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 - PETER WEIR'S FIRST AMERICAN FILMWitness (Special Collector's Edition)(Widescreen) PETER WEIR'S FIRST AMERICAN FILM IS ALSO HIS FINEST TO DATE. PART THRILLER, PART ROMANCE, PART ANTHROPOLOGICAL ESSAY, IT CONCERNS THE EVENTS THAT FOLLOW A YOUNG BOY'S WATCHFUL PRESENCE OF A MURDER. THE COP INVESTIGATING THE CASE FINDS OUT THAT THE CULPRITS ARE CORRUPT COLLEAGUES, AND HIS OWN LIFE THREATENED. HE RETURNS TO THE HOME OF THE BOY AND HIS MOTHER TO HIDE AWAY. THUS FAR THE THRILLER. ROMANCE TAKES OVER FOR A WHILE AS HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE MOTHER, BUT THE FILM ALSO TURNS INTO A TOUCHING PORTRAIT OF THE ENORMOUS GAP BETWEEN THE COP'S URBAN CULTURAL BACKGROUND AND THAT OF HIS HOSTS, THE AMISH. DESPITE A LACK OF STRUCTURAL UNITY, THE FILM HAS MUCH TO OFFER IN TERMS OF ITS QUIETLY UNDERSTATED PERFORMANCES, ITS LUMINOUS IMAGERY AND ITS DISPASSIONATE VIEWS OF THE TWO WORLDS GEOGRAPHICALLY CLOSE, BUT SPIRITUALLY, WORLDS APART. YET ANOTHER FILM, IN FACT, THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT THE BEST PORTRAITS OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICA, ARE MADE BY NON - AMERICANS. Rating:  - UnconvincingSome movies stand up through many viewings, years apart. For examples, "Gone With the Wind," "Casablanca," and "The Wizard of Oz." "Witness" does not. On the second viewing, after decades, the cracks are too obvious. I just wasn't convinced by the plot. Harrison Ford recovers too quickly from a bullet wound. The love affair didn't feel realistic--a hard nosed, city cop and a very innocent Amish woman. The bad guys find Ford and we don't quite know how. The nude scene was obviously to show off the Amist girl's physical attributes. The list goes on. The acting is okay; the boy and the femaile lead are actually very good. Ford, the star, is a bit stony and is too easily taken by Kelly McGillis. The barn raising was a cliche for any story involving Amish. The violent finale was predictable. The Lancaster County scenery was nice. But the fatal flaw, from my standpoint, was that the story line just fell far short of being convincing. After that, the good points can't save this. Rating:  - How Bizarre!20th October 2008. I have been asked to review this excellent DVD - which I ordered on the 9th of September, 2008. I would love to give it a resounding thumbs-up of a write-up but, sadly... I have not received it yet! Come on Amazon, tell your left hand what your right hand is doing! Rating: - fastest deliveryI purchased it as a gift to my friend of 43 years because she has no idea of what Amish is. I watched that movie ten times before. I love Harrison Ford, I love everything about Amish. Delivery couldn't have been better: the package is neat and safe, extremely fast. Thanks. Rating: - WitnessWitness (Special Collector's Edition)(Widescreen) A DVD to be appreciated and enjoyed as a Collector's item. Y.A. Howe
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