The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection (Widescreen Edition)

Product Description

Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, and Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade.

All three films in their original format, restored and digitally remastered, plus a fourth disc featuring 200 minutes of extras including never-before-seen footage from all three films.

System Requirements:
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Denhom Elliott, John Rhys-Davies, Kate Capshaw, Jonathan Ke Quan, Amrish Puri, Sean Connery, River Phoenix, Alison Doody, Julian Glover.
Directed By: Steven Spielberg.
Running Time: 540 minutes., Color.
These films are presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2003 Paramount Pictures.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

As with Star Wars, the George Lucas-produced Indiana Jones trilogy was not just a plaything for kids but an act of nostalgic affection toward a lost phenomenon: the cliffhanging movie serials of the past. Episodic in structure and with fate hanging in the balance about every 10 minutes, the Jones features tapped into Lucas's extremely profitable Star Wars formula of modernizing the look and feel of an old, but popular, story model. Steven Spielberg directed all three films, which are set in the late 1930s and early '40s: the comic book-like Raiders of the Lost Ark, the spooky, Gunga Din-inspired Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and the cautious but entertaining Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Fans and critics disagree over the order of preference, some even finding the middle movie nearly repugnant in its violence. (Pro-Temple of Doom people, on the other hand, believe that film to be the most disarmingly creative and emotionally effective of the trio.) One thing's for sure: Harrison Ford's swaggering, two-fisted, self-effacing performance worked like a charm, and the art of cracking bullwhips was probably never quite the iconic activity it soon became after Raiders. Supporting players and costars were very much a part of the series, too--Karen Allen, Sean Connery (as Indie's dad), Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Denholm Elliot, River Phoenix, and John Rhys-Davies among them. Years have passed since the last film (another is supposedly in the works), but emerging film buffs can have the same fun their predecessors did picking out numerous references to Hollywood classics and B-movies of the past. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Indiana Jones Collection.......2007-09-13

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection (Widescreen Edition)
Viewing these movies on a widescreen HDTV is a REAL adventure. Everyone loves them, no matter if it's the first time or the fifteenth time. They're fun for all ages and seeing them as they were meant to be, widescreen and Dolby sound, is awesome!
WILynn

ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES-THE COMPLETE DVD MOVIE COLLECTION.......2007-09-07

Enjoyed all 3 DVD's-Harrison Ford is one of my favorite actors. Merchandise came exactly when and how I wanted it. THANKS !!!!

A Set of Classic Movies, an Important Addition to Your Video Library.......2007-08-31

What could be better than a set of all three Indiana Jones movies? Each is exciting in its own way. Some people like the first movies the best; others like the second with the trip to China and the famous dinner scene; others like the third movie where Sean Connery plays the father of Indiana Jones.

I understand that a fourth Indiana Jones movies is in the works, and look forward to seeing it.

Great Movies.......2007-08-27

I liked them when they came out years ago, and I like them now. What's not to like?

Indiana Jones.......2007-08-24

What can you say, it is Indiana Jones and a boxed set, can't beat it. Great price and fast shipping. I think I am going to go watch one right now!!

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection (Full Screen Edition)

Average customer rating:

Indiana Jones Collection
ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES-THE COMPLETE DVD MOVIE COLLECTION
A Set of Classic Movies, an Important Addition to Your Video Library
Great Movies
Indiana Jones

The Adventures of Indiana Jones - The Complete DVD Movie Collection (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Harrison Ford , and Steven Spielberg
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009ZPU6
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Indiana Jones Collection.......2007-09-13

ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES-THE COMPLETE DVD MOVIE COLLECTION.......2007-09-07

Enjoyed all 3 DVD's-Harrison Ford is one of my favorite actors. Merchandise came exactly when and how I wanted it. THANKS !!!!

A Set of Classic Movies, an Important Addition to Your Video Library.......2007-08-31

Great Movies.......2007-08-27

I liked them when they came out years ago, and I like them now. What's not to like?

Indiana Jones.......2007-08-24

What can you say, it is Indiana Jones and a boxed set, can't beat it. Great price and fast shipping. I think I am going to go watch one right now!!

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The Jack Ryan Collection [HD DVD]
Starring: Ben Affleck , and Harrison Ford
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000S0GYI4
Release Date: 2007-10-23

Average customer rating:

Air Force One
Great Action flick wrapped in honor
Awesome and TIMELY! (RELEVANT)
My Husband loves this movie!
Once upon a time....

Air Force One (Superbit Collection)
Starring: Harrison Ford , Gary Oldman , Glenn Close , Wendy Crewson , and Liesel Matthews
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00005NRNB
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Amazon.com essential video

You know that old dramatic principle of suspension of disbelief? You'll have to rely on it for this box-office smash, but you won't be disappointed. Harrison Ford plays a U.S. president who single-handedly employs his rigid antiterrorism policy when a band of Russian thugs hatch a mid-flight takeover of Air Force One. Gary Oldman, who chews the scenery as the lead terrorist, will shoot a hostage at the slightest provocation. Glenn Close plays the sternly pragmatic vice president who negotiates with Oldman from her Washington seat of power. If you can believe that the aircraft's pressurized cabin can sustain hundreds of rounds of machine-gun fire, you'll buy anything in this entertaining potboiler, especially thanks to Ford's stalwart heroics and some nifty special effects. Director Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot) keeps the action moving so fast you won't be sweating the details. Don't forget your parachute! --Jeff Shannon

Description

The Superbit titles utilize a special high bit rate digital encoding process which optimizes video quality while offering a choice of both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. These titles have been produced by a team of Sony Pictures Digital Studios video, sound and mastering engineers and comes housed in a special package complete with a 4 page booklet that contains technical information on the Superbit process. By reallocating space on the disc normally used for value-added content, Superbit DVDs can be encoded at double their normal bit rate while maintaining full compatibility with the DVD video format.

Customer Reviews:

Air Force One.......2007-06-08

Harrison Ford should have been a President... He is great in this movie and could save the world....

Great Action flick wrapped in honor.......2007-05-31

There are some unrealistic elements to this movie, but only when you stop and think about it. It's an action movie and there will always be some stretches of reality. Harrison Ford delivers as does his supporting cast. It will pull you into the story without any real trouble, you will find yourself routing for the President and telling the evil guys "take that". In the end, you will feel good about it and you may even be inspired by it. Enjoy!

Awesome and TIMELY! (RELEVANT).......2007-05-04

People don't often celebrate this movie for its timeliness and relevance but as world events unfold, it is steadily becoming more and more relevant in my humble opinion. This particular version doesn't necessarily add anything to the enjoyment of the movie. But to be honest it's hard to add to sheer perfection. This movie is well-plotted and very believable, even in the moments when you find yourself going "NO WAY!"

Some have written it off as saying it depicts the "cowboy mentality" as if that's a bad thing. Some say that it's a training manual for terrorists that might wish to harm our own leadership.

Personally I think it's merely a good action movie with a good moral to the story. Good will only triumph over Evil when Good learns to take its head out of its scared hind end and actually be willing to stand up for what's right.

Until we are willing to have a back bone, the list of countries that are going to run right over is is ever growing. This movie cautions us not to let that happen. It's up to us to either listen or ignore this stark warning.

My Husband loves this movie!.......2007-04-10

This is a good movie and will keep you watching all the way through. Harrison Ford is excellent in this and the supporting cast is good as well. The plot is revelent with all the current world situations. The ending makes you want to cheer!

Once upon a time...........2007-03-27

... USA was the only country in the world where this kind of story (although farfetched) could be happening. Especially when you remember the JFK's fighting history (maybe it's one of the reasons why he was assassinated). But now, when you see the Bush family history, the only war record of the grandfather (at the same time JFK was patrolling in the Pacific) shows his best achievement was building the family's fortune by catering for the Third Reich's financial needs. And I can imagine the present Bush pounding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the head with a bible (to show him it's better than the coran), and telling him "Get out of my world". As well, USA lost all credibility when he got RE-elected : One mistake might be understandable, but, as the Romans said "Errare humanum est, sed perseverare diabolicum" (to err is human, but to persist is diabolical).

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The Harrison Ford Collection
Starring: Ford Harrison
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
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ASIN: B000A2W4Q6
Release Date: 2004-09-14

Average customer rating:

Four excellent pre-sound films
4 films
Does Anyone Know What is On This DVD?

