By combining the organization approaches used in our treatment of “It’s A Wonderful Life” and “High Noon”, we can see the two approaches of the Hero’s Journey and the Decision-Maker’s Path simultaneously at work in “Witness”.
1. Where are you coming from? [The hero is seen in his or her ordinary world.]
In rural Pennsylvania, where time seems to stand still in the face of modern progress and urban life, the Amish community conducts a funeral and wake for Jacob, husband of Rachel (Kelly McGillis) and father of Samuel (Lucas Haas). Daniel (Boris Gudunov), who is interested in Rachel, pays his respects at the wake and later at the train station encourages Rachel to come back from her trip with Samuel to visit her sister in Baltimore. Rachel’s father, Eli, tells her to “be careful among the English.” Daniel boldly races alongside the train with his horse-drawn wagon so Rachel and Samuel see him.
In Philadelphia, Rachel and Samuel must wait for the connecting train to Baltimore. While Rachel sits and waits, Samuel explores the station, finding someone with a similar hat, but is more likely Jewish than Amish, and then spends moments staring at a statue of the archangel Michael bearing the soul of a fallen soldier (Angel of Resurrection). Then Samuel steps into the restroom, where a man is washing. Samuel goes into a stall, only to see the man get attacked by two men. A Black man (Danny Glover) in a suit stabs to death the man who was washing; then, hearing a small noise from Samuel, searches for him. Samuel locks his stall and slips under the separation wall to another that the killer has already checked.
The Philadelphia police arrive to investigate the murder. John Book (Harrison Ford) is the homicide captain who talks with Samuel who says the killer was a big black man, not small like Book’s partner Sergeant Carter.
2. Where are you wanting to go? [The hero is called to adventure.]
Rachel’s protests (“…we want nothing to do with your laws”) go unheeded. Samuel is a material witness and they must stay and try to help identify the killer. Book drives Rachel and Samuel to the “Happy Valley” bar where he and Carter bring out a possible suspect. Then Book takes them to stay overnight with his sister Elaine. Elaine complains privately and tells Book to “keep your holier than thou” mouth shut when he reprimands her about having her boyfriend sleep over when her young children are upstairs.
3. What are you waiting for? [The hero is reluctant.]
The next day Book takes Rachel and Samuel to a line-up. Samuel doesn’t I.D. anyone as the killer. When they break for lunch, Rachel tells Book of various personal information Elaine has told her about him, including that he doesn’t have a family or children of his own. When they return for Samuel to look at mug shots, Book takes a call and Samuel walks around the office. Stops in front of a trophy case, recognizes the man in the newspaper article, McFee (Glover), as the killer, and points him out to Book.
4. What are your wise ones generally advising? [The hero encounters a wise one.]
Book goes to his boss, Paul Schaeffer, and tells him about McFee and the connection to the killing. The man killed was a police officer. There is $22 million in illegal drug chemicals tied into this. Book assures Paul that no one else knows about this revelation but the two of them. Paul will take care of bringing in FBI, etc.
5. What are the pros and cons of the issue being decided? [The hero passes through the first threshold.]
As Book steps into a parking garage to retrieve his car, McFee approaches. They get into a gunfight. Though McFee drives off, Book has been hit. Book returns to his sister’s home, gets Rachel and Samuel, and tells his sister not to tell anyone anything. Book calls Carter and tells him to take all the paperwork out of the files on this case. Tells him to watch his back. Using Elaine’s car, Book drives Rachel and Samuel to Eli’s farm. Book tells Rachel that there will be no trial, then tries to leave. But his wound is too much, with the loss of blood, and he passes out, running into a birdhouse. Eli pulls Book out of the car in a way that reminds us of the Angel of Resurrection statue.
6. What are “The Powers That Be” saying? [The hero encounters tests and helpers.]
The Amish community helps John Book with his wound; store the car out of sight in a small barn; and Rachel nurses him back to health, realizing that if Book dies, they will have to dispose of the body or Samuel will be found.
Meanwhile, Schaeffer tries to find Book via police connections only to discover that there are many Lapps in the community, no phones, and thus no easy way to do it.
When John is able to get up, Samuel enters his room and finds John’s gun. John finds him with it, he tells Samuel in no uncertain terms that he should never handle the gun, especially when it’s loaded. But Rachel doesn’t come into the room until afterwards. She reprimands John. Eli later talks with Samuel about the dangers of the “gun of the hand.” When Samuel says he would kill a bad man, Eli asks him if he is capable of knowing what’s in another man’s heart. Samuel says he knows what they do. Then Eli quotes scripture: “Come out from among them and be ye separate.”
John, in plain Amish clothes, but with his gun that he has retrieved from Rachel, goes into town with Eli and Samuel. Then he calls Carter and discovers it’s “too hot” for him to come back in yet.
