Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Witness Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 31, 2023

It may not exactly rise to the level of "where were you on November 22, 1963?" or "where were you on September 11, 2001?", but "where were you circa 2:20 p.m. EST on October 4, 2023?" might be met with not just a shock of recognition but also with a bit of a sigh by some Amish folk in particular, since according to several (maybe just slightly comical) news reports, at least a few Amish men have evidently been formally "shunned" by their communities when their possession of cellphones was discovered when the National Emergency Alert Test was conducted by FEMA a couple of weeks ago (as this review is being written), and their phones buzzed or chirped or somehow otherwise revealed their existence. Kind of interestingly in that regard, cellphones weren't really a "thing" yet when Witness was made in 1985, and so undercover cop Detective Sergeant John Book (Harrison Ford), who has been holed up in an Amish community, actually has to journey to find a real vestige of a bygone age, a pay phone (!), in order to contact his precinct, which actually turns out to be a bad idea in any case. Witness is an extremely well remembered film for any number of reasons, but its rather fascinating portrait of a "fish out of water", in this case an urban policeman having to get by in an Amish community, gives this story a distinctive focus and some absolutely wonderful moments of interplay between stars Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis and Lukas Hass as Amish mother and son Rachel and Samuel Lapp, who find themselves unwillingly bound up in the investigation of the brutal killing of another undercover cop. Witness has frequently been called a "neo-noir", and if there are certainly hints of that genre suffusing the piece, I'd argue that while there are substantial differences, it's really more of a Hitchcockian enterprise in that it focuses on a quasi-romantic relationship which is unfolding in the context of some very perilous situations, kind of like North by Northwest.

It's somewhat ironic that one of only two Academy Awards the film took home that year (out of eight total nominations) was for Best Original Screenplay. As commentator Jarret Gahan recounts in some detail, various versions of the basic premise underlying Witness had been around for quite some time, including an early attempt at a made for television movie for NBC, and then, rather remarkably, tweaked versions that were going to air as episodes of either Gunsmoke or How the West Was Won. Rather interestingly, it at least sounds like some of the earlier efforts may not have placed such an emphasis on the Amish. Co-writer Pamela Wallace had pitched a novel that evidently had a stronger Amish imprint before she and husband Earl W. Wallace and William Kelley joined forces, but her publisher didn't bite. Gahan's commentary spends more time later on discussing the whole "fish out of water" aspect of the story, but it's the fact that the "fish" in this instance is a cop in an Amish enclave is what gives Witness its power.

That situation unfolds after grieving Amish widow Rachel takes her little boy Samuel to Philadelphia to visit family, but where fate intervenes when Samuel's trip to the men's room makes him a, yes, witness to a really horrifying murder of an undercover cop. The film reveals the killer right away, though it isn't until somewhat later when Rachel and Samuel are taken to a nearby police station to be interviewed by Book that the killer's status as supposed honorable and upstanding cop James McFee (Danny Glover) is divulged. Suffice it to say that in true thriller fashion, Book's decision to tell Chief Paul Schaeffer (Josef Sommer) turns out to be a big mistake, and Book ends up seriously injured, though he's able to (barely) get Rachel and Samuel back to relative safety in their isolated community. It's here that Witness' really remarkable emotional impact begins to be felt, as Rachel helps to nurse Book back to health, and Book slowly matriculates into the Amish way of life.

The film's undeniable heartstring tugging power is forsaken in the third act for more of a thriller ambience, as Book's impulse control problems finally reveals his whereabouts to a coterie of corrupt cops, who show up to "take care of business". While there are some fairly gruesome fates meted out to the bad guys, it's in the film's final showdown that Witness really has the courage of its Amish convictions, showing that a group of dedicated adherents of non violence can in fact overcome manifest evil. It's another remarkable moment in a generally amazingly remarkable film graced by pitch perfect performances and a really evocative depiction of everyday Amish life.

Witness Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Witness is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow offers the same insert booklet for both its standalone 1080 and 4K UHD releases, which offers the following information on the transfer:

Witness is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with 5.1 and 2.0 stereo audio. The film is presented in UHD in 4K (2160p) in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, while the film is presetned on Blu-ray in high definition (1080p). All feature masters were supplied by Paramount.

I was a little surprised to see that neither of the previous releases of this film on Blu-ray by Paramount have been covered by the site as of the writing of this review, and so I'm unfortunately unable to compare this with any other presentations (similarly, I can't authoritatively state which supplements may have been ported over to this release from prior releases). The bulk of this transfer looks very good indeed, especially in some of the sun drenched outdoor material once John gets to Amish country. There are some rather wide variances in suffusion, however, and some of the opening material in particular can look a little on the wan side, something that can recur intermittently later in the film, especially in some interior scenes. There are some lower light moments that look pretty rough (see screenshot 19) and rather interestingly, while there's a nicely healthy grain field in the presentation, certain isolated scenes like some featuring the three bad cops can appear just slightly filtered, though grain is discernible at least in the 4K UHD version of these scenes. Detail levels are typically excellent. There's no appreciable age related wear and tear that I noted.

Witness Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Witness features three audio options (aside from the commentary track), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and two LPCM 2.0 choices, one labeled as a Home Video Mix and the other as the Theatrical Dolby Stereo version, which may be somewhat funny now that it's being offered in LPCM. I frankly didn't notice much if any differences between the two stereo options, but the 5.1 track definitely opens up both the rather nice use of ambient environmental sounds in the Amish countryside material in particular, as well as Maurice Jarre's score. That said, this isn't the "showiest" surround track ever produced, and a lot of the material tends to be anchored toward the front end of the soundstage. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Witness Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by film historian Jarret Gahan


• The Eye of the Witness (HD; 14:48) is an interesting interview with cinematographer John Seale.


• Show. . .Don't Tell (HD; 15:16) is a visual essay by Staci Layne Wilson which emphasizes how many of the film's interactions are wordless.


• Harrison Ford in Conversation (HD; 7:06) is an archival interview with Bobbie Wygant from 1985.


• Between Two Worlds: The Making of Witness (HD; 1:03:55) is a fantastic five part archival documentary, with a ton of interviews and background information.


• A Conversation with Peter Weir (HD; 7:16) is an archival interview with the director.


• EPK Featurettes (HD; 9:22) offer two archival pieces with Peter Weir, Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis.


• Deleted Scene (HD; 4:10) was evidently included in the tv broadcast version.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:29)


• Image Gallery (HD)

Additionally, this is another very handsomely packaged limited edition, featuring a reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Tommy Pocket, a really nicely appointed 60 page perfect bound booklet illustrated by Pocket and featuring some nice essays by Dennis Capicik, Martyn Conterio, John Harrison and Amanda Reyes, a fold out double sided poster featuring the same two art options as the keepcase cover, and six double sided collector's postcards. All of this is housed in a nicely designed slipcase.

Witness Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It had been years since I had last seen Witness, and I have no problem confessing that I had a rather large lump in my throat as the film came to a close this time. This is an immensely involving story that has so much unstated human emotion running through it that the actual thriller elements may almost seem like hangers on at times. Arrow provides a release with generally solid technical merits and some really outstanding supplements. Highly recommended.