The Difference in Cultures and How It Affects Love
“Witness”
Two unique individuals can come together, and fall in love. However, due to their total differences of their cultures, their love for one another cannot develop as both of their cultures can come together briefly but cannot mix. This is evident throughout the film Witness, directed by Peter Weir as the audience can see the awkwardness of the relationships between not only John Book and Rachel Lapp, but also between the mainstream society and the Amish. The core themes of this film are the clash of the two cultures, as well as Innocence and Corruption. The Innocence and corruption theme is the difference between Samuel the child and the crooked cop Schaeffer. Innocence is the opposite of corruption. Peter Weir’s settings represent how the audience sees the Amish lifestyle and the modern lifestyle. The difference between the two societies is shown in imagery during the film. In the opening scenes Book is similar to Rachel and Samuel in that he has retained some form of innocence. He shows this how he approaches them to ask Samuel questions. The audience is shocked to see that Schaeffer, Book’s old partner and police boss is corrupt. In the final scenes when you see Schaeffer, Mc Fee and Fergie walking out of the car to the Amish Farm to kill Book, long shots are mainly used in this scene. This film shows the difference between innocence and corruption very well, showing its effectiveness in portraying reality.
The dancing scene is where the first physical demonstration of their mutual attraction takes place; John spontaneously takes Rachel’s hand and dances to the popular song “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke. The lyrics of the song state that he might not know much, such as where he is going and what his future holds, but one thing he knows for sure is his love for Rachel. The words of the song highlight the lack of knowledge the pair shares about each other and the contrasting worlds they come from. This can be seen in this particular scene, as John
Two unique individuals can come together, and fall in love. However, due to their total differences of their cultures, their love for one another cannot develop as both of their cultures can come together briefly but cannot mix. This is evident throughout the film Witness, directed by Peter Weir as the audience can see the awkwardness of the relationships between not only John Book and Rachel Lapp, but also between the mainstream society and the Amish. The core themes of this film are the clash of the two cultures, as well as Innocence and Corruption. The Innocence and corruption theme is the difference between Samuel the child and the crooked cop Schaeffer. Innocence is the opposite of corruption. Peter Weir’s settings represent how the audience sees the Amish lifestyle and the modern lifestyle. The difference between the two societies is shown in imagery during the film. In the opening scenes Book is similar to Rachel and Samuel in that he has retained some form of innocence. He shows this how he approaches them to ask Samuel questions. The audience is shocked to see that Schaeffer, Book’s old partner and police boss is corrupt. In the final scenes when you see Schaeffer, Mc Fee and Fergie walking out of the car to the Amish Farm to kill Book, long shots are mainly used in this scene. This film shows the difference between innocence and corruption very well, showing its effectiveness in portraying reality.
The dancing scene is where the first physical demonstration of their mutual attraction takes place; John spontaneously takes Rachel’s hand and dances to the popular song “Wonderful World” by Sam Cooke. The lyrics of the song state that he might not know much, such as where he is going and what his future holds, but one thing he knows for sure is his love for Rachel. The words of the song highlight the lack of knowledge the pair shares about each other and the contrasting worlds they come from. This can be seen in this particular scene, as John