Witness 4k UHD
directed by Peter Weir
starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis
Arrow Video
In 1985, Australian director Peter Weir took a pretty standard cop thriller saddled with a generic title and somewhat absurd premise and turned it into a multi-Oscar winning box-office hit. Sadly, Peter Weir’s Witness has faded from the cultural landscape and is rarely discussed as one of the signature films of the decade, though hopefully a new restoration released on UHD/Blu-ray from Arrow Films will help return some respect to one of the decade’s best films.
Harrison Ford gives one of his most grounded performances as police detective John Book, who must protect a young Amish boy (Lukas Haas), the lone witness to a brutal murder. Shot, wounded, and uncertain who in his own department he can trust, Book flees with the boy and his mother (Kelly McGIllis) to their farm, where her people welcome the stranger and nurse him back to health both physically and spiritually. When the evil from the outside world follows him, John Book fights to save his witness, himself, and the sanctity of their Amish hosts.
What could have been a forgettable, gimmicky film was instead handled with a delicate grace by Weir, and the film would go on to be nominated for eight oscars, with wins for score and screenplay. Although he was already the biggest movie star in the world, Witness and the ensuing Best Actor Oscar nomination gave Harrison Ford legitimacy as a serious actor and not just an action hero. It also made Kelly McGillis into the Hollywood “It” girl for a few years, as well. In 1985, Witness was Peter Weir’s most accessible and mainstream film. While he gained international acclaim with less crowd-pleasing films like Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness made him a hit maker as well.
Arrow Video’s new 4K UHD is a beautiful testament to Peter Weir’s vision and strikingly beautiful visuals. The disc retains the striking contrasts in cinematographer John Seale’s chiaroscuro lighting and lush landscapes. Arrow has included a bevy of extras to commemorate the film, including an audio commentary by film historian Jarret Gahan, a visual essay from film writer Staci Layne Wilson, interviews with Peter Weir and John Seale, and a multi-part behind-the-scenes documentary.
Despite being parodied and referenced in numerous films and TV shows in the ensuing decades, the actual experience of watching Witness still holds considerable power, and it is heartening to see this classic getting recognition as one of the best films of the 1980s.
www.arrowvideo.com
