Witness (1985)

Réalisateur:

Peter Weir

Writers:

William Kelley (story) and
Pamela Wallace (story) ...
(suite)

Release Date:

8 février 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drame | Romance | Thriller

Accroche:

Harrison Ford is John Book - A big city cop who knows too much. His only evidence: a small boy who's seen too much...

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Blood | Cop | Kiss | Lancaster County | Buggy

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 25 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

One Of The Best Crime Moves Ever

Ensemble

Harrison Ford	...	Det. Capt. John Book
Kelly McGillis	...	Rachel Lapp
Josef Sommer	...	Chief Paul Schaeffer
Lukas Haas	...	Samuel Lapp
Jan Rubes	...	Eli Lapp
Alexander Godunov	...	Daniel Hochleitner
Danny Glover	...	Det. Lt. James McFee
Brent Jennings	...	Det. Sgt. Elden Carter
Patti LuPone	...	Elaine
Angus MacInnes	...	Det. 'Fergie'
Frederick Rolf	...	Stoltzfus
Viggo Mortensen	...	Moses Hochleitner
John Garson	...	Bishop Tchantz
Beverly May	...	Mrs. Yoder
Ed Crowley	...	Sheriff
Timothy Carhart	...	Zenovich
Sylvia Kauders	...	Tourist Lady
Marian Swan	...	Marilyn Schaeffer
Maria Bradley	...	Casey Schaeffer
Rozwill Young	...	T-Bone, Suspect in Bar
Paul S. Nuss	...	Amish Man
Emily Mary Haas	...	Amish Woman
Fred Steinharter	...	Amish Man
John D. King	...	Amish Man
Paul Goss	...	Amish Man
Annemarie Vallerio	...	Amish Woman
Bruce E. Camburn	...	Amish Man
William Francis	...	Townsman
Tom Kennedy	...	Ticket Seller at Station (as Tom W. Kennedy)
Ardyth Kaiser	...	Couple in Garage
Thomas Quinn	...	Couple in Garage
Eugene Dooley	...	Detective
Victoria Scott D'Angelo	...	Detective
Richard Chaves	...	Homicide Detective
Tim Moyer	...	Detective
Nino Del Buono	...	Detective
James Frank Clark	...	Detective (as James Clark)
Joseph Kelly	...	Detective
Norman Carter	...	Detective
Craig Clement	...	Detective
Robert Earl Jones	...	Pop, Witness at Station
Michael Levering	...	Hoodlum
Cara Giallanza	...	Hoodlum
Anthony Dean Rubes	...	Hoodlum
Bernie Styles	...	Hot Dog Counterman
Blossom Terry	...	Mother at Station
Jennifer Mancuso	...	Little Girl at Station
reste de la distribution par ordre alphabétique:
Nancy Kirk	...	Crying Amish woman at funeral (uncredited)

Réalisé par
Peter Weir

Scénaristes
William Kelley		(story) and
Pamela Wallace		(story) &
Earl W. Wallace		(story)
Earl W. Wallace		(screenplay) &
William Kelley		(screenplay)

Produit par
David Bombyk	....	co-producer
Edward S. Feldman	....	producer
Wendy Stites	....	associate producer (as Wendy Weir)

Musique originale
Maurice Jarre

Image
John Seale		(director of photography)

Montage
Thom Noble

Distribution des rôles
Dianne Crittenden

Création des décors
Stan Jolley

Décorateur de plateau
John H. Anderson		(as John Anderson)

Maquillage
Leland V. Crawford	....	hair stylist
Marie Delrusso	....	makeup artist
Michael Hancock	....	makeup supervisor (as Michael A. Hancock)
Bette Iverson	....	supervising hair stylist (as Bette L. Iverson)
Jay Cannistraci	....	additional makeup artist (uncredited)

Directeur de production
Ted Swanson	....	production manager

Assistant réalisateur
Pamela M. Eilerson	....	second assistant director (as Pamela Eilerson)
David McGiffert	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Carlos Acosta	....	props (as Carlos L. Acosta)
Frank L. Brown	....	lead man
Craig Edgar	....	set designer
David Goldman	....	props (as David M. Goldman)
Robert Krume	....	construction coordinator

Technicien du son
Pamela Bentkowski	....	foley editor
Alan Bromberg	....	foley editor
Norval D. Crutcher	....	sound effects editor (as Norval Crutcher)
Don Digirolamo	....	sound re-recording mixer
Humberto Gatica	....	sound recording mixer
Robert Glass	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Bob Glass)
Cecelia Hall	....	supervising sound effects editor
Frank Howard	....	sound effects editor
Robert Knudson	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Buzz Knudson)
Alan L. Nineberg	....	sound effects editor
Andrew Patterson	....	sound effects editor
Bruce Richardson	....	sound effects editor (as Paul Bruce Richardson)
Fred Stafford	....	adr supervisor
Barry Thomas	....	sound mixer (as Barry D. Thomas)
George Watters II	....	supervising sound effects editor
Forest Williams	....	boom operator (as Forrest R. Williams)
Edward M. Steidele	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Effets spéciaux
Charles E. Dolan	....	special effects supervisor
John R. Elliott	....	special effects

