FILMFACTS
TRIVIA
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A big city cop who knows too much. His only evidence: a small boy who's seen too much...
Harrison Ford also stars in this crucial career role
Totally Trivia
Film facts for the 1985 Drama movie starring Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Alexander Godunov, Lukas Haas
Josef Sommer, Jan Rubes, Brent Jennings, Patti LuPone, Angus MacInnes, Frederick Rolf, John Garson, Beverly May, Ed Crowley, Timothy Carhart, Sylvia Kauders, Marian Swan, Maria Bradley Update Cast
We believe the following trivia is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.
Thanks to Ken
Danny Glover had a small part as one of the villain cops who commits the murder in the beginnning of the movie and is one of the three who hunts Ford down at the Amish farm.Thanks to Anonymous
Rachel Gets on the train in Lancaster, which is 90 mins from Baltimore. People have wondered why would they head to Philadelphia when Amtrak runs to Baltimore from Lancaster?Steve Coulson kindly wrote in to say that the answer is that there is no train that runs directly from Lancaster to Baltimore. Travelers would typically take the train from Lancaster to Philadelphia and make a connection on to Baltimore, so it does make perfect sense.
Rewind Archive
Director Peter Weir's films often portray characters in unfamiliar surroundings.Thanks to Santiago Velasquez
Alexander Godunov, who played Daniel, Harrison Ford's Amish rival, started off as an amazingly talented ballet dancer. One of his classmates and friends at the Riga Ballet school in Russia was Mikhail Baryshnikov. After graduating he toured with the Moscow Classical Ballet. In 1973 he won a gold medal at the Moscow International Competition. In August 1979 he defected from the USSR. The story grew in importance when his ballerina wife returned to the USSR a few days later. He joined the American Ballet Theater and danced with it until 1982 when he and its director Baryshnikov had a falling out. He was, by then, a frequent companion of Jacqueline Bisset. Sadly, Godunov, who also played excellent parts in "Die Hard" and "The Money Pit" died in May of 1995 of natural causes. He was 46 years old.Editor Nick
In 1985, Book had to ride into town to use a telephone and that would have been true at the time.Today, most Amish farms apparently do have telephones as it is almost impossible to run a profitable farm without one. But it must be in the barn or outside the house -and must not be used for any non-business or non-emergency calls.
