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Witness (1985 film)

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Witness
Directed byPeter Weir
Written byEarl W. Wallace
William Kelley
Pamela Wallace (story)
Produced byEdward Feldman
StarringHarrison Ford
Kelly McGillis
Lukas Haas
Jan Rubes
Josef Sommer
Edited byThom Noble
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
8 February, 1985
Running time
112 min.
LanguagesEnglish, Pennsylvania Dutch
Budget$12,000,000 (estimated)

Witness is a 1985 American thriller movie released by Paramount Pictures, starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, and Lukas Haas. It was also the feature film debut of Viggo Mortensen, who appeared in a minor role. Directed by Australian Peter Weir (his first American film), it was filmed in Philadelphia, Strasburg and Intercourse, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It was rated R in USA for language, violence, and brief nudity.

The film won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Film Editing. Weir and Ford received nominations for Best Director and Best Actor respectively, and the film was nominated for Best Picture.

On August 23 2005, a special collector's edition DVD was released 20 years after the film's debut.

Taglines:

  • Harrison Ford is John Book – A big city cop who knows too much. His only evidence: a small boy who's seen too much...
  • 8 year old Samuel: sole witness to a murder. Three killers who'll stop at nothing to silence him. One honest cop who'll give his life to save him...

Summary

Rachel Lapp (McGillis), an Amish widow, her father-in-law Eli (Jan Rubes), and her young son Samuel (Haas) are grieving at the funeral of Eli's son and Rachel's husband, Jacob. Days later, Rachel takes Samuel to visit her Mennonite sister in Baltimore. At the train station in Philadelphia, little Samuel witnesses a brutal murder in a restroom. The police, led by Captain John Book (Ford), learn that Samuel is the sole witness. Book explains to the child that the man who was killed was a policeman and asks what he saw. Samuel knows only that there were two other men in the restroom, one of whom had a large build and was African American.

Book and his partner, Sgt. Elton Carter (Brent Jennings), take Rachel and Samuel to a nightclub, over Rachel's objections, to see if Samuel can identify a suspect who fits his description. When this proves unsuccessful, Book takes the pair to the home of his sister Elaine (Patti Lupone) for the night. The next day, Book takes Samuel to the police station to look at mugshots and suspect lineups. There, Samuel sees a photograph of another police officer, Lieutenant James McFee (Danny Glover) whom he identifies to Book as the murderer. Book recalls a drug raid under McFee's command where there was a suspicion of a police tipoff.

Book goes to his mentor, Chief Paul Schaeffer (Josef Sommer), and tells him of Samuel's positive identification of McFee. They discuss how to proceed, with Book unaware that Schaeffer ordered the murder. Shortly thereafter, Book gets out of his car at his apartment's parking garage and sees McFee approaching him with a gun. Book and McFee engage in a shootout, and Book is shot in the abdomen.

Deducing that Schaeffer told McFee, Book notifies his partner and orders him to destroy all records of the case. He sneaks Rachel and Samuel out of Elaine's house in the middle of the night and drives them in Elaine's car to Eli's farm in rural Lancaster. As he starts to drive away, Book convulses from loss of blood and infection from the gunshot wound, which has gone untreated. While driving, he blacks out and careens out of control into an elevated purple martin birdhouse in front of Lapp's barn. Rachel and Eli run to his aid. Rachel asks why he didn't go to a hospital to treat his wound. Book, gasping for his life, responds that a gunshot wound would require a police report, which would give away their location. Reluctantly, Eli agrees to put Book up in their home. Stoltzfus, an Amish apothecary, prescribes a milk-and-linseed oil poultice wrap to combat the infection, and some herbal teas.

Book adopts Amish dress to be less conspicuous as he recovers. He begins to fall in love with Rachel. Her father-in-law disapproves of their relationship, and warns Rachel that the Elders are considering having Rachel shunned. Book, an amateur carpenter, fits into the community well, making toys for Samuel, repairing the birdhouse, and helping neighbors in a barn raising. (Ford worked several years as a carpenter in real life.) Rival Daniel Hochleitner (Alexander Godunov) wishes to court Rachel, but sees her interest in Book.

While visiting town, Book learns that his partner has been murdered. Upset, he becomes emotional when he sees some local non-Amish youths abusing his Amish companions, including Hochleitner, and beats them severely. As the Amish are strict pacifists, word of this unusual occurrence spreads quickly and soon Schaeffer and his henchmen are on their way.

Book realizes he has to leave. Upon being told, Rachel removes her bonnet (symbolic of putting aside her Amish background) and runs to him in the field, where they share a passionate embrace. Shortly afterward, the farm is invaded by Schaeffer, McFee, and another corrupt officer, Fergie (Angus MacInnes). Book lures Fergie into a corn silo and opens a trap door that dumps loads of dry corn, smothering Fergie. Afterwards, he takes Fergie's shotgun and shoots McFee with it. Meanwhile, Samuel rings the farm bell loudly, and soon many Amish neighbors arrive. Schaeffer, knowing that he cannot kill them all, gives up.

Afterwards, Book prepares to leave. He shares a quiet moment with Samuel, then exchanges a long and loving gaze with Rachel but does not say goodbye to her. Before Book gets into his car, Rachel's father-in-law tells him, "Be careful out among them English" (the Amish term for outsiders), indicating his acceptance of Book. As Book drives away, he waves goodbye to Hochleitner, who is walking up the road toward the Lapp farm, presumably to resume his courtship of Rachel.

Amish Language

There were a few times that the dialect of the Amish, known widely as Pennsylvania Dutch, but called Pennsylvania German by most linguists, can be heard in this film. One time was during construction of the new barn, an Amish man says to Harrison Ford's character, "Du huschd hott gschofft. Sell waar guud!", which means "You worked hard. That was good!" But most often in this film, the Amish are speaking High German, the standard language of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and the South Tyrol and taught in schools and universities worldwide. This is not the case in real life; the Amish speak Pennsylvania Dutch or English, but rarely speak High German among themselves, as few understand it fluently. The exceptions are, perhaps, the reading of the Holy Bible in church and the singing of hymns.

Cast

Witness Movie Experience Tour

In 2005 – the 20th anniversary of the film's release – a Witness Movie Experience Tour was offered to tourists visiting Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The tour included a trip to the farm featured in the film, as well as other sites featured in the film and the Lancaster Heritage Center Museum which featured an exhibit on the film.

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