted into various scenes to look as if he was really there, some of which are not used in the final
cut of the movie. There are also a couple of scenes that don't involve Hanks but show how the visual effects were created. The 11 sections are as follows:
Birth of a Nation (2:27 minutes)
Run Forrest, Run (1:59 minutes)
Martin Luther King Jr (3:03 minutes)-Not used in final cut of movie
George Wallace (2:19 minutes)
Vietnam (7:33 Minutes)-Shows how various effects were done
Ping Pong with George Bush (1:24 minutes)-Not used in final cut of movie.
Lyndon B Johnson (2:21 minutes)
Enhancing Reality (7:19 minutes)
John Lennon with Dick Cavett (2:11 minutes)
Lt. Dan's legs (5:51 minutes)-Shows what they went through to give
the illusion of Sinise having no legs.
Richard Nixon (1:51 minutes)
Building the world of Forrest Gump: Production Design - This featurette
which runs for 7.15 minutes is presented in full screen and has the Production Designer talking about the scouting/selection of the locations used throughout the film such as the park and the Vietnam battle location and also the decision of where to build the guest house amongst other things.
Through the Ears of Forrest Gump: Sound Design - This 14 minute feature is divided into 5 separate clips which have the Sound Designer taking a look at how the sound effects are created and applied to the movie in post production.
The clips range in length from 1.21 to 7.56 minutes each and are presented in full screen with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.
They are as follows:
The Bike - where the kids chase Gump.( 2.27 minutes)
Crowds - such as the big football game (1:41minutes)
Vietnam - goes into detail about adding sounds such as gunfire, foley, tracers, ricochets and explosions (7:56 minutes)
Rain (1:57 minutes)
Ping Pong - mentions how every single hit was added in separately in post production (1:21 minutes)
The Magic Of Makeup Featurette - Make up artist talks about the use of makeup on some of the major cast. For example the aging makeup on Sally Field and even other details such as the facial hair on Senise and how they made Bubba's lip stick out.
Screen Tests -In this feature we are able to view the following:
3 screen tests of Michael Conner Humphrey (Young Forrest) and
Hanna R. Hall (Young Jenny).
2 screen tests of Robin Wright (grown up Jenny) with Tom Hanks.
2 screen tests of Haley Joel Osment (Forrest Jr) also with Tom Hanks.
Photo Gallery -This is a slide show with still shots from the movie.
2 Trailers -
This Theatrical Trailer which runs for 3.40 minutes is presented in widescreen.
The Remember Trailer which is set to music only runs for 1.01 minutes and is presented in widescreen.
<center><B>OVERALL</b></center>
I have got to say from the start that if you like the movie, this DVD is the only way to really enjoy the film and really is a must have for your collection. The movie itself was outstanding enough
which makes this DVD value for money but Paramount have done a fantastic job of providing fans with so many quality extra features that will give quite a few more hours of Forrest Gump entertainment. There is nothing much else to say other than go and buy this DVD and if you haven't seen Forrest Gump before, I cannot recommend enough that you go out an hire it to see what you have been missing. :) <TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>9/10 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>9/10 </b></td></tr></table>
<center><H2>FORREST GUMP</h2>
Release Date: Out now!
Paramount Home Entertainment
Rating: M15+
RRP: $39.95 </center>
<UL><center>SPECIAL FEATURES AND SPECS</b></center>
<LI>Audio Commentary by Director Robert Zemeckis, Producer Steve Sarkey
and Production Designer Rick Carter
<LI>Audio Commentary by Producer Wendy Finerman
<LI>Through the Eyes of Forrest Gump Featurette
<LI>Seeing is Believing: The Visual Effects Of Forrest Gump
<LI>Building the world of Forrest Gump: Production Design
<LI>Through the Ears of Forrest Gump: Sound Design
<LI> The Magic Of Makeup Featurette
<LI>Screen Tests
<LI>Photo Gallery
<LI>2 Theatrical Trailers
<LI>Running Time: 136.17 minutes.
<LI> English Dolby Digital 5.1
<LI>Subtitles: English,Greek, Spanish, Hebrew, Portuguese, Croatian, Slovenia.
<LI> Additional Subtitles: English or Spanish on Audio Commentaries.
<LI>Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
<LI>Aspect: 2.35:1 widescreen 16:9 enhanced.
<LI>Dual layer/ Single sided.
<LI>2 discs</ul>
<center><b>CAST</b></center>
Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER</b></center>
"Life is like a box of chocolates...
you never know what you're gonna get."
Forrest Gump is the movie triumph that became a phenomenon. Tom Hanks gives an astonishing performance as Forrest, an everyman whose simple innocence comes to embody a generation. The winner of six Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Zemeckis) and Best Actor (Tom Hanks).
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL</b></center>
The English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack serves this movie well but one thing I
noticed was that the rear speakers seemed to be lifeless for a lot of the movie.
Don't worry though as they come to life in the Vietnam scenes.
The sub gets a good workout at times and rumbles and thumps in all the right places.
The front sound stage is dominant and broad with some good speaker separation and is well suited to the screen. Dialogue is clear and in sync and the music was consistently of a good quality and never over shadows the action or dialogue.
Forrest Gump is presented with an aspect of 2.35:1 and is 16:9 enhanced.
This is mostly a clean transfer that is of a very good quality but some people may find the occasional appearance of very fine grain in some places distracting or annoying.
Thankfully this is the only thing I feel that is worth pointing out and personally did not find it to be an issue. There is the odd spec or two on screen here and there but again I did not find this too much of an issue.
The picture was very sharp and clear throughout and the colours were good but not outstanding.
Overall it is a very nice looking transfer and I think that most will be pleased.
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES</b></center>
Audio Commentary by Director Robert Zemeckis, Producer Steve Sarkey
and Production Designer Rick Carter-
This was more of a technical audio commentary that consistently moved along with an abundance of technical information regarding casting decisions, filming, locations used,
the list goes on. I didn't find this commentary dull in any way and recommend it to anyone who enjoys this movie.
Audio Commentary by Producer Wendy Finerman -
Just when you thought the 3 guys could tell you everything there was to know in their commentary, you pop this one on and you are soon involved in yet another good Gump commentary.
Although she offered a great deal of information and covered a lot of things the previous commentary didn't, you will find that her commentary was not as fast paced or consistent as the first .
But then again, she is there by herself for the whole duration where as the previous commentary was shared amongst 3 individuals. I did feel that there was a lot of emotion when she spoke about the movie and she is obviously proud of the end result.
Through the Eyes of Forrest Gump Featurette -
This is a 30 minute making of that features interviews with major cast and crew, behind the scenes footage and clips from the movie and has a lot to offer in regards to the production of the movie.
This is a worthwhile addition as are the other features on this disc.
Seeing is Believing: The Visual Effects Of Forrest Gump -
This feature offers 11 different sections that mostly show how Hanks was inserted into various scenes to look as if he was really there, some of which are not used in the final
cut of the movie. There are also a couple of scenes that don't involve Hanks but show how the visual effects were created. The 11 sections are as follows:
Birth of a Nation (2:27 minutes)
Run Forrest, Run (1:59 minutes)
Martin Luther King Jr (3:03 minutes)-Not used in final cut of movie
George Wallace (2:19 minutes)
Vietnam (7:33 Minutes)-Shows how various effects were done
Ping Pong with George Bush (1:24 minutes)-Not used in final cut of movie.
Lyndon B Johnson (2:21 minutes)
Enhancing Reality (7:19 minutes)
John Lennon with Dick Cavett (2:11 minutes)
Lt. Dan's legs (5:51 minutes)-Shows what they went through to give
the illusion of Sinise having no legs.
Richard Nixon (1:51 minutes)
Building the world of Forrest Gump: Production Design - This featurette
which runs for 7.15 minutes is presented in full screen and has the Production Designer talking about the scouting/selection of the locations used throughout the film such as the park and the Vietnam battle location and also the decision of where to build the guest house amongst other things.
Through the Ears of Forrest Gump: Sound Design - This 14 minute feature is divided into 5 separate clips which have the Sound Designer taking a look at how the sound effects are created and applied to the movie in post production.
The clips range in length from 1.21 to 7.56 minutes each and are presented in full screen with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.
They are as follows:
The Bike - where the kids chase Gump.( 2.27 minutes)
Crowds - such as the big football game (1:41minutes)
Vietnam - goes into detail about adding sounds such as gunfire, foley, tracers, ricochets and explosions (7:56 minutes)
Rain (1:57 minutes)
Ping Pong - mentions how every single hit was added in separately in post production (1:21 minutes)
The Magic Of Makeup Featurette - Make up artist talks about the use of makeup on some of the major cast. For example the aging makeup on Sally Field and even other details such as the facial hair on Senise and how they made Bubba's lip stick out.
Screen Tests -In this feature we are able to view the following:
3 screen tests of Michael Conner Humphrey (Young Forrest) and
Hanna R. Hall (Young Jenny).
2 screen tests of Robin Wright (grown up Jenny) with Tom Hanks.
2 screen tests of Haley Joel Osment (Forrest Jr) also with Tom Hanks.
Photo Gallery -This is a slide show with still shots from the movie.
2 Trailers -
This Theatrical Trailer which runs for 3.40 minutes is presented in widescreen.
The Remember Trailer which is set to music only runs for 1.01 minutes and is presented in widescreen.
<center><B>OVERALL</b></center>
I have got to say from the start that if you like the movie, this DVD is the only way to really enjoy the film and really is a must have for your collection. The movie itself was outstanding enough
which makes this DVD value for money but Paramount have done a fantastic job of providing fans with so many quality extra features that will give quite a few more hours of Forrest Gump entertainment. There is nothing much else to say other than go and buy this DVD and if you haven't seen Forrest Gump before, I cannot recommend enough that you go out an hire it to see what you have been missing. :) <TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>9/10</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>9/10 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>9/10 </b></td></tr></table>