Silent Classics Collection 4 Movie Pack
Starring: Buster Keaton , Lon Chaney , Wallace Beery , Lewis Stone , and Marion Mack
Director: Buster Keaton , Harry O. Hoyt , Clyde Bruckman , and Lambert Hilyer
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00012QLYQ
Release Date: 2003-07-15

Customer Reviews:

Four excellent pre-sound films.......2007-08-21

SYNOPSES:

"The General" - Buster Keaton portrays a loyal Southerner during the Civil War who is also engineer of The General. When some Union soldiers make off with his beloved engine, Keaton pursues them in a second train and eventually manages to steal The General back. The plot is a set-up for two superb train chase sequences that climax with one's plunge into a river after a wooden bridge the train is crossing collapses. Recreation of Civil War uniforms and equipage is remarkably accurate, the Tennessee and Georgia scenery perfect. Keaton's effortless and amazing stunt abilities alone make this a most unforgettable film-- a classic in every sense of the word and a must-see!

"The Lost World" - Scripted by the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who also appears in the film. Stop-action photography and double-exposure trickery bring to life a jungle filled with terrifying prehistoric monsters. It took three years to complete The Lost World, and its February, 1925 premiere was a sensation. Photographic techniques perfected here would be used for many decades to come. As with all such films, the human story is secondary to the on-screen creatures (in this case, various dinosaurs).

"Shadows" - An early study of racism. Lon Chaney plays a crippled Chinese laundryman in a Christian town that at first shows him no Christian kindness.

"The Shock" - A physically deformed criminal escapes from Chinatown's female crime boss and tries to make a new life for himself elsewhere. His past eventually catches up with him, which leads to a final violent confrontation.

Fans of The General (and all lovers of pre-sound movies), will also enjoy CIVIL WAR FILMS OF THE SILENT ERA. Presented are three rarely seen works made prior to 1916.

.
Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.

(8.2) The General (silent-1927) - Buster Keaton/Marion Mack/Frederick Vroom/Joe Keaton

(7.1) The Lost World (silent-1925) Bessie Love/Lewis Stone/Wallace Beery/Lloyd Hughes

(6.5) Shadows (silent-1922) - Lon Chaney/Marguerite De La Motte/Harrison Ford

(7.7) The Shock (silent-1923) - Lon Chaney/Virginia Valli/Jack Mower/Christine Mayo

4 films.......2004-12-10

yeah it would seem to make sense for them to at least tell you what films are on the collection.
one is buster keaton's 'the general,' which is simply one of the best films ever made. watch that and 'the great dictator' and you've seen two commentaries upon war and war-culture that stack up to any made since (also, about half the jokes in the austin powers movies).
the second is 'the lost world.' well, the effects are, well they're 1925 effects. but this is basically the launching pad for all monster films since.
the others i'm not too familiar with. lon chaney stars in 'shadows,' which from the cover looks like one of the blatantly racist asian-exploitation films. and the fourth also stars lon chaney in 'the shock.' mad scientist burns down the city, causes earthquakes? i don't know, i'm just guessing from the cover.
i haven't looked at the editions, so i can't comment on the quality, etc., but the keaton is something everyone should see, and the dinosaurs are hokey enough to watch even if you're looking for unintended comic value and not interested in its place in film history. i paid 20 bucks for it as a gift for my father, and i don't feel ripped off, so there it is.....

Does Anyone Know What is On This DVD?.......2004-11-04

Is it all Keaton or is this a sampling of silent films?

The Jack Ryan Collection (The Hunt for Red October / Patriot Games / Clear and Present Danger)

Average customer rating:

Bad price
A great edition to your collection
Great Box Set
The Hunt for Red October
Harrison Rocks!

The Jack Ryan Collection (The Hunt for Red October / Patriot Games / Clear and Present Danger)
Starring: Harrison Ford , Anne Archer , Patrick Bergin , Sean Bean , and Thora Birch
Director: Phillip Noyce , and John McTiernan
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

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Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem | Action & Adventure | Genres | VHS | Video

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Armstrong, Alun | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Bean, Sean | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Bergin, Patrick | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Birch, Thora | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Ford, Harrison | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Fox, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Harris, Richard | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Jackson, Samuel L | ( J ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Jones, James Earl | ( J ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Threlfall, David | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

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ASIN: 0792134877
Release Date: 1997-09-23

Amazon.com

The Hunt for Red October: Before Harrison Ford assumed the mantle of playing Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan hero in Patriot Games, Alec Baldwin took a swing at the character in this John McTiernan film and hit one to the fence. If less instantly sympathetic than Ford, Baldwin is in some respects more interesting and nuanced as Ryan, and drawing comparisons between both actors' performances can make for some interesting postmovie discussion. That aside, The Hunt for Red October stands alone as a uniquely exciting adventure with a fantastic costar: Sean Connery as a Russian nuclear submarine captain attempting to defect to the West on his ship. Ryan must figure out his true motives for approaching the United States. McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard) made an exceptionally handsome movie here, with action sequences that really do take one's breath away. --Tom Keogh

