The murder scene of 'Witness'.

Director: Peter Weir

Writers:  William Kelley (story), Pamela Wallace (story),

Stars: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis and Lukas Haas

This film starts off with an eight year old character named Samuel Lap. He is Amish because he is wearing an Amish costume which involves simple black trousers with braces, a blue shirt, a black jacket and a black bowler/derby hat. The Amish community all wear the same clothing because they believe that clothing for men and women tends to serve utilitarian purposes and is not designed to accentuate physical features.

Unlike outside communities, the Amish do not believe that clothing is meant to distinguish the individual from the group by making that person more "attractive" over others. The Amish identity is important in the film because the representation of  Philadelphia in America  where the Amish  mother and child travel to, and the fact that  Amish church groups usually seek to maintain a degree of separation from the non-Amish world. Philadelphia is a stereotypical place where murders and crimes constantly take place, whereas the Amish community from which the mother and child come from, is very religious so everyone follows certain rules and guide lines. The followers of this religion are under pressure to behave and function in a completely different  to Americans, for example they choose not to use power-line electricity, telephones, and automobiles and anyone who chooses not to abide by the rules, will instantly be excommunicated and then shunned. The fact that this film uses this culture to reinforce stereotypes is very interesting. The use of a culture that would never usually mix with the out-side community is very strange itself.

Firstly, the scene starts of with the young boy, Sam, looking up at an extremely revealing statue in a dim lit train station that is beyond his cultural reference. The dim lighting creates a murky and sinister atmosphere. The camera angle is from Sam's point of view, looking up, (a low angle shot), showing that the statue shows significance and power over the boy revealing his vulnerability. Then, there is another low angle, close-up shot of Sam looking up at the statue which shows his expression where you see his confusion and curiosity. Then, the camera shows Sam as a comparison to the outside world by using a high angle shot from the statue's point of view. This shows how insignificant Sam is and suggests he is a person who is reserved. You then see the mother pull Sam away from the statue, suggesting that she thought it was inappropriate for him to be looking at. You then see the two characters sitting alone in a very isolated area, where you see a vanishing point into the corner. This allows the audience to experience enigma and it also establishes the location of where they are.

Sam then asks his mother if he could to the toilet. His mother carelessly allows him to go independently. This reflects her naivety and the culture of the Amish society, because she assumes he will be safe from experience at home. You see Sam walking off into the vanishing point leaving us with suspense. It then cuts to a medium close up of a man washing his face into a wash basin.

The toilets are a generic location for thrillers because they are claustrophobic which indicates that something is going to happen, creating tension. You hear menacing non-diegetic soundtrack playing as you hear a diegetic sound of the door opening- creating anxiety for the audience. This scene is ambient lit, making it more realistic and believable for the audience. The sound stops and you see a close-up of the villian washing his face- revealing his importance with-in the film. Soundtrack and diegetic sounds stop. You see Sam walking into a particularly dark cubicle with the man watching him, through the mirror. Whilst this is happening, you hear footsteps of someone in the background- there is a low angle shot of a man in a suit reflecting authority or high class. Because we don't see his face, this leaves the audience with enigma and keeps the mystery going. The crime happens and you see the man's face who walked in for the first time. Shot reverse shot shows us the expressions on the victim, attacker and Sam's face, this is a good technique because it allows you to see the reactions of the characters at different times when you are not seeing the actual crime happening. The idea of Sam secretly hiding in the toilets and watching through the crack of the cubicle, creates tension and enigma because you don't know if anything will happen to him.

It then cuts to a close up on the weapon which is a knife. A point of view shot from Sam watching allows us to see the horrific murder as if you were actually there. This also reinforces the immediate danger he is now in. The murder finishes and you see Sam backing away from the door, and the attacker hears him, you feel his fear and suspense climbs through your body at this stage. There is silence and all you can hear and see is the threatening sounds and shots of the attackers footsteps, with this he is violently opening the doors of the other cubicles-rapidly increasing anticipation for Sam. Cutting suddenly to a close up of Sam trying to lock the door, with difficulty, builds up enormous amounts of panic and tension. You then get the close up of the villains feet as his progressively gets closer and closer. As the attacker struggles to get in to Sams cubicle, Sam shows his intelligence as he quickly slides onto the next cubicle. He then symbolises his religion as he stands like Jesus on top of the toilet seat. He stands with his arms stretched out- like Jesus and the cross which could represent that Jesus saved him.