Witness

Beyond the archetypal exposé of the Amish culture by all, it seems that the Oscar-winning ‘Witness’ by Peter Weir has expunged the typical intuition of the Amish culture. In a nutshell, 1985 film ‘Witness’ focuses on a detective protecting a young Amish boy [Samuel] who becomes the target of a ruthless killer after he witnesses a brutal murder in a Philadelphia train station. The Amish trace their religious heritage to the Swiss Anabaptist of sixteenth-century Europe, who emerged in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. The first ample group of Amish arrived in America around 1730 and settled near Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Amish are not the prevalent group of U.S. Amish as is generally thought, however. The Amish have settled in as many as twenty-four states, Canada, and Central America, though statistics suggest that about 80% are located in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. The Amish traditionally speak German and, symbolic of their faith, Amish clothing styles encourage humility and separation from the world. They dress in a very simple style, avoiding all but the most basic ornamentation. Clothing is made at home of plain fabrics and is primarily dark –usually black- in color, as is depicted in the following picture.

The Amish representing the juxtaposition of decency, simplicity, and modesty via their dressing sagacity

With respect to ‘Witness’, Weir has enthrallingly delivered a subterranean rendering of the Amishculture, which not only adheres to genuine authenticity of the Amish, but also specializes in endorsing the Amish as a sanguine civilization. The Amish are averse to any technology which they believe deteriorates the family configuration. The conveniences that the rest of us take for granted, such as electricity, are considered to be a temptation that could cause vanity, create inequity, or lead the Amish away from their close-knit community and, as such, are not encouraged or accepted in most orders. Most Amish cultivate