Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has a new 4K Ultra HD edition of auteur filmmaker Peter Weir’s Witness ready for release on Oct. 31.
Aussie Peter Weir built his credentials as a filmmaker with small budget, often unseen films in the late 60s and early 70s, and then had a breakout arthouse film, Picnic at Hanging Rock in 1975 (domestic 1979). This was followed by stateside commercial successes with Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously (’81 and ’82 respectively) … and then comes Witness, which almost didn’t get made.
The head of 20th Century-Fox at the time, whose name shall not be mentioned here — because he has passed and can’t defend himself … and because he had two chances to get it right and apparently didn’t remember that Star Wars saved the studio in 1977.
Paramount stepped in because they remembered Raiders of the Lost Ark and its star, Harrison Ford. He made them a lot of money, so a film budgeted for under $12 million was a no-brainer.
It was, for Weir his first “American” production, and if the truth be known, he did everything absolutely right. Casting (Kelly McGillis was inspired), pre-production, the shoot itself and the respect for the traditions and privacy of the Amish community in and around Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
A young boy, Samuel (Lukas Haas — Babylon, The Revenant, Alpha Dog, Solarbabies, etc.), witnesses a murder while traveling with his widowed mother, Rachel (McGillis — Top Gun, Made in Heaven, The House on Carroll Street, The Accused), and Philadelphia detective John Book (Ford) catches the case.
Simple, right? No, it’s an inside job and both Samuel and Rachel are Amish … and are now marked for death! Book has to defend them … and he’s in no condition to so, and finds himself on the run in Amish country, an alien place.
Witness pulled in over $115 million for Paramount and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Harrison Ford — his only acting nomination) — eight Oscar nomination in all, with wins for Best Original Screenplay and Editing.
The head of production over at Fox who decided against Witness … he lasted one year.
Bonus features include a newly-minted commentary from film historian Jarret Gahan, video sessions with cinematographer John Seale and film journalist Staci Layne Wilson, a vintage interview with Harrison Ford (circa 1985), the featurette titled “A Conversation with Peter Weir” and the five making-of-documentary titled Between Two World.
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