Witness (1985)

A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policeman John Book goes into hiding in Amish country to protect him until the trial.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

William Kelley (story by), Pamela Wallace (story by)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas

Won 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	John Book
Kelly McGillis	...	Rachel
Josef Sommer	...	Schaeffer
Lukas Haas	...	Samuel
Jan Rubes	...	Eli Lapp
Alexander Godunov	...	Daniel Hochleitner
Danny Glover	...	McFee
Brent Jennings	...	Carter
Patti LuPone	...	Elaine
Angus MacInnes	...	Fergie
Frederick Rolf	...	Stoltzfus
Viggo Mortensen	...	Moses Hochleitner
John Garson	...	Bishop Tchantz
Beverly May	...	Mrs. Yoder
Ed Crowley	...	Sheriff

Storyline

An 8 year old Amish boy and his mother are traveling to Philadelphia, on their way to visit the mother's sister. While waiting at the train station, the young boy witnesses a brutal murder inside one of the bathroom stalls. Police detective John Book is assigned to investigate the murder of the man, who was a undercover cop. Soon after, Book finds out that he's in great danger when the culprits know about his investigation and hides out in the Amish community. There, he learns the way of living among the Amish locals, which consists of non-violence and agriculture. Book soon starts a romance with the mother of the little boy, but their romance is forbidden by the Amish standards. But, it's not long before the bad guys find out Book's whereabouts.

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Plot Keywords:

amish | train | police | amish widow | crooked cop | 

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Taglines:

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...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

8 February 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Called Home

Filming Locations:

30th Street Station - 3001 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures,Edward S. Feldman Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Samuel is eluding Mcfee in the bathroom stalls, at the last second he grabs his Amish hat - a scene that was clearly inspired by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which was released the previous year.

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Goofs

The first time Book goes to Strasburg with Eli to use the phone, the initial shot shows the horse and buggy pulling into a "parking space." On the next shot, we watch John exit the buggy and walk toward the phone. As John passes the horse, we see that the horse has been been chained to hold it in place. As John passes the horse and group of people, we see Eli exit the buggy, then walk up to join the group. How the horse got chained, or who did it, is unexplained.

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Quotes

[Daniel Hochleitner comforts Rachel after her husband's death, then walks by as some funeral guests are chatting]
Amish: Jacob was a good farmer.
Amish: Not a man to buy a horse from. Hochleitner, wasn't it he who sold you the one with the ruptured testicle? Said it was a bee sting?
Daniel Hochleitner: That horse had one good ball. That's all it takes!
[Men laugh]

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Crazy Credits

For Tom Scott. Scott was a member of the casting department on Witness.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nanny: Yetta's Letters (1999)

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Soundtracks

Shocking Behavior
(1984)
Written by Paul Chiten and Sue Sheridan

User Reviews

Deep and wonderful

This beautiful love story contrasts corruption with goodness.

Harrison Ford underplays his role so well it is scandalous – his Hollywood buddies must have laughed their arses off at him taking this role… what some cop living with Amish? Sounds lame right, until all the Oscar nom's start pouring in … But he is nothing short of brilliant as Detective John Book. I love the scene when he gets that old car-radio working, that old heap of junk in a barn that opens up his love with Rachel, and she dances and sings for the first time in her life.

It is beautifully written, the screenplay is flawless, the editing is flawless. The pacing is flawless but won't appeal to those who want car-chases and guns going off all over the place, and a beer and a hot-dog for dinner ... uh you know who I mean …

This film gives a gentle insight into the simple sweetness of Amish life. Us "sophisticates" with our frequent-flyers and cell phones and iPods and laptops and instant everything … we all may be missing something they already found…

A wonderfully inspirational and deeply satisfying film.