Peter Weir uses contrast to interrogate the concerns of modern-day society. Discuss with close mention to the movie Witness. The movie informant directed by Peter weir raises inquiries about the concerns of modern-day society. These issues are exposed through the usage of movie techniques which convey contrast as two civilizations clash. The audience is challenged to oppugn these thoughts: the opposing construct of individuality versus a sense of community ; the usage and maltreatment of power along with honestness and trueness as opposed to dishonesty and disloyalty ; out love and the obstruction of two changing civilizations co-existing.
The substance of the movie highlights the concern of individuality contrasted to a sense of community. An illustration of single greed is encapsulated in the “identification scene” where Samuel recognizes the killer’s image ( McFee ) within the trophy cabinet where he is displayed as a hero. Amidst the diegetic sound of the constabulary station the camera pans to the cabinet. An extreme close up of Samuel’s eyes along with idea arousing music suggests his realisation that McFee is the liquidator. The point of position shootings ; the zooming in on McFee’s face and the non-diegetic sound forces the spectator to question his honor. The audience has viewed McFee as a slayer who appeared in the bathroom rinsing his custodies in a relaxed mode and stating casually “I’m merely rinsing my custodies man” suggests that his malicious nature is a portion if his mundane life.
This single sense of greed and opportunism in modern-day society is compared throughout the movie with the sense of community and generousness of the more traditional Amish civilization. The barn raising scene gaining controls this thought efficaciously as it portrays the community working together for a common cause. The harmonious music ; the broad angle shootings ; the cheerful facial looks and organic structure linguistic communication and “uniform” costumes highlight their equality and sense of belonging to one group.
The perpendicular panning shooting of Daniel sharing a drink with Book demonstrates the farmer’s altruism although he is in “competition” with Book for Rachel’s fondness. This contrast interrogates concerns of self-interest with modern-day society disputing the viewers’ perceptual experience of these civilizations. There is besides a contrast between how power is used within the civilizations. Maltreatment of power is clearly apparent with Schaeffer as he is ever shown as a loyal hubby and household adult male which challenges the
audience to oppugn what is really an semblance to this representation of character.
This word picture is overturned when Book phones Schaeffer and says “lost the significance did you Paul? Remember what you used to state. about soiled bulls. someplace along the manner they lost the meaning” . This forces the audience to interrogate the power of an single such as Schaeffer.
There is an semblance created within the movie that the English society has power over the Amish society. This is apparent in the next-to-last scene “final conflict” when Schaeffer and McFee go into the Amish society to arrest/kill Book. Schaeffer and McFee bring along arms as they believe that is adequate to take down Book and the Amish community. A mis-en-scene with a low angle shooting. dark colorss and cliff-hanging music of Schaeffer and McFee walking on the route places the audience to believe that the English have power and that they are traveling to take down the Amish community.
But this is contradicted when Samuel rings the bell and a long shooting is used to demo the Amish people stop. set down everything and run over to assist. Schaeffer is defeated by the sum of people working together ; this allows the audience to oppugn how power is used in modern-day society. Although the Amish society appears to take a inactive life style and “weak” as they are without arms they are still shown to hold power. This is apparent when they are going in the Equus caballus roadster as they are ever shown in a low angle shooting portraying that they have power and aren’t below modern-day society.
This highlights the contrast that Peter Weir used to oppugn the concern of power in modern-day society. Weir once more uses contrast to interrogate the concern of out love within modern-day society. The ‘Dancing in the barn scene’ conveys this thought.
The music playing is dry as it says “I don’t know much about…” because Book doesn’t know much about Rachel and the Amish community. Rachel’s hat is losing which indicates she is traveling off from the Amish civilization. Book dances with Rachel and this creates sexual tenseness but avoids oculus contact as he respects her civilization and doesn’t want to interrupt it which creates clumsiness. The Rachel rinsing scene besides expresses this thought as Book avoid oculus contact once more and rejects doing love with Rachel. The following twenty-four hours Book goes up to the biddy house that Rachel is in. In forepart of Book there is a screen door which is symbolic of a barrier of their out love says to Rachel “If we made love last dark I would hold to state or you would hold to leave” this once more shows that Book respects Rachel’s civilization.
The two world’s genuinely unify when book prepares to go forth. There is a close up of bonnet as it is placed on the tabular array by Rachel symbolizing once more that she is allowing travel and wants to be with Book. But this inability for the two communities to co-exist is symbolised besides through contrasting scenes of the bird house. Early in the movie and on Book’s go forthing as Book is first hindering on the Amish community – breakage of the bird house. so Book rebuilds the harm that he has cause – repair of the bird house. so restores everything back to normalcy – puts bird house back in topographic point.
This forces the audience to interrogate whether these two societies will of all time be able to unify together. In decision though the movie informant Peter Weir is able to interrogate the audience by contrasting the concerns of individuality versus community. the usage and maltreatment of power and out love in modern-day society.
