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Witness Film Essay

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Witness Film Essay
The film Witness(underline witness), Directed by Peter Weir was famous in 1984. This film is about two cultures clashing with each other the Amish and The Western Society and a story line of a murder crime. “A big city cop who knows too much...His only evidence: A small boy who’s seen too much”. The main character of this film is Harrison Ford as John Book. Today I will be talking about two of the themes Peter Weir uses in the film ‘Witness’. They are the clash of two worlds and power.
The first theme that I would like to speak about is the clash of two worlds ‘The Amish’ and ‘The Western Society’. This theme, Weir has made a clear comparison between the two worlds. They could not work together in harmony because of the differences in beliefs, culture and lifestyle patterns. Because of this the relationship between Rachel and Book could not work out, their cultures and beliefs are too diverse from one another, and she could not go with him to the city life and Book could not stay with her in the Amish world. Towards the end when the two worlds collided with each other it did not do any good for the Amish but bring violence and danger towards their community. The opening scene music was slow pace equal and harmony with this type of music Weir has demonstrated the Harmony and the slow pace of the Amish people. The Amish does not fight against each other and strive for the top, like the city life people and does not want to be better the another person.
Weir has use the techniques of long angle shot at the opening scene where the Amish people walking together to attend Rachel husband funeral, then comes the close-up shot of showing clearly of the Amish people, with this angel shot Weir wanted to demonstrate the unity of the Amish community people working together as one. The colour of the green meadow with the pre-modern housing surrounding the landscapes, the bright blue sky in the horizons and the wind gently making green waves in the meadow and the addition of

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