Witness

Witness

‘Witness’ is a feature film directed by Peter Weir about a young Amish boy who is witness to a murder. Throughout the film it conveys many issues and themes revolving around the cultural differences between the two societies of the Amish and modern American people.

One of the main issues explored in this movie is the clash between two cultures which cannot co-exist comfortably. The audience is drawn into the culture clash when the key characters John Book and Rachel Lapp fall in love. We are drawn in by the use of various techniques and because their relationship had an ordinary beginning as Rachel completely resented John Book for forcing the modern world on her. Rachel's nursing of Book shows a developing relationship. This clash is highlighted by the use of music, various camera angles and camera shots and the narrative structure of the film. The main themes of love and violence clearly emphasise the clash and lead the audience to the conclusion that the realistic world of the Amish and the violent modern world should remain separate.

The Characters of Witness are strong drawn images of people from two very different worlds and it is through these characters that the director Weir has chosen to show these differences between the two communities.

The Amish community posses a large amount of good qualities and Rachel Lapp is a precise product of their simple, calm and harmonious lives.
Rachel is very simple and sweet, but also very intelligent and independent enough to fight for her freedom to love an outsider.
As we see from the opening on the movie the Amish are very religious people, Rachel reflects this attribute very early in the movie while herself, Samuel and Book are in fast food restaurant they are given there meal, Book has almost already finished his hotdog while Rachel and Samuel continuing to pray. Book looks on in shock as most of us would as well, because in our modern day societies even what we call very religious people most...

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