English Essay – ‘Witness’ by Peter Weir The 1985 film witness‚ directed by Peter Weir is a crime/drama that develops the theme of conflict on a social‚ cultural and personal level. These areas of conflict are highlighted through the use of film techniques such as; camera shots‚ camera angles‚ lighting and costume. The film outlines the contrast between mainstream American society and the Amish community in regional Pennsylvania. While American society is seen as a violent and arrogant group of
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NOTES ON MODULE B‚ WITNESS BY PETER WEIR‚ 1985 Introduction: * Engage in a detailed analysis of a text * Understanding of how the ideas‚ forms and language of a text interact within the text and may affect those responding to it. * Students will need an understanding of film techniques and of the police drama genre. Important aspects to know: * Visual techniquesenhance understanding of characters * Editing techniquescreate suspense‚ establish characters‚ create atmosphere‚ position
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The film‚ Witness‚ deals with characters in conflict with the world around them. Discuss the methods Weir uses to convey this idea of conflict. In Peter Weir’s film‚ Witness‚ several characters come into conflict with their environment. This is evident through the use of various techniques such as symbol‚ camera angle‚ and imagery. Samuel’s protective life as a child in the Amish community is corrupted when he comes into contact with crime and the city and experiences a loss of innocence. By contrast
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thoroughly represented throughout Peter Weir’s stunning and thematically moving film ‘Witness’ in which two different worlds with two different value systems are profoundly presented to its viewers. Having a sense of belonging is essential to identity; it is a basic human instinct to belong and to have faith in certain beliefs‚ the preoccupations meaningfully explored within Weir’s creations. Moreover‚ through the use of film techniques and representation‚ Weir has managed to captivate and compel
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“Witness” is an American film made in 1985 produced by Australian film maker Peter Weir; he has successfully conveyed many themes‚ issues and concepts in this film. The opening scene of the film “Witness” establishes many features of the film. These features include the camera shots‚ camera angles‚ light‚ sound‚ and dialogue‚ positioning of characters and setting. The opening scene is significant as it examines the concepts of ; how the peaceful Amish communities are marginalised and isolated from
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How does Weir convey the difference in culture in his film Witness? The difference in culture is emphasised through distinctive ideas and characters in the film ‘Witness’ directed by Peter Weir. He uses themes and film techniques to further emphasise the difference in culture in the film‚ especially in the “Happy Valley” scene and the “Barn-Raising” scene. Weir attempts to emphasise the moral of the film which is that the mainstream western society has lost its way as it results to violence and
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They don’t do handguns‚ cars‚ or telephones‚ and they’re exceedingly clannish in their desire to keep out technology generally and outsiders in particular. The basis for Witness is an age-old fish-out-of-water story: a modern man trying to fit in with the quaint Amish in Lancaster County‚ Pennsylvania. Taken on that basis alone‚ Witness is a success; it’s when the "real" world intrudes‚ with its drugs and crooked cops and dead partners‚ that the movie falls apart. Harrison Ford plays John Book‚ a big
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"Witness" is a thriller‚ which was directed by Peter Weir and released in 1985. The film centres around the Amish community who live in Pennsylvania‚ and a young Amish boy‚ Samuel‚ and his widowed mother‚ Rachel‚ who are caught up in the clash between two very different worlds. One world is the modern‚ American‚ consumerist world‚ focused on money‚ property and individual success‚ and the other is the contrasting world of the Amish which is focused on serving their community. This clash between the
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Discuss the central concerns and themes of Witness and how various film techniques are used to in closing scenes of the movie. Witness is a Hollywood film that was directed by Peter Weir in 1985. It’s a story about an Amish boy who witnesses a murder on his trip to the big city. Weir in the closing scenes is able to show through different themes‚ various techniques of sound‚ camera and lighting to correspond the Amish community‚ their connection to the land and disconnection from society. The
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The film ‘Witness’ by Peter Weir is made memorable through the representation of ideas through the cinematic techniques and inclusion of themes throughout the film. These ideas are represented through the use of camera angles‚ dialogue and Mise en scene. The theme of the clashes of two cultures is initially displayed through the use of camera angles and the ideas presented highlight the interactions between these two cultures. The horse and buggy scene is the first representation of a clash in the
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