When Eli sees that John is up to working on his car, he gets him to help by having him milk the cows at 4:30 AM. After breakfast, Daniel comes to see Rachel, introducing himself to John. In exchange of looks, the two men realize they are rivals for Rachel’s affections.
7. What is your real agenda? [The hero reaches the inner sanctum.]
At night, John and Rachel sit in the car and an oldie, Sam Cooke’s Wonderful World, comes on the car radio (“Don't know much about history/ Don't know much biology/ Don't know much about a science book / Don't know much about the French I took/ But I do know that I love you/ And I know that if you love me too/ What a wonderful world this would be…”). John dances with Rachel and she enjoys it, as does he. Then Eli finds them and warns Rachel that the community is talking, that they may shun her. When he suggests this would be shameful, she responds that he would rather be judging her.
8. What facts and reasons are you contending with? [The hero endures the supreme ordeal.]
Meanwhile, Schaeffer meets with Carter trying to get him to tell where Book is. He laughs at the concept of Book praying with the Amish.
John’s carpentry skills are contributed to a day-long barn raising by the community. He is accepted for his efforts and the community eats a meal together to support during their hard work.
Schaeffer suggests to Carter that the police are a “cult” like the Amish, a club, and that what Book is doing is breaking the rules.
9. What insights and oversights are emerging? [The hero seizes the sword.]
At the end of the day, John watches Rachel retire. She takes a sponge bath and John sees her. When she turns to reveal herself unashamedly, John lowers his head.
10. How are you going to tell your decision? [The hero takes the road back.]
The next morning John finds Rachel and tells he that if they had made love the night before, either he would have to stay or she would have to leave.
11. What are you willing to risk in order to gain what you can only hope for? [The hero experiences a death and a resurrection.]
Into the town full of camera-toting tourists, John goes the Amish men. He speaks out of character to a tourist trying to take his picture. (“You take my picture and I’ll rip off your bra and hang you with it…”) He tries to call Carter again, but is referred to the police department’s public relations office. Carter was killed “in the line of duty” the night before.
John calls Schaeffer and tells him that he is coming after Schaeffer because he knows what happened to Carter. He repeats to Schaeffer the words Schaeffer had told him once before: “You’ve lost the meaning.”
With this information fresh in his mind, he starts to ride back to the farm with the Amish, when the horse-drawn wagons are stopped by some local toughs who want to test the Amish men. John does not heed Eli’s way, but rather confronts the toughs’ leader saying the tough has made a mistake. The tough doesn’t get it, but he does when John hits him in the nose and fights off several others. A local citizen is aghast at this behavior. Daniel claims John is a cousin from Ohio. The citizen informs a police officer after John and the others leave, saying: “This is not good for the tourist trade.”
12. How do you determining that the decision you are discerning is the right one? [The hero returns with the elixir.]
Rachel sees Samuel playing with a toy John has made him. She sees him putting the birdhouse back in place. She talks with Eli who tells her John is leaving the next day. (“Going back to nothing”; “where he belongs”)
At twilight, Rachel takes off her Amish bonnet and runs out to John in the field. They embrace and kiss each other passionately, Rachel in tears.
Then over the hill comes Schaeffer, McFee, and Fergie. They pull their guns out of the trunk and make their way to the farm house. McFee bursts into the kitchen where Rachel and Eli are standing. Schaeffer enters, tells them he’s the police and he’s after Book, not Samuel. When Schaeffer takes them outside, Eli yells out “Book.”
John hurries to get Samuel out the back and tells him to run to Daniel’s farm. Samuel hesitates when he hears Fergie shooting. John then evades Fergie in the car barn; climbs into the corn silo; and opens the container on top of Fergie, suffocating him. He digs Fergie’s shot gun out from the pile of corn just in time to deal with McFee with a single blast.
Just as Schaeffer is taking Eli and Rachel outside to find out what’s happening, Rachel and Eli see that Samuel has returned to the house. As Eli follows Rachel through the door to the outside, Eli signals to Samuel to pull ring the bell for the community to come help.
Despite Schaeffer’s call for Samuel to stop ringing the bell, it continues. Schaeffer uses Rachel as a shield as he goes into the barn after John. After screaming at each other, to no avail, John drops his weapon so Schaeffer will not harm Rachel.
When they arrive outside, Eli, Daniel, Samuel and the community have taken their stand in front of the exit. When they do not heed Schaeffer’s claims of authority as a police officer, John confronts him, asking who else will he kill to get his way. (“It’s over. Enough.”) John takes Schaeffer’s gun from him. Schaeffer turns away from the community and goes down on his knees.
When the large police crime scene team has left, and after John says goodbye to Samuel, he and Rachel stand with a closed screen door between them. She has her Amish bonnet on. They do not speak. She watches him leave. Eli tells John to “be careful among the English.”