Patriot Games: Let's see--he's been Han Solo in three films and Indiana Jones in three more. So why shouldn't Harrison Ford take on a new continuing character in Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan? In this film, directed by Phillip Noyce, Ford picked up the baton when Alec Baldwin, who played Ryan in The Hunt for Red October, opted for a Broadway role instead. In this film Ryan and his family are on vacation when Ryan saves a member of the British royal family from attack by Irish terrorists. The next thing he knows, the Ryan clan has been targeted by the same terrorists, who invade his Maryland home. The film can't shed all of Clancy's lumbering prose, or his techno-dweeb fascination with spy satellites and the like. But no one is better than Ford at righteous heroism--and Sean Bean makes a suitably snakey villain. --Marshall Fine

Clear and Present Danger: The third installment in the cinematic incarnation of Tom Clancy's CIA analyst Jack Ryan and the second starring Harrison Ford, this follow-up to Patriot Games is a more complex, rewarding, and bolder film than its predecessor. Ford returns as Ryan, this time embroiled in a failed White House bid to wipe out a Colombian drug cartel and cover up the mess. The script, by Clancy and John Milius (Red Dawn), has an air of true adventure about it as Ryan places himself in harm's way to extract covert soldiers abandoned in a Latin American jungle. There are a couple of remarkable set pieces expertly handled by Patriot Games director Phillip Noyce, especially a shocking scene involving an ambush on Ryan's car in an alley. The supporting cast is superb, including Willem Dafoe as the soldiers' leader, Henry Czerny as Ryan's enemy at the CIA, Joaquim de Almeida as a smooth-talking villain, Ann Magnuson as an unwitting confederate in international crime, and James Earl Jones as Ryan's dying boss. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, a theatrical trailer, closed captioning, an optional French soundtrack, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Bad price.......2002-09-06

You can by them separate for almost 20 dollars less. so just do that.

A great edition to your collection.......2002-08-26

This boxed set contains three of the greatest movies based on the CIA. But the boxed set lacks special features that make buying DVD's great. But a great addition to your DVD collection because you do not get the same picture and sound quality from a VHS.

Great Box Set.......2002-07-23

This is a great box set. If you like Tom Clancy, then you will like these movies. It is also a great deal to buy them all together, much cheaper then the local store.

In short, you can't go wrong.

The Hunt for Red October.......2002-06-11

This was the first Jack Ryan picture I had seen. From the beginning to the end of this movie, I was enthralled. It was believable, well acted and plausable. The principal actors and all lessor parts were beautifully intertwined to give us a plausable,exciting,intelligent story of intrigue done with a masterful flare.
This is a DVD I have seen at least 7 times and funny as it may seem, I always find something I haven't picked up on. It's a must have and SEE for those intrigued with human nature and the powers of goodness and evil!

Harrison Rocks!.......2002-06-02

Harrison Ford is excellent in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. The only thing I don't like about Hunt for Red October is Alec Baldwin. Harrison should have played Jack Ryan in that too. Alec Baldwin STINKS!

Harrison Ford Collection: The Fugitive/Frantic/Presumed Innocent

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Harrison Ford Collection: The Fugitive/Frantic/Presumed Innocent
Starring: Harrison Ford , Brian Dennehy , Raul Julia , Bonnie Bedelia , and Paul Winfield
Director: Alan J. Pakula , Roman Polanski , and Andrew Davis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00006JMSV
Release Date: 2003-05-13

The Harrison Ford Collection (Witness, Sabrina '95, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger)

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One of the best films of the 80's
"YOU NEVER HAD YOUR HANDS ON A TEET BEFORE"...."NOT ONE THIS BIG!" GREAT EDITION!
where he belongs
Timeless
Witness Protection Becomes Witness Perfection

The Harrison Ford Collection (Witness, Sabrina '95, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger)
Starring: Harrison Ford , Anne Archer , Patrick Bergin , Sean Bean , and Thora Birch
Director: Phillip Noyce , and Sydney Pollack
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | VHS | Video

General | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Archer, Anne | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Armstrong, Alun | ( A ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Bean, Sean | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Bergin, Patrick | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Birch, Thora | ( B ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Ford, Harrison | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Fox, James | ( F ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Harris, Richard | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Jackson, Samuel L | ( J ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Jones, James Earl | ( J ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Threlfall, David | ( T ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Noyce, Phillip | ( N ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Pollack, Sydney | ( P ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Action & Adventure | Boxed Sets | Formats | VHS | Video

Drama | Boxed Sets | Formats | VHS | Video

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ASIN: 6304286309
Release Date: 1997-01-21

Amazon.com essential video

When Samuel (Lukas Haas), a young Amish boy traveling with his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis), witnesses the murder of a police officer in a public restroom, he and his mother become the temporary wards of John Book (Harrison Ford), a detective who's been assigned to solve the crime. After suspect lineups and mug-shot books yield nothing, Samuel, in the most memorable scene of the film, recognizes the murderer as a narcotics agent whose picture he sees in the precinct. Once Book realizes that the police chief is in on it, too, he whisks Samuel and Rachel back home to Amish country, where he himself goes into hiding as a plain Amish man. The juxtaposition between the life of the Amish and the violence of inner-city police corruption work surprisingly well for the story, and Kelly McGillis as the falling in love widow gives an almost perfect performance. Directed by Peter Weir, the film is extremely successful in drawing the viewer into its world and, accordingly, is immensely entertaining. The only thing that mars its polish is the one-dimensional, almost cartoonish handling of the upper-echelon police corruption--a subtler, more realistic treatment of this aspect of the story would have rendered the film near perfect. --James McGrath

Customer Reviews:

One of the best films of the 80's.......2007-07-29

A young Amish boy (Samuel Lapp played beautifully in his film debut by Lukas Haas) while traveling with his mother Rachel (Kelly McGillis) witnesses a murder. The Philly detective assigned to the case is John Bock (Harrison Ford), a cynical, hardened, yet very ethical man who is married to his job. The murder turns out to be an inside job performed by Bock's associates on the police force. The three of them soon escape to the Amish community to avoid being the next victims and soon... well, that's what you need to find out when you watch this fine film.

This is an excellent film any way you slice it. Great acting, writing, directing, musical score, etc... It is my favorite film by director Peter Weir and in my opinion the best performance of Ford's career. It's a nice change of pace to see Ford actually come down to Earth and play a common man instead of the super-hero he so often portrays. He had quite an amazing run of very successful films in the 80's and 90's but it's very difficult at times to take him too seriously as a dramatic actor despite the money making machines a great many of his films turned out becoming. Yet he's fantastic as John Book! He is so much more accessible and unguarded, and it's beautiful to watch. The man truly can act! Anyway, it's a shame he hasn't played more parts like this one (see "The Mosquito Coast" and "Frantic" for two other excellent examples).

I have to be quite honest and finally get this off of my chest - I have never thought Kelly McGillis could act! This is her best performance, and yet, I don't think she is all that convincing as an Amish woman. Her performance, for me, is the only real flaw in this film (not enough to dock a star though!) She is so stiff and unimpassioned, and I'm not sure if she was trying to speak with an Amish accent or not, but if she was, heaven help her. The three or four other films I have seen her in, before she descended into being a B-movie star or Lifetime Television regular, she pretty much played the same wooden, passionless character. Somebody tell me I am wrong or being too harsh. I apologize to all of you Kelly McG fans out there!

The film also had some very fine performances in supporting roles. Lukas Haas as the young Amish boy is excellent and very believable. You kind of knew that the kid would go on to bigger and better things if he stayed clean. Danny Glover is solid as always as one of the rogue cops out to get Book and the boy. Viggo Mortensen also gets his career up and running with his role as Moses, an Amish man who has the hots for Rachel (of course, no Amish person would refer to it quite as crudely and inelegantly as that) and does an excellent job. As do Patti Lupone, Josef Summer, Brent Jennings, and Jan Rubes. Rubes in particular is amazing as Eli Lapp, (Samuel's grandfather and Rachel's father-in-law). I think this man deserved a best-supporting nod, he was that great.

