Witness appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a largely effective presentation.
For the most part, sharpness worked well. Some wide shots exhibited a bit of softness, but the majority of the movie gave us appealing delineation.
No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Outside of a “frozen” element attached to an early text card, grain seemed natural, and I detected no print flaws.
The palette of Witness favored muted tones, which made sense given its low-key production design. We got some blues and reds but a fairly brown feel dominated. The Blu-ray reproduced the hues well.
Blacks seemed deep and tight, while low-light shots offered positive delineation. Nothing here made the image a showcase, but it reproduced the source well.
As for the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Witness, it felt satisfactory but unremarkable. That was to be expected from such a quiet film, and the mix opened matters up only sporadically.
The biggest use of the audio came during the climactic sequence. At that time, the surrounds came more actively into play with gunfire and other elements.
They also popped up during a thunderstorm as well as in the train station. Music spread moderately to the rears, with the most prominent example coming from a thumping drum sound during the climax.
Otherwise, the audio concentrated on the front. Maurice Jarre’s synthesizer score demonstrated solid stereo imaging, and the rest of the mix showed decent ambience. That was about all we got most of the time, as the quiet country setting didn’t lend itself to theatrics.
Audio quality was good, though the mix occasionally showed its age. Speech demonstrated mostly warm qualities, despite a little edginess for some lines such as Ford’s shouted dialogue in a quick shootout.
Music worked well. The score offered surprising depth and range, and it came across with nice clarity. Effects didn’t play a huge role, and they occasionally seemed a bit distorted.
However, they mostly sounded clear and accurate, and the smattering of louder scenes boasted good bass response. This was a restrained soundtrack that seemed fine for its era and for a movie of this one’s ambitions.
Note that the Arrow release also provided two alternate audio options, both of which offered LPCM 2.0 tracks. One gave us a “Home Video Mix” while the other delivered a “Theatrical Dolby Stereo” version.
Both offered pure stereo audio without any surround involvement. The front channels brought reasonable delineation and movement across those front speakers, though the soundfield remained without ambition.
As with the 5.1 remix, this lack of ambition didn’t turn into a surprise, but it did mean Witness could seem borderline monaural at times. Not much of sonic note occurred, as even the “showier” scenes stayed pretty subdued.
I didn’t note any obvious differences in the soundscapes between “Home Video” and “Theatrical”. While I feel sure these alterations exist, they didn’t become clear to me, as both boasted similarly restrained soundfields.
Both also came with similar audio, and those tones largely felt similar to what I heard from the 5.1 track. That remix might bring a little more kick, but I didn’t discern any significant differences in terms of sound quality among the three.
Did I prefer one of the three to the others? Not really.
I do tend to lean toward original tracks, so in the future, I would likely opt for the “Theatrical” track, especially since “Home Video” felt so similar that it became semi-redundant. I did appreciate the extra involvement of the 5.1 mix, however, so it gives us a more than viable alternative.
How did the 2023 Arrow Blu-ray compare to the DVD from 2005? The BD’s lossless 5.1 audio showed greater warmth and clarity compared to the DVD’s lossy material.
Unsurprisingly, visuals brought clear growth, as the BD seemed much better defined and film-like. Given that the DVD looked mediocre even by format and 2005 standards, it became obvious the 2023 Blu-ray blew it out of the water.
Note that Witness made its Blu-ray debut in 2015. Unfortunately, I never saw that one so I can’t compare the 2023 release to it.
Arrow’s 2023 release mixes old and new categories, and these lead off with a fresh audio commentary from film historian Jarret Gahan. He provides a running look at the movie’s roots and long development, story/character/script, cast and crew, the film’s release, reception and legacy.
You’ll note the absence of the term “scene-specific” in the prior paragraph. If Gahan ever directly comments on what we see, I missed it.
This makes the commentary more of an “audio essay”, and that seems fine with me given the level of preparation invested into the track. Gahan covers a wide array of subjects and does so in a brisk and informative manner that ensures we find a terrific look at the film.
Between Two Worlds: The Making of Witness spans one hour, three minutes, 55 seconds. Created for the DVD, we get notes from director Peter Weir, producer Edward S. Feldman, director of photography John Seale, and actors Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Patti LuPone, and Viggo Mortensen.
We learn of the original script and the project’s development, how Weir and others came onto the project, the interaction between Weir and Ford, research by Ford and McGillis, casting, changes in the story, problems with the ending, shooting in Amish country and connected complications.
We also hear about Ford’s attitude on the set and character development, Weir’s methods, cinematographic choices, working with a child actor, issues related to the scene in which Haas handles a gun, the movie’s comedic moments, the use of music, the barn-raising scene, sex, dialogue and violence in the film, and the movie’s legacy.
Worlds” uses a somewhat scattershot approach and doesn’t come across as the most coherent view of the production. That said, it offers plenty of fine information about the project.
The inclusion of major participants like Weir and Ford certainly helps, and all involved present frank and intriguing notes about the production. “Worlds” works well and provides a solid overview of Witness.
In addition, we find one deleted scene. Described as being “from the network TV airing”, this clip runs four minutes, 10 seconds.
It shows additional interaction between John’s sister Elaine and Rachel when John stows the two Amish folks at her house overnight. It gives us some decent character insight, but it takes away from the movie’s focus and becomes a good cut.
Other than the movie’s trailer, the remaining extras didn’t appear on the 2005 DVD. The Eye of the Witness runs 14 minutes, 48 seconds and brings a 2023 interview with cinematographer John Seale.
As expected, Seale mainly discusses lighting and photography, but he also gets into influences and other production areas. Seale brings us a solid overview of his work.
Show… Don’t Tell lasts 15 minutes, 16 seconds. It delivers a 2023 visual essay with info from film journalist Staci Layne Wilson.
Here we learn about cast/crew as well as production elements, research, and thoughts about the film’s techniques. Some of this repeats from the commentary, but enough fresh material appears to make “Show” worth a look.
Next comes Harrison Ford in Conversation. Shot in 1985, this reel goes for seven minutes, six seconds.
As Ford chats with critic Bobbie Wygant, he covers what appealed to him about the movie as well as its place in his filmography and other aspects of Hollywood fame. Wygant doesn’t ask very interesting questions and Ford doesn’t become a particularly compelling subject.
A Conversation with Peter Weir offers another archival piece. From 1999, it runs seven minutes, 16 seconds.
The director tells us how he came to the project, casting, and some notes about the shoot. This offers a short but useful chat.
Under EPK Featurettes, we find two circa 1985 reels. Together they span nine minutes, 22 seconds and involve Weir, Ford and McGillis.
In these segments, we hear about cast/character and production basics. Nothing especially informative appears, as these clips exist to promote the movie and not much more.
An Image Gallery presents 74 stills that mix shots from the set, movie elements and posed photos. It emphasizes those last two categories and becomes a dull compilation.
In addition to these disc-based materials, the set includes six collector’s postcards, a 60-page booklet with essays and production notes, and a fold-out poster. My discs-only copy lacked these materials, but I wanted to mention them.
Unusually calm and restrained, Witness benefits from its lack of hysterics. Its reserved nature allows it to become something different when compared to the standard cop movie. The Blu-ray brings solid picture and audio as well as a good collection of bonus materials. We find a fine presentation for a quality movie.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of WITNESS