As John drives away in his sister’s car, he brakes momentarily when he comes upon Daniel who is walking toward Rachel’s home.
1. Where are you coming from? [The hero is seen in his or her ordinary world.]
In rural Pennsylvania, where time seems to stand still in the face of modern progress and urban life, the Amish community conducts a funeral and wake for Jacob, husband of Rachel (Kelly McGillis) and father of Samuel (Lucas Haas). Daniel (Boris Gudunov), who is interested in Rachel, pays his respects at the wake and later at the train station encourages Rachel to come back from her trip with Samuel to visit her sister in Baltimore. Rachel’s father, Eli, tells her to “be careful among the English.” Daniel boldly races alongside the train with his horse-drawn wagon so Rachel and Samuel see him.
In Philadelphia, Rachel and Samuel must wait for the connecting train to Baltimore. While Rachel sits and waits, Samuel explores the station, finding someone with a similar hat, but is more likely Jewish than Amish, and then spends moments staring at a statue of the archangel Michael bearing the soul of a fallen soldier (Angel of Resurrection). Then Samuel steps into the restroom, where a man is washing. Samuel goes into a stall, only to see the man get attacked by two men. A Black man (Danny Glover) in a suit stabs to death the man who was washing; then, hearing a small noise from Samuel, searches for him. Samuel locks his stall and slips under the separation wall to another that the killer has already checked.
The Philadelphia police arrive to investigate the murder. John Book (Harrison Ford) is the homicide captain who talks with Samuel who says the killer was a big black man, not small like Book’s partner Sergeant Carter.
2. Where are you wanting to go? [The hero is called to adventure.]
Rachel’s protests (“…we want nothing to do with your laws”) go unheeded. Samuel is a material witness and they must stay and try to help identify the killer. Book drives Rachel and Samuel to the “Happy Valley” bar where he and Carter bring out a possible suspect. Then Book takes them to stay overnight with his sister Elaine. Elaine complains privately and tells Book to “keep your holier than thou” mouth shut when he reprimands her about having her boyfriend sleep over when her young children are upstairs.
3. What are you waiting for? [The hero is reluctant.]
The next day Book takes Rachel and Samuel to a line-up. Samuel doesn’t I.D. anyone as the killer. When they break for lunch, Rachel tells Book of various personal information Elaine has told her about him, including that he doesn’t have a family or children of his own. When they return for Samuel to look at mug shots, Book takes a call and Samuel walks around the office. Stops in front of a trophy case, recognizes the man in the newspaper article, McFee (Glover), as the killer, and points him out to Book.
4. What are your wise ones generally advising? [The hero encounters a wise one.]
Book goes to his boss, Paul Schaeffer, and tells him about McFee and the connection to the killing. The man killed was a police officer. There is $22 million in illegal drug chemicals tied into this. Book assures Paul that no one else knows about this revelation but the two of them. Paul will take care of bringing in FBI, etc.
5. What are the pros and cons of the issue being decided? [The hero passes through the first threshold.]
As Book steps into a parking garage to retrieve his car, McFee approaches. They get into a gunfight. Though McFee drives off, Book has been hit. Book returns to his sister’s home, gets Rachel and Samuel, and tells his sister not to tell anyone anything. Book calls Carter and tells him to take all the paperwork out of the files on this case. Tells him to watch his back. Using Elaine’s car, Book drives Rachel and Samuel to Eli’s farm. Book tells Rachel that there will be no trial, then tries to leave. But his wound is too much, with the loss of blood, and he passes out, running into a birdhouse. Eli pulls Book out of the car in a way that reminds us of the Angel of Resurrection statue.
6. What are “The Powers That Be” saying? [The hero encounters tests and helpers.]
The Amish community helps John Book with his wound; store the car out of sight in a small barn; and Rachel nurses him back to health, realizing that if Book dies, they will have to dispose of the body or Samuel will be found.
Meanwhile, Schaeffer tries to find Book via police connections only to discover that there are many Lapps in the community, no phones, and thus no easy way to do it.
When John is able to get up, Samuel enters his room and finds John’s gun. John finds him with it, he tells Samuel in no uncertain terms that he should never handle the gun, especially when it’s loaded. But Rachel doesn’t come into the room until afterwards. She reprimands John. Eli later talks with Samuel about the dangers of the “gun of the hand.” When Samuel says he would kill a bad man, Eli asks him if he is capable of knowing what’s in another man’s heart. Samuel says he knows what they do. Then Eli quotes scripture: “Come out from among them and be ye separate.”
John, in plain Amish clothes, but with his gun that he has retrieved from Rachel, goes into town with Eli and Samuel. Then he calls Carter and discovers it’s “too hot” for him to come back in yet.
When Eli sees that John is up to working on his car, he gets him to help by having him milk the cows at 4:30 AM. After breakfast, Daniel comes to see Rachel, introducing himself to John. In exchange of looks, the two men realize they are rivals for Rachel’s affections.
