Witness

Movies

Not One of Us

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witness3.jpgMore than a half-century separates these two movies, and they obviously live in different parts of town. Tod Browning’s horror classic Freaks was controversial upon its release in 1932 and hasn’t lost much shock value, with its use of real sideshow performers and the uncomfortable mixture of exploitation and sympathy. Peter Weir’s Witness is a mild drama about the Amish that masquerades as a cop thriller. (Or is a cop thriller disguised as an Amish drama?) Yet the two have much in common.

Tagged: Blog-a-thons, Double Bills, Dramas, Freaks, Horror, Peter Weir, Tod Browning, Witness
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Movies

Variations on a Theme

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If Peter Weir’s movies fundamentally operate on basic levels and within simple formulas, they also resonate more deeply than those of virtually any other working director. Weir creates well-rounded and complicated characters, puts them in a premise, and watches them go. He is, in short, making character-driven movies, generally without pretense or intrusive style, which might be one reason he’s not held in terribly high esteem.

Tagged: Fearless, Gallipoli, Peter Weir, The Truman Show, Ways of Watching, Witness
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