Witness




	Witness 7 of 10

		Directed by Peter Weir Cinematography by John Seale Harrison Ford Kelly McGillis Lukas Haas Jan Rubes Alexander Godunov Danny Glover


Now I begin to understand what everyone says about Peter Weir. Before watching this film, I had seen Gallipoli (which had moments of brilliance), Dead Poets Society (an excellently made film with a very bad message), and The Truman Show (which I thought was a spectacular idea that never quite worked). So, I had never been able to whole-heartedly endorse a Weir project. But that�s all changed now. This is an amazing film. And the first thing I noticed was that it is visually stunning. There is something wonderful about the way Seale juxtaposes the Amish rustic innocence with the rest of Philadelphia�s cynical urbanism. And there is a barn-raising scene that is pure poetry in motion. (Except for the Vangelis-like soundtrack. I half expected Ian Charleson to come racing up during an outdoor scene. Or maybe an appearance from Rutger Hauer.) That was pretty much my only complaint with the film, though. That, and the fact that Kelly McGillis was unimpressive. Of course, that�s always true. Her Top Gun achievement is legendary. But actors don�t want to make their performances legendary that way. The most interesting aspect of this film was its story. It was exactly what it should be. Especially the ending: very unlike Hollywood, but completely realistic. (I wonder how often those things are opposed�) Also, there is special bonus footage of the future King of Middle Earth, if you watch closely. That was a serious distraction. It detracted heavily from my enjoyment of the barn raising. All in all, a wonderful film; I am now a Weir believer. And I can�t wait for Master and Commander. Just one more thing, sort of a pet peeve of mine: it was almost impossible to find any kind of pictures for this film on the Internet. Which is crazy; it was a beautifully shot film.

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