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Witness (Special Collector's Widescreen Edition) (1985)

Harrison Ford , Kelly McGillis , Peter Weir  |  R |  DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (227 customer reviews)

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DVD 1-Disc Version $5.97  
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Witness Witness 4.5 out of 5 stars (227)
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Product Details

  • Actors: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Josef Sommer, Jan Rubes
  • Directors: Peter Weir
  • Writers: Earl W. Wallace, Pamela Wallace, William Kelley
  • Producers: David Bombyk, Edward S. Feldman, Wendy Stites
  • Format: Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Anamorphic, Special Edition, NTSC
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Paramount
  • DVD Release Date: August 23, 2005
  • Run Time: 112 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (227 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0009UC7R0
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,424 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "Witness (Special Collector's Widescreen Edition)" on IMDb

Special Features

  • 5-Part Documentary: Between Two Worlds: The Making of Witness
  • Deleted Scene
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Three TV Spots

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy traveling with his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis), witnesses the murder of a police officer in a public restroom, he and his mother become the temporary wards of John Book (Harrison Ford), a detective who's been assigned to solve the crime. After suspect lineups and mug-shot books yield nothing, Samuel, in the most memorable scene of the film, recognizes the murderer as a narcotics agent whose picture he sees in the precinct. Once Book realizes that the police chief is in on it, too, he whisks Samuel and Rachel back home to Amish country, where he himself goes into hiding as a plain Amish man. The juxtaposition between the life of the Amish and the violence of inner-city police corruption work surprisingly well for the story, and Kelly McGillis as the falling in love widow gives an almost perfect performance. Directed by Peter Weir, the film is extremely successful in drawing the viewer into its world and, accordingly, is immensely entertaining. The only thing that mars its polish is the one-dimensional, almost cartoonish handling of the upper-echelon police corruption--a subtler, more realistic treatment of this aspect of the story would have rendered the film near perfect. --James McGrath

Product Description

When a young Amish woman and her son get caught up in the murder of an undercover narcotics agent, their savior turns out to be hardened Philadelphia detective John Book. Harrison Ford is sensational as Book, the cop who runs head-on into the non-violent world of a Pennsylvania Amish community. The end result is an action packed struggle of life and death, interwoven with a sensitive undercurrent of caring and forbidden love.

Customer Reviews

The ways of the Amish people are shown very well on this film. Melvin Hunt  |  40 reviewers made a similar statement
Harrison Ford does a great job again. ralmil  |  34 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
103 of 106 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie receives much deserved upgraded DVD August 14, 2005
Format:DVD
Made immediately after "The Year of Living Dangerously", "Witness" continued a winning streak for Australian director Peter Weir. His first "American" movie, "Witness" deals with the conflict between two cultures and, in a sense, two centuries as part of a much more conventional police drama about an Amish boy (Lukas Haas) who witnesses the murder of an undercover police officer in the men's room of a train station. His mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis) is traveling with the boy and both are drawn into the police investigation. What Detective Captain John Book (Harrison Ford) who is investigating the case doesn't realize is that someone is out to kill them both. As a result, Book goes undercover himself taking them back to the Amish community they come from and hiding out with them there until he can resolve who is trying to kill them.

Featuring a rich, startling performance from Ford and a powerful turn by Kelly McGillis (who had only appeared on "One Life to Live", a TV movie and the marvelous film "Rueben, Rueben" at that point in her career) "Witness" still manages to amaze with the suspense that Weir generates in the film. His focus on the contrasting cultural values of Book and the Amish community makes the film much more than a conventional "B" movie police crime drama adding depth and nuance to the film.

A much needed improvement over the previous edition of "Witness", this collector's edition looks sharp with vivid colors, sharp image quality and very few digital artifacts. Blacks are rock solid throughout. The original release was a non-anamorphic widescreen image and, as such, this anamorphic presentation is a huge improvement over the previous edition of the movie. The 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround mix sounds solid throughout.
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53 of 54 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Harrison Ford shines in a well-crafted film July 25, 2004
Format:VHS Tape
'Witness' is probably Harrison Ford's best film, and when it was released it showed him another facet of a gifted actor who until then had been known only to most moviegoers only as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. In 'Witness', Ford is police detective John Book, called to interrogate a terrified little Amish boy named Samuel Lapp, and his young widowed mother. An undercover cop has been killed in the men's room at the railroad station, and Samuel, hiding in a stall, is the only eyewitness. Samuel is unable to identify the perp from the usual log of suspects; but there he is, posted prominently on the precinct bulletin board -- a decorated narcotics agent. When Book relates his findings to the police captain, he ends up getting shot himself -- seems the captain is in on it as well. With the captain, the narcotics agent, and a third dirty cop gunning for him, Book needs a place to hide, and what better place than the Lapp house deep in Amish country?

