Witness film close study

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The relationship between a character and their world can lead us to a deeper understanding of significant ideas in the text. ‘Witness’ directed by Peter Weir in 1985 effectively demonstrates how a crime fiction genre is explored through the significant ideas of characterisation and a clash of cultures. Ultimately, these aspects created through the relationships between characters and their worlds, allows us to have a deeper understanding of any texts main ideas.

The genre of crime fiction, exposed in 'Witness' has demonstrated the corruption within the police force after the murder of an undercover officer. The use of suspenseful non-diegetic music and an extreme close up shot of Samuel's eye as the witness to a murder, implies that danger is heading towards him. Weir effectively applies a long shot of Samuel staring blanking with suspenseful music to portray Samuel as in a position of no power and in danger. The slow motion of the close up and zooming in onto the killer and Book’s realisation of the corruption exposed by lowering Samuel’s hand, can be interpreted as Samuel’s recognition of the murderer, revealing to Book the nature of the crime and the truth about his colleague, as well as indicating the seriousness of the delinquency of the ‘real’ world. This results in the characters having to remove themselves from society in order to survive. The notion of the genre of crime fiction has led us to understand the relationship between a character and their world and allowed the exposure of the thematic elements within the text.

The significant ideas within the characterisation of the protagonist John Book allows a deeper understanding of the relationship between the character and their world. The name ‘Book’ symbolises his kno...

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... looks like; dark and dirty as well as revealing the city as a hectic and enclosed place. The name of the pub ‘Happy Valley’ is ironic because the people and setting is gloomy and bleak in contrast to where the Amish lived. Weir used close up shot of a police officer using violence on a random man shows that the people in the modern city is more brutal and violent. As a result, the significant idea of clash of culture has led us to a deeper understanding of the opposite worlds in relation to a character.

To sum this up, through Peter Weir’s utility of a variety of different dialogues, camera angles and shots and music, the significant ideas of the characterization of John Book and the clash of culture, it has allowed the genre of crime fiction to take place. Consequently it has given us a greater understanding of the relationship between a character and their world.

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