Silence: The "Witness" Fanlisting

BASIC INFO

"Witness" was released by Paramount Pictures in 1985 after filming in Philadelphia and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, otherwise known as "Amish Country." The movie stars Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Danny Glover, Jan Rubes, Josef Sommer, and Alexander Godunov. It was directed by Peter Weir and written by Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley, and Pamela Wallace. It had a budget of $12 million (USD). The movie features dialogue in both English and Pennsylvania Dutch, the language of the Mennonites.

The film won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Film Editing. Weir and Ford received nominations for Best Director and Best Actor respectively, and the film was nominated for Best Picture.

PLOT SUMMARY

The Mennonite (or "Amish") Rachel Lapp (Kelly McGillis) takes her young son Samuel (Lukas Haas) to visit her sister in Baltimore. At the railway station in Philadelphia, little Samuel witnesses a brutal murder in a restroom. The police, led by Captain John Book (Harrison Ford), learn that Samuel is the sole witness and try to obtain more information from him about the crime. Samuel struggles with this, especially since he has never been outside his Mennonite community and does not understand the social interactions he has with the police.

Book arranges for the Lapps to stay with his sister in Philadelphia. After Samuel identifies another police officer, Det. Lt. James McFee (Danny Glover), as one of the culprits, Book tells his supervisor, who seems receptive and wants to help with the case. It becomes clear soon after that his supervisor is actually involved, and Book begins to fear for the safety of the Lapps. These fears are confirmed when Book is shot by McFee.

Following this, Book takes the Lapps back to their Mennonite community in order to hide them. After Rachel and her father, Eli (Jan Rubes), nurse him back to health, Book notifies his partner about the conspiracy; his partner is then retaliated against. Book decides to go into hiding with the Lapps, adopting Mennonite customs and clothing and becoming a part of their community.

The Mennonites view Book as a suspicious outsider, especially Eli, who is concerned about the growing relationship between Book and his daughter, and Daniel Hochleitner (Alexander Godunov), who wishes to marry Rachel. After he begins to contribute his carpentry skills to the community, however, and he defends the Mennonites from intrusive tourists, they accept him more. In particular, Rachel begins to fall in love with him, and the two share several tender but pained moments, as they know they cannot stay together due to their cultural differences.

The corrupt Philadelphia officers eventually track Book and the Lapps down after killing his partner. Book sends Samuel away to make sure he is not killed and leads McFee and the others on a chase around the Lapp farm. In the meantime, Samuel is able to run and get help from the other Mennonites in the area. Eventually, Book is able to kill McFee and one of the officers; the sight of the large group of Mennonites who have arrived causes the other to give up.

Although Rachel briefly considers going with Book when he returns home, she stays behind, presumably to resume her relationship with Daniel, who is seen walking up the long path to the house as Book is leaving it behind.