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For Zemeckis, Gump's talent for taking things as
they come made him the perfect fictional guide through the
fast-paced realities of American history. The story offered
Zemeckis an unusual departure from his previous films such as
"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and "Death Becomes Her," yet still
inspired the kind of technical wizardry that set those films apart. In
creating what is essentially a picaresque novel for the screen,
Zemeckis found a rare opportunity to use his skills in both
technology and storytelling to meld the magic of an outrageous
hero with the documentary-like essence of real, recorded history.
"Because Forrest Gump is a pure and simple individual without any opinions or politics, he can travel through a tapestry of American images spanning three decades, reflecting back the mayhem and madness of what's going on around him," says Zemeckis. Robert Zemeckis' other films include the box office smash "Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the top-grossing film of 1988, and "Back to the Future," the1985 top grosser he directed and co-wrote with Bob Gale. Both earned more than $350 million worldwide. Zemeckis also directed the film's two sequels with "Part II" earning a worldwide gross of well over $300 million. "Part III" completed one of the most popular film trilogies of all time. His other films include "Romancing the Stone" and most recently "Death Becomes Her." He also executive produced "The Public Eye," which starred Joe Pesci and Barbara Hershey, and "Trespass," an action-thriller that Zemeckis co-wrote with Bob Gale. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Zemeckis began making films with an 8mm camera while in high school. He attended Northern Illinois University before transferring to the University of Southern California School of Cinema. After winning a student Academy Award for his film "Field of Honor," Zemeckis showed the film to directors Steven Spielberg and John Milius. Later the filmmakers made it possible for Zemeckis and his USC writing partner Bob Gale to get a development deal for their original screenplay "1941" that Spielberg chose to direct. Zemeckis made his directorial debut in 1978 with a screenplay he co-wrote with Bob Gale, "I Wanna Hold Your Hand." The two teamed again to write and Zemeckis directed "Used Cars" starring Kurt Russel. Zemeckis has also directed several projects for the small screen, including an episode of Steven Spielberg's "Amazing Stories" and an episode entitled "Yellow" for the HBO series "Tales from the Crypt," on which he also serves as executive producer. Most recently for television, he executive produced and directed the pilot episode of the CBS series "Johnny Bago," a series Zemeckis helped to create. |