English Task On Witness (1985)

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English Task on Witness (1985) By Adam Simpson In the first scene of the film Witness, Peter Weir reveals a great deal about the Amish populace, primarily that they have a deep connection with nature, have a very organised and patriarchal community and their pace of life is calmer and less frantic than modern life. In the opening scenes of Witness, it is clear that the Amish people have a strong bond with nature, with nearly every country scene featuring at least some form of vegetation. The Amish connection with nature adds another layer to the thematic concern of the city and country. The Amish deeply value nature, to the point where they have rejected modern technologies. Peter Weir’s initial establishing shot, shows the Amish are walking towards the camera through a wheat field, giving the impression that they are almost rising up out of the grain, the balanced composition aiding the fact that the Amish have found harmony in nature. The melodious, non-diegetic music in the background continues to support the idea that the Amish are connected with nature. In the opening scenes of Witness, Peter Weir conveys the fact that Amish society is highly organised and divided into sects, each having their own roles. In Amish society, the women stay at home cooking and looking after the children, while the men are out working in the fields, providing food for their families. This can be seen in the scene directly after Rachel’s funeral. The women are setting the table, the men are talking together and the children are playing. The closest the sects come to intermingling is when Daniel approaches Rachel and the other women and offers his condolences. It is observed that Daniel has left his sect and is not part of the women’s group as there is an immensely uneven composition in the shot, with Daniel alone on the left and Rachel and the women clumped on the right. The fact
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