7. What is your real agenda? [The hero reaches the inner sanctum.]
At night, John and Rachel sit in the car and an oldie, Sam Cooke’s Wonderful World, comes on the car radio (“Don't know much about history/ Don't know much biology/ Don't know much about a science book / Don't know much about the French I took/ But I do know that I love you/ And I know that if you love me too/ What a wonderful world this would be…”). John dances with Rachel and she enjoys it, as does he. Then Eli finds them and warns Rachel that the community is talking, that they may shun her. When he suggests this would be shameful, she responds that he would rather be judging her.
8. What facts and reasons are you contending with? [The hero endures the supreme ordeal.]
Meanwhile, Schaeffer meets with Carter trying to get him to tell where Book is. He laughs at the concept of Book praying with the Amish.
John’s carpentry skills are contributed to a day-long barn raising by the community. He is accepted for his efforts and the community eats a meal together to support during their hard work.
Schaeffer suggests to Carter that the police are a “cult” like the Amish, a club, and that what Book is doing is breaking the rules.
9. What insights and oversights are emerging? [The hero seizes the sword.]
At the end of the day, John watches Rachel retire. She takes a sponge bath and John sees her. When she turns to reveal herself unashamedly, John lowers his head.
10. How are you going to tell your decision? [The hero takes the road back.]
The next morning John finds Rachel and tells he that if they had made love the night before, either he would have to stay or she would have to leave.
11. What are you willing to risk in order to gain what you can only hope for? [The hero experiences a death and a resurrection.]
Into the town full of camera-toting tourists, John goes the Amish men. He speaks out of character to a tourist trying to take his picture. (“You take my picture and I’ll rip off your bra and hang you with it…”) He tries to call Carter again, but is referred to the police department’s public relations office. Carter was killed “in the line of duty” the night before.
John calls Schaeffer and tells him that he is coming after Schaeffer because he knows what happened to Carter. He repeats to Schaeffer the words Schaeffer had told him once before: “You’ve lost the meaning.”
With this information fresh in his mind, he starts to ride back to the farm with the Amish, when the horse-drawn wagons are stopped by some local toughs who want to test the Amish men. John does not heed Eli’s way, but rather confronts the toughs’ leader saying the tough has made a mistake. The tough doesn’t get it, but he does when John hits him in the nose and fights off several others. A local citizen is aghast at this behavior. Daniel claims John is a cousin from Ohio. The citizen informs a police officer after John and the others leave, saying: “This is not good for the tourist trade.”
12. How do you determining that the decision you are discerning is the right one? [The hero returns with the elixir.]
Rachel sees Samuel playing with a toy John has made him. She sees him putting the birdhouse back in place. She talks with Eli who tells her John is leaving the next day. (“Going back to nothing”; “where he belongs”)
At twilight, Rachel takes off her Amish bonnet and runs out to John in the field. They embrace and kiss each other passionately, Rachel in tears.
Then over the hill comes Schaeffer, McFee, and Fergie. They pull their guns out of the trunk and make their way to the farm house. McFee bursts into the kitchen where Rachel and Eli are standing. Schaeffer enters, tells them he’s the police and he’s after Book, not Samuel. When Schaeffer takes them outside, Eli yells out “Book.”
John hurries to get Samuel out the back and tells him to run to Daniel’s farm. Samuel hesitates when he hears Fergie shooting. John then evades Fergie in the car barn; climbs into the corn silo; and opens the container on top of Fergie, suffocating him. He digs Fergie’s shot gun out from the pile of corn just in time to deal with McFee with a single blast.
Just as Schaeffer is taking Eli and Rachel outside to find out what’s happening, Rachel and Eli see that Samuel has returned to the house. As Eli follows Rachel through the door to the outside, Eli signals to Samuel to pull ring the bell for the community to come help.
Despite Schaeffer’s call for Samuel to stop ringing the bell, it continues. Schaeffer uses Rachel as a shield as he goes into the barn after John. After screaming at each other, to no avail, John drops his weapon so Schaeffer will not harm Rachel.
When they arrive outside, Eli, Daniel, Samuel and the community have taken their stand in front of the exit. When they do not heed Schaeffer’s claims of authority as a police officer, John confronts him, asking who else will he kill to get his way. (“It’s over. Enough.”) John takes Schaeffer’s gun from him. Schaeffer turns away from the community and goes down on his knees.
When the large police crime scene team has left, and after John says goodbye to Samuel, he and Rachel stand with a closed screen door between them. She has her Amish bonnet on. They do not speak. She watches him leave. Eli tells John to “be careful among the English.”
As John drives away in his sister’s car, he brakes momentarily when he comes upon Daniel who is walking toward Rachel’s home.
© 2007 John Darrouzet
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