Cascadeur
Gary Epper	....	stunt coordinator
Gary Epper	....	stunts
Anderson Martin	....	stunts
Bob Minor	....	stunts
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunt coordinator (as Glenn Wilder)
Vic Armstrong	....	stunt double: Mr. Ford (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charlie Clifton	....	camera operator: second unit (as Chuck Clifton)
Lawrence K. Freeman	....	electrical best boy
Chaim Kantor	....	second assistant camera
Robin P. Knight	....	key grip (as Robin Knight)
Dan Lerner	....	camera operator
Bruce MacCallum	....	first assistant camera
Bernie Schwartz	....	dolly grip
Gary Tandrow	....	gaffer (as Gary B. Tandrow)
Josh Weiner	....	still photographer

Casting Department
Elina deSantos	....	location casting: Philadelphia
Tom Scott	....	location casting: Lancaster
Ilene Starger	....	casting associate
Gail Walton	....	location casting: Philadelphia

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Paula Cain	....	costumer
Dallas D. Dornan	....	costume supervisor
Shari Feldman	....	costume supervisor
Michael W. Hoffman	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Michael Amundsen	....	apprentice editor
Joan E. Chapman	....	assistant editor
Bob Noland	....	color timer
Jane Moran	....	first assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Richard Stone	....	supervising music editor

Transportation Department
Clifford D. Hill	....	transportation

Divers
Eugene Dooley	....	police advisor (as Capt. Eugene Dooley)
Nora Dunfee	....	dialect consultant: Amish
Eyal Geva	....	assistant: Mr. Weir
Cara Giallanza	....	production assistant
John D. King	....	advisor: Amish
Michael Klastorin	....	publicist
Michael John Meehan	....	location manager (as Michael Meehan)
Michel Mention	....	assistant: Maurice Jarre
Judith Pritchard	....	secretary to Mr. Swanson (as Judy Pritchard)
Sandra Rabins	....	production auditor
Diane Schneier	....	production assistant
Gloria Slate	....	assistant: Mr. Feldman and Mr. Bombyk
Lynn Stewart	....	production assistant
Ruth Tighe	....	production assistant
Cynnie Troup	....	script supervisor
Hope Williams	....	script supervisor
T.J. Healy II	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Dick Thornburgh	....	thanks (as Governor Dick Thornburgh)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)
• Edward S. Feldman Production

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1989) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Argentina Video Home (1985) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (Brazil) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1985) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Segue Music  supervising music editor
• Todd-AO Studios  sound re-recording (as Todd-AO)
• Record Plant Scoring  scoring
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack (as Varèse Sarabande Records and Cassettes)
• Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, The Office of Film Promotion  the producers wish to express thier appreciation for the assistance and cooperation of (as The Pennsilvania Film Bureau Department of Commerce)
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• White Gloves Inc.  negative cutting

Autre(s) titre(s) :

Called Home (USA) (working title)
Témoin sous surveillance (Canada: French title) [fr]
Witness: Témoin sous surveillance (France) [fr]

Durée:

112 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais | Allemand

Couleur:

Couleur (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Son:

Dolby

Classification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | USA:R (certificate #27540) | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Ireland:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | West Germany:12

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

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

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Anecdotes:

The "evening serenade" scene in the barn, in which Book and Rachel dance, was actually filmed during the day in the heat of the summer. The barn was blacked out and sealed, and that's why both Ford and McGillis perspire so much in that scene. The kerosene lantern they had added even more heat.

Goofs:

Continuity: John Book's Volkswagen hit the birdhouse and broke its windshield. Later the car is seen in the barn with an unbroken windshield.

Guillemet:

Tourist Lady: [Book is in town with Eli. Eli and the other Amish are trying to avoid the tourists with cameras] Hi! We're just here for the day, would you mind...
John Book: Lady, you take my picture with that thing and I'm gonna rip your brassiere off... and strangle you with it! You got that?
Tourist Lady: [in disbelief, to no one in particular] Did you hear what that Amish just said to me?

Connexions De Film:

Referenced in "Due South: The Witness (#2.3)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

SHOCKING BEHAVIOR

One Of The Best Crime Moves Ever

You want to know how to make a successful movie? Just look here. You have tremendous suspense, a top-flight popular actor as the hero, a touching romance story, plenty of action, a different kind of setting than normal, people you care about, nice photography, very moral and very immoral people, a little humor.....I mean, this is how it's done.

I also appreciated seeing Amish people (of which I am not) portrayed in a better light than secular Hollywood usually puts them. I also liked the wholesome female lead Kelly McGillis (although she was the only Amish character out of character, a bit loose than what you would ever find) and who didn't think young Lukas Haas was the cutest kid they ever saw on film?

Harrison Ford gives a typical solid performance as John Book, a Philadelphia detective who winds up protecting the young boy ("Samuel Lapp"), his mom (McGillis as "Rachel Lapp") and others against crooked cops (Hollywood's favorite kind). Along the way, he is near-fatally shot and winds up being cared for and living in the Amish community in which the Lapps reside. During that time, we also have the blossoming romance between the two leads and then a dramatic shootout at the end when the cops find out where "Book" is staying.

There are many memorable scenes in this movie, from the boy hiding in the bathroom stall as a murder takes place; Ford slugging some goon who was making fun of the Amish; Ford and McGillis dancing in the hayloft to an old rock 'n roll tune; the Amish lifestyles and the raising of the barn; and the suspenseful ending.

This is a great stuff: one of the best crime stories of the "modern age" and one of the few "R-rated" films that reached this high a popularity.