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Witness (1985)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
7/04, 11/20
11/20:
Quick!
Name a Hollywood picture that features the Amish culture. If you said Witness, that's right! It's because it's
the only one you can think of. In fact, it was primarily responsible for jumpstarting tourism in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania, which currently has the largest Amish settlement in the world. Having visited there once, it's an
enjoyable experience, and I recommend the food and drink which are all homemade.
Back to Witness, it's a well-made picture that's part policier and part Amish. There's no
disrespect shown to these people which is gratifying to see. Of course, a culture clash exists which is impossible to
avoid. The look of some scenes is similar to the 17th century paintings by Dutch Masters, resulting in a Best Cinematography
Oscar nomination for John Seale.
What I love is the foreign vibe, thanks to an Australian director by the name of Peter Weir. It has several great aspects. One
is Lukas Haas to serve the inciting incident. Two is the barn raising event. Three is the ending which
has to be appreciated because of the cultural differences, forcing the star-crossed lovers to go back to their separate worlds.
Harrison Ford is terrific, earning the sole Oscar nomination of his career although he deserved it more for
Raiders of the Lost Ark. The reason is that it marked the first time ever he broke
away from the action-adventure and sci-fi genres although it's a familiar role by now. Kelly McGillis continues to be
an underrated actress of the 80's. Jan Rubeš is excellent as well, playing her character's father.
Lukas Haas is perfect as the little Amish boy. Danny Glover is something else because he plays a bad
guy which is a rare undertaking for him. The ballet-turned-actor Alexander Godunov, who trained with Mikhail Baryshnikov,
is perfectly cast, and of course, everybody knows him as Karl in Die Hard. Somewhere in
the mix is Viggo Mortensen who makes his screen debut.
What makes the Amish different if you ask? Well, they choose not to embrace technology, with the exception of
few which is only out of necessity, and electricity; hence, everything they do is strictly manual. Education stops
after eighth grade, and vocational training in agriculture, craftsmanship, or another profession like nursing begins.
Their life is ruled by the Ordnung, an oral manual that comprises the rules of the church; failure to follow any of
them is to risk being shunned forever. However, they're allowed back in after true repentance. Interestingly, the teenagers
are entitled to "rumspringa" at age 16 as they can go out in the world to see whether or not they prefer to
be part of it, but 90% of them come back anyway.
Descended from the original two-hundred families that first settled in America, 98% of the Amish in the world live in
communities that are scattered throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and New York, among others.
An Amish family averages seven children, and therefore, they have no need to recruit outsiders for conversion. They wear plain
clothes without buttons or zippers. Barn raising is a big community event for them but has become less common nowadays.
All in all, Witness is a fascinating movie because of the Amish culture, and it doesn't hurt one bit
that Harrison Ford is the headline star.