The contrast between the gritty urban police precinct and the bucolic Amish farm country is one of the best things about the film. Book dressed in a blue shirt and black trousers several inches too short for him, looking like the proverbial fish out of the water, is a sight to behold. All of a sudden he's back in the nineteenth century -- no electricity, no cars, no TV or computers. He might as well be on another planet. And the Amish are as different from him as space aliens; gentle, quiet pacifists, hardworking and industrious, intent on keeping the outside world as far from them as possible. They are neighborly and cooperative; the barn-raising scene is inspiring to watch. We feel sympathy for these quiet, decent people as the outside world keeps encroaching, and see them trying to navigate a horse and buggy on the Interstate.
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Harrison and Thou June 21, 2002
Format:DVD
Although I suppose "Bladerunner" is the movie that showed Harrison Ford could do something outside of "Star Wars", I personally think "Witness" was one of the most important movies of his career, because it's a complete departure from a science fiction storyline, and therefore paved the way for all the Tom Clancy stuff and other movies that featured him as a romantic hero.

Here he plays John Book, a police detective who has to interrogate a small Amish boy who is the only witness to a brutal murder in a train terminal washroom. When the boy makes an ID that implicates a respected fellow police detective, Book gets wounded, but realizes that he must get the boy and his widowed mother (Kelly McGillis) back to the Amish country and go underground. Thus, much of the movie concerns itself with the fish out of water experience he has, trying to pass as an Amish man, learning about their life and falling in love with the boy's mother. This is dangerous territory for her, as her father-in-law warns her that if she steps out of line, she will be shunned by her community. And then of course, the corrupt police have been looking for Book and the boy, remember. Final showdown is about as you would expect it, and glad to have it so. One interesting note is the pretty good performance by Alexander Godonoff, the defected ballet dancer, as a jealous suitor of Kelly McGillis. Too bad he died so young; he might have branched into a whole new career here.

I hadn't seen this for many years before finding it among the tapes at a bed and breakfast place last summer. I was pleased to find it as enjoyable today as it was years ago, and my friend who had never seen it was enthralled, as you would be, too.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars a Gem in every way
A Gem, one of the best movies I've ever seen. Awesome, good to re-watch every 5 years or so. Harrison Ford at his 'peak' I read, Kelly McGillis & the boy & all else are terrific... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Cynthia M. BROWN
5.0 out of 5 stars Witness is a classic not to be missed
"Witness" is a classic. I have watched it at least five times. It is smart, sensitive, and suspenseful. It also provides a window into the Amish culture. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Carol Veizer
5.0 out of 5 stars one of Fords very best.
The story was among the best. It shows people at their best. It's the kind of movie you enjoy watching the second time around.
Published 11 days ago by Myron Rose
4.0 out of 5 stars Good drama
The story line was good, and the acting superb. Stories about the Amish way of life is intriguing, but when Harrison Ford decked that smart alec, we laughed and just cracked up. Read more
Published 12 days ago by Swing Guitar Player
5.0 out of 5 stars a very compelling movie
i always enjoy watching this movie, the actors are great and the story amish couldnt be better and kelly mcgillis was great
Published 14 days ago by papadon2
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie
I think that if you are buying Witness, you are familiar with the movie and, like me, are buying it in Blu-Ray for a better quality version for your new 60 inch or larger 1080P TV... Read more
Published 17 days ago by M. Wagner
4.0 out of 5 stars Witness
Movie was just what I expected. I am so happy with the amazon video app. I can watch movies at any time I like.
Published 18 days ago by Patsy Fleming
5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Characters
The authenticity of the acting in this movie makes it a classic. The underlying theme of choices around violence comes through from start to finish.
Published 22 days ago by Cheryl Moss
5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Harrison Ford Classic
This was Harrison Ford at his best. The dance scene around the car in the old barn is pure gold.
Published 25 days ago by Delores J. Knowles
5.0 out of 5 stars Hadn't seen this in years but...
I liked this movie when it first came out but hadn't seen it for years. I wasn't disappointed, in fact if anything I liked it more. Read more
Published 27 days ago by devona s. margulis
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Missing scene
Yes, it is included as a "deleted scene" here on the Special Collector's Edition. I think it would have been nice to leave it in, as it adds a bit more background to the movie. It also enlarges Elaine's part quite a bit.
Oct 29, 2006 by Richard Byers |  See all 3 posts
Cheaper at Deepdiscountdvd.com
You get what you pay for and price simply isn't the only measurement of satisfaction for me. I used to shop only price and found that invariably someone else found a "better" price. What they didn't share was that the cost of dealing with poor customer service, bait and switch... Read more
Feb 16, 2013 by Kevin Kelly |  See all 3 posts
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