"I've seen hundreds, maybe thousands, of films, and when asked which is my favorite my decision keeps coming back to "Witness," Australian director Peter Weir's masterpiece. Fabulously acted, beautifully photographed . . . it's just perfect. Outside of the well-known stars (Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Danny Glover) look for brilliant work from Josef Sommers and an amazingly understated performance by the late Alexander Godunov. "
Professional review from BBC film"Harrison Ford stars as a disillusioned cop heading nowhere, when he becomes involved in a case that will radically change his perceptions. A young Amish boy (Lukas Haas) is witness to a murder in a train station where he and his mother (Kelly McGillis) have been travelling to visit her sister. It's a rare trip for them outside their puritanical Amish roots and only confirms their fear of a seemingly-violent outside world.....A lot of care and attention has gone into both the Oscar-winning screenplay and the beautiful cinematography, to create a powerful and romantic story. On that level this is a deep and moving film. But a tacked-on, Hollywood-style ending mars the tender emotions explored here. It spoils things slightly but arguably serves to remind us that such an idyllic lifestyle can't last forever."
Conventions and aspects of the thriller genre within scenes of Witness
This scene begins with Grand Central Station, a location also used in Once Upon a Time in America which I have previously discussed. The high angle shot has been chosen by Weir to make the crowd of people seem minuscule and seem insignificant. As the people are moving around at speed it creates a feeling of confusion and urgency in contrast to the clock in the middle which the audiences eyes are instantly led to the, this could be some form reference to time standing still. There is a wide variety of types of people as the viewer can see as their costume varies from suit to jeans however we are unable to see specific faces or facial features, and as the audience are looking down on them it is though they are all the same and have almost a lack of identity in contrast to the small population of Amish people. Weir has made strong use of low light with muted colours in this scene to create a corrupt, shady feel to the station which mirrors the events that occur later in the toilet.
This still is a high angle, over the shoulder, point of view shot as it is as though the statue is watching over Samuel. The audience is instantly drawn to the small Amish boy standing in the center of the shot. Due to the high angle shot we as the audience sympathise with him, he seems vulnerable as in comparison to the already small seeming people he seems minuscule. The lack of people surrounding him creates a very lonely feeling and creates a great contrast with the previously buzzing station. Weir has continued the use of low lighting to keep the miserable, dark, shady effect going. Already within five minutes of the scene we have established it is a thriller.
The toilet scene contains many different aspects of the thriller genre. One of the most noticeable conventions is the claustrophobia within the toilet, as a lot of action takes place in such a small area it seems as though the characters are trapped, this is very distressing for the audience and in particular because a child is involved. The toilets are dirty and grungy mirroring the corruption in America, and the characters. The use of claustrophobia has been continued when Samuel enters the toilet cubical, the audience feel panicked as Samuel has nowhere else to go and does not just seem trapped he is essentially trapped.
A close up was used of the sharp knife which seems almost luminous in this still. The weapon has been shown to foreshadow what will occur when the police officer is stabbed. This close up has been used to create tension and suspense in the film as the audience anticipate what will occur.
At this point Peter Weir has chosen to use various extreme close ups have been used of Samuel looking out of the toilet door. In this particular shot the audience are only able to see one of his eyes and part of his nose, this could possibly be a mirroring of the incident he sees; obscure and distorted. This has also been used to show obvious emotion that Samuel feels. His wide eyes connote that he is horrified, worried and also curious.
This is a generic thriller style shot. The noir lighting and little colour have been used to create surrealism, to create visually pleasing aesthetics and to make the audience feel as though they are witnessing a nightmare. The low angle shot makes the car seem menacing as we are unaware of who is in the car, what they are doing and whether they are a possible threat.Weir essentially uses generic thriller aspects such as;
- Noir lighting
- Muted colour
- High angle shots
- Foreshadowing
- Claustrophobia
- Generic locations
Peter Weir, not Wier!! Could you please revise.
ReplyDeleteYou say.....a commonly used location in many thriller films including ...lose this otherwise it becomes a generalisation. Instead, the same location Leone uses in Once Upon a Time in America when Noodles discovers his brief case is empty and passes through the platform gates in 1933 and re-emerges in 1967.
Re the toilets, note that claustrophobic unglamorous locations are generic and Weir has utilised this generic convention splendidly. Try to think of another thriller film or TV drama (thriller) where this location is utilised. You could intertextually reference the Viennese sewers in The Third Man.
Your final still of the low angle shot of the car, note the noir lighting, and the sense of a corrupt city. You could juxtapose this shot with an appropriate noir shot in a city location from any of the film clips we've analysed in class.
Well done Maddy, your analysis is a pleasure to read.
Next step : try to construct your analysis in 3rd person, leaving out the "we".