Film for Thought: Wednesday, 11th October 2017 at 6.30 pm - Screening of `Witness' at Sunaparanta

This Wednesday, 11^th October 2017 at 6.30 pm, Sunaparanta will host the screening of ‘Witness’ at Sunaparanta indoor gallery

Film: Witness (1985)

Directed by: Peter Weir

Cast: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Danny Glover & Viggo Mortensen

Run Time: 1 hr 50 mins

About the Film 

Petr Weir’s films are characterized by their visual beauty and understated romantic quality. Often set against the backdrop of nature and peaceful landscapes, he uses Maurice Jarre's (`Lawrence of Arabia’, `Dr. Zhivago’) ethereal musical scores to enhance his poetic images so that the films play like wordless dreams (`Picnic at Hanging Rock’, `Dead Poet’s Society’).   His influences range from silent film to the paintings of the Dutch Masters like Vermeer and classical music. Like Hitchcock, his ability to reveal the thoughts and feelings of his characters through long sequences without a single spoken word make him a true cinematic master.

`Witness’ is his most ambitious film as it is three films in one - a gripping cop thriller, a beautiful and understated romance between people from opposite worlds and a sensitive look at the AMISH community, a peaceful people seemingly from another time (the 19th century) who live in a rustic environment without electricity and technology, in sharp contrast to the "civilized" 21st century city people who live in a world plagued by violence, mistrust and crime. Weir examines the culture clashes between the quaint Amish and the city dwellers through the character of John Book (Harrison Ford) as he attempts to protect the young Amish boy who is the only witness to a gruesome murder.  

TRIVIA: The Amish section of the film (lit by natural light, oil lamps and candlelight as the Amish don't have electricity) was influenced by the paintings of Vermeer who specialized in domestic interiors and his "light from the left" technique.

SCREENING WILL BEGIN AT 6.30 pm

SEATING WILL BE ON FIRST-COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS