Page One: “Forrest Gump” (1994)

Screenplay by Eric Roth, novel by Winston Groom

The movie version of the opening:

Some observations:

• I’ll bet the way Eric Roth begins the script — “A lot of this is true…” is an homage to the pre-title page of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a script written by William Goldman:

• The story begins with a feather… and ends with a feather.

As written in this draft of the script, Forrest has apparently not moved from the bus bench. Compare to the actual movie ending:

Forrest is waiting for a bus, but it’s a school bus for his son Forrest. That’s a big difference, however, the feather’s narrative function is the same: And as a breeze takes it, moving it here and there, to land somewhere else, either by accident or design…

The feather is a metaphor for one of the story’s key themes: Destiny vs. Free Will. Do things that happen to us happen by fate… or are they the result of choices we make? Forrest is both buffeted by the winds of change, but also acts as a change agent, so he exists at a pivot point between the two forces.

• Notice how different Forrest looks in the movie version of the opening. Not a homeless man at all, instead, attired in a neat sports coat and bow tie. He’s dressed up to go somewhere. The only sign of messiness is his tennis shoes, covered with dirt and mud. He’s not only going somewhere, he’s been places. Off the path places. The visual of Forrest’s appearance sets the stage for his stories… and the circuitous path of his life-journey.

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.

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