Forrest Gump was a hit romantic drama film that was released in 1994. One of the most important settings in the film is a bench. It is on this bench at a bus stop that Forrest Gump recounts stories from his life to a series of strangers. The bench is even used in the photographs used to promote the film. Surprisingly, the bench has an interesting story in real life.
Starring Tom Hanks as the titular character, ‘Forrest Gump was one of the biggest successes in the film industry during the 1990s. It was based on a book of the same name by Winston Groom with a screenplay written by Eric Roth. The movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis and it starred Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field. The film was made on a budget of $55 million but grossed $677.9 million at the box office.
The film was also a critical success and won numerous awards. These included six Academy Awards, two Saturn Awards, and three Golden Globes. In 2011, this film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress as it was considered technologically innovative. The character Forrest Gump has earned cult status.
The famous park bench scenes from ‘Forrest Gump’ were filmed at Chippewa Square, also known simply as ‘The Square’, in Savannah, Georgia. General James Edward Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia first and then began to develop Savannah. This was the first planned city in the United States. His designed centered around creating neighborhoods around 24 squares. Chippewa Square is located in the downtown historic district.
The area is popular amongst tourists and locals alike as it is the part of Savannah that is best-known for its nightlife and entertainment. One reason for this is that Chippewa Square is where the Historic Savannah Theater is located. It is one of the oldest theaters in the United States and there are energetic performances hosted their nightly.
In the opening scene of ‘Forrest Gump’, a feather floats from above the trees, past the Independent Presbyterian Church and then onto the park bench in Chippewa Square. It is on this bench that Tom Hanks sits for a huge 80% of the film. He tells anyone who sits down next to him about the various exciting events that have taken place in his life. The bench was actually a movie prop, rather than an actual park bench from Ottawa Square. It now resides in the Savannah History Museum.
Although the bench is no longer in the spot that was made famous by the film, it is now a popular hotspot for tourists who like to come and have their photograph taken on the spot where Tom Hanks/ Forrest Gump once sat.
The bench itself is now considered one of the hottest film prop collector’s items as it is considered iconic. In fact, there are many who believe that this cultural artifact is second in value to only the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in ‘The Wizard of Oz‘.
Follow Us