Finally, the story itself is truly terrific. It's a film that both men and women of any age will enjoy. It's part love story, part crime drama, part character study, and also part cultural study as well. Yes, I know, I know, the Amish were pissed off about how they were portrayed in this film. Yet, I can't figure out why. To me, they were portrayed to be much more benevolent, kind-hearted, level-headed, and practical than we 'English'. There were several buddies of mine that wanted to become Amish after seeing this film. However, me thinks these converts-to-be were enticed more by the beauty of McGillis (especially one scene in particular) than they were by the hard-working, extremely moral, plain folk. Go figure.

In a relatively weak decade when it came to classic films, I would without a doubt put this one on my top-ten best film list for the 1980's. You can't go wrong with this one!

"YOU NEVER HAD YOUR HANDS ON A TEET BEFORE"...."NOT ONE THIS BIG!" GREAT EDITION!.......2007-07-04

Ford,McGillis,Haas and the entire cast shine in this classic romantic/thriller/fish out of water film! Now, we have a DVD treatment worthy of the movie. Interesting extras and a great transfer make this a must have in your collection.

where he belongs.......2007-05-27

Harrison Ford shines in this lingering over the close-quarter differences between Pennsylvania's Amish people and the 'English' life that by contrast seems so rude in this 1985 screen gem. Yet twenty-two years later, it is the young Kelly McGillis who nearly melts the screen with this early performance as Rachel, the Amish widow who takes in Harrison's 'John Book' and grows into love with a fugitive from 'the city' whose own heart grows entwined with the Amish way.

Although the Amish did not like this film (it *is* a film), it remains as a deeply moving tribute to their chosen, peaceful way. Perhaps it is the finest thing we 'English'--this reviewer grew up in Pennsylvania with the Amish as his neighbors--can offer them.

Not that they were asking for recognition.

Director Peter Weir caught them doing what they do best, going about the business of keeping peace and making the earth grow its greenest things. The occasional caricature that creeps in clumsily elevates the men and women it seeks to honor rather than reducing them to its dimensional poverty.

The Amish are not heroes and do not play that role particularly well on the wide screen (the actors of are course not Amish men and women). They are rather people who have from within community made a stark choice and chosen to celebrate both its limitations and the world it opens up to them.

Weir, Ford, McGinnis et al. did well to freeze-frame that choice as one that saved the life of a self-sufficient Baltimore policemen who stumbled upon corruption that made him a marked man in the city. It is a most moving still.

The film was uncanny in its capacity, in the end, to mark the Amish off in the most authentic way: not by sneering at their simplicity of style and rejection of 'fashion'. Rather, as recent history has provided grim occasion for us to observe, the Amish are distinguished by the grace that they do not kill. And, when bloodied, they say the damndest thing: 'We forgive'.

Witness indeed. And a superb movie.

Timeless.......2007-04-02

Witness is both a detective thriller, a love story, and a timeless view of our society. The acting is impeccable, the story both gripping and a deeply insightful take on our society. Set among the Amish of Lancaster County, Pennslvania we see the truly startling contrast between 21st Century America and the Eighteenth Century society preserved there. Detective John Book discovers corruption in the police department for which he works in Philadelphia and becomes a hunted man. He flees and is hidden by the Amish. The action and the human relationships that follow are completely absorbing.

Witness Protection Becomes Witness Perfection.......2007-03-02

This film defies being placed in any genre and is as near to perfection on screen as you will likely find. Harrison Ford gives his absolutely best performance in this film and he should have won the Oscar that year along with this film's great director, Peter Wier, who seems to be always a bride's maid and never the bride with his numerous nominations. Wier gets perfect performances from everyone involved in this landmark film on inner city crime and the ways of the simple Amish in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (where I live). Many actors in this film got their break here such as Jan Rubes, Lukas Hass, Kelly McGillis, Alexander Gundenoff, and Viggio Mortensen (in a quick scene).

The life of Det. John Book, Ford, is brilliantly juxtaposed to the simple life the Amish live only a mere 50 miles or so out of Philadelphia. It is carefully presented as not being a utopian society with its restrictions. Book risks his life to protect the witness and his mother and is nearly killed himself in the process. They nursed him to good health while he was also protecting them. He ends up falling in love with his caretaker and the simple life and ponders giving up everything for this simple life. Book must decide when the dust settles on the case that brought him out to Amish Country which life he wants: the simple, quiet life of the Amish or his busy, violent life where he also saves lives. Its not as an easy decision and we sympathize with his difficult choice.

If for some reason you missed this movie when it was out or have never heard of it, reward yourself by purchasing or at least renting this outstanding film. You will find it facinating and riveting.

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