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August 24, 2005
"A Great Film Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary in Style"
By Teddy Durgin
tedfilm@comcast.net
EXTREMELY LATE NOTICE INVITE: I know, I know. I just got word of this screening, myself. So apologies. If anyone is interested, there are some seats available at a special advance screening of “Dreamer.” The horse drama stars Kurt Russell and won’t be out until October, but it is already being talked up a bit for possible Oscar nods. The 7:30 p.m. preview is for the evening of Aug. 25 (tonight for most of you reading this!) at Loew’s White Marsh. If interested, please send me an email.
Now, on with my latest feature:
“Witness” was the first R-rated movie I saw in a theater. I was 14 (yeah, I know, the kids of today laugh at me) and I was really interested in seeing what the big difference was. I knew the film starred Harrison Ford, who was by far the big-screen idol of my childhood for his roles in “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones.” And while the teenager in me delighted at the cursing (has anyone ever screamed the F word better than Danny Glover when he’s trying to get that silo door open?), the violence (the opening murder in the Philadelphia train station is fast and brutal), and that wonderful topless scene featuring a pre-“Top Gun” Kelly McGillis, the slowly emerging cinema lover was captivated by the film’s central story of culture clash wrapped inside a compelling cop thriller.
“Witness” is one of my 10 favorite movies of all time. It has everything you could ever want in a movie. Action, romance, comedy, mystery, drama, social commentary, intrigue. It is exquisitely written, perfectly edited, and features great performances from top to bottom. As great as Ford is as Han Solo and Indy, he has never come close to the pure acting job he turned in with this film. Credit director Peter Weir, I suppose. Weir previously put Mel Gibson through the ringer in “Gallipoli” and “The Year of Living Dangerously.” And he was still a few years from making “Dead Poet’s Society,” “Green Card,” “Fearless,” “The Truman Show,” and “Master and Commander.” All those films took major film stars, gave them challenging material that at the same time was uniquely suited to their talents, and then blended those stars into a tapestry of good storytelling and compelling visuals.
I thought “Witness” was the best film of 1985 and still do. It has been out in a fairly barebones DVD for a couple of years now. Fortunately, Paramount Pictures has seen fit to give fans of this movie a home video release worthy of its pedigree just in time for its 20th anniversary. The disc hit stores this past Tuesday, and it’s certainly worth the cash outlay, folks.
“Witness” was released in February of ’85 and was such a memorable film that it lingered in the minds of moviegoers and industry insiders throughout the rest of that year. This was no easy feat in a time when the window from theaters to videotape was not a few months as it is today. The following February, “Witness” garnered eight Academy Award nominations. They included: Best Picture, Director (Weir), Actor (Ford), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Music, and Art Direction. It won for its script (credited to three writers) and Thom Noble’s great editing. It should have won more, but Academy voters were transfixed at the time by the deeply dull “Out of Africa.”
For those who don’t know, “Witness” tells the story of Samuel Lapp, an Amish boy (Lukas Haas in his screen debut) who witnesses the brutal murder of a cop in a Philadelphia train station. Ford plays John Book, the homicide detective assigned to the case. The clues lead him to police corruption in the department, and soon he, the boy, and the kid’s mother Rachel (McGillis) are in danger of being killed themselves. Book, wounded during a gun battle with one of the dirty cops (Glover), hides out with the mother and son among the Amish, a proud people who have shunned all modern conveniences such as telephones and electricity.
“Witness” is one of those movies where if you sit down and start talking about your favorite scenes, you could spend the better part of an hour talking about great moment after great moment. The film features my favorite sequence in any movie: the Amish barn-raising. It’s beautiful to look at, the Maurice Jarre music that plays in the background just sweeps the viewer up in the moment, and there is so much going on between the actors in the scene. There has never been another sequence quite like it in movie history. Other favorite moments include Book charmingly singing “Don’t Know Much” to Rachel in the barn, Book (after just learning of the death of his partner) beating the Hell out of a small-town punk who makes fun of the Amish, and that great wordless scene when Samuel identifies Danny Glover’s face in the police station trophy case as the man he saw kill the cop. The scene is eerie, and Ford’s expression when he sees who he has to take down is unforgettable.
“Witness” also gets the small moments right, too. Moments like two people sitting awkwardly on a porch swing with lemonade, Rachel hiding Book’s gun and bullets, the ominous walk-up of three dirty cops to the Lapp farm at dawn, and the wonderful diner scene where Book finds out through Rachel what his sister (Patti LuPone) really thinks of him. The supporting performers are also uniformly well cast and rarely get much praise, particularly Jan Rubes’ disapproving Amish grandfather and Josef Somer’s quietly scary crooked police captain.
The DVD is not packed a la “The Lord of the Rings” multi-disc releases (speaking of which, Viggo Mortensen has a tiny role in “Witness” as one of the Amish). But it does contain an informative, five-part documentary titled “Between Two Worlds: The Making of Witness.” The five chapters are titled: “Origins,” which tells of the genesis of the project; “Amish Country,” which shows how the filmmakers went about capturing the authenticity of this quaint way of life; “The Artistic Process,” which focuses mainly on Weir in the director’s chair; “The Heart of the Matter,” centering on the relationship that develops between John Book and Rachel; and, finally, “The Denouement,” which explores the story’s climax.
Home-theater enthusiasts will also enjoy the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track (sadly, there is no commentary from Weir or any of the major cast members). And diehard fans of the flick get a deleted scene in the Book household early in the film that I recall from broadcast TV airings, the movie’s original theatrical trailer, and three TV spots.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Witness.” OK, yes I can. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, served as the principal filming location for the movie, and the local visitors bureau has set up a special tour package for those who want to share in the experience. The Witness Movie Experience Tour is a three-hour motorcoach tour that departs from the Pennsylvania Dutch Visitor Information Center. It is being held for this anniversary year only and will include, for the first time ever, a look behind the scenes of the actual farm featured in the film. The "Witness Farm," as it is known, has never before been open to the public. It’s actually a private residence, but the barn where Book and Rachel danced and the kitchen where the Lapp family ate their meals is still intact.
The Witness Movie Experience Tour is available at 9:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m., Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays now through November 21 only. Because of limited dates and times to visit the farm, reservations must be made. The tour also includes a stop at the Zimmerman’s General Store where Book made his phone calls and the Amish in the film would stop for supplies and such. The tour starts at the Lancaster Heritage Museum, which is currently running a “Witness to Witness” exhibit that includes a number of props and memorabilia from the film. Along the way, much info is shared about the Amish way of life. After all, Lancaster County ranks as the world’s second-biggest Amish settlement with nearly 33,000 people.
Tours can be booked by calling 1-800-PA-Dutch (800-723-8824), then pressing 1 for the Lancaster County Reservation Center. International callers can dial 717-492-3200. The new “Witness” DVD, meanwhile, is now available online or at many fine DVD and electronics stores.
Special thanks to faithful reader, Cameron Texter, for his input in this article. | 
