Search - Witness on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1985 DVD Release: 06/29/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 52 mins Studio: Paramount Members Wishing: 22 Genres: Thriller, Romance, Romantic Drama, Crime Thriller, Rural Drama See Also: Witness [Widescreen Special Collector's Edition], Witness [I Love the 80's Edition], Witness [Circuit City Exclusive] [Checkpoint]

In Peter Weir's thriller Witness, Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy, witnesses a murder in the restroom of a Philadelphia bus station. Harrison Ford stars as John Book, the police detective investigating the murder. When Book discovers that the crime was part of a conspiracy involving several officials in his department, he flees Philadelphia to the Amish community where Samuel lives with his widowed mother, Rachel (Kelly McGillis). Slowly assimilating himself into the Amish community, Book eventually finds himself falling in love with Rachel in the midst of his investigation. Eventually, the corrupt police track Book down, and he is forced to confront them, while also trying to protect Rachel and Samuel. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Harrison Ford - John Book
Kelly McGillis - Rachel
Josef Sommer - Paul Schaeffer
Lukas Haas - Samuel
Jan Rubes - Eli Lapp

Peter Weir's 1985 Amish drama comes to DVD via Paramount in a bare-bones edition that's about as plain as the Amish people it portrays. Witness features a nice transfer in the original 2.35:1 widescreen format, anamorphically enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions. Picture quality is excellent, with solid blacks and bright colors. Audio is presented in a brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, though it's not as impressive as other Paramount remixes. An English Dolby Surround track is also included, as well as a French Dolby Surround language track. Rear speakers are utilized minimally, with the majority of sound focused in the center speaker. Extra features are very slim, though Paramount was gracious enough to include a seven-minute interview with director Weir (discussing his first meeting with star Harrison Ford, among other topics). Also included is a scratchy full-frame theatrical trailer for the film. A more fitting edition seems warranted for such an acclaimed film, but as far as the audio and video go, this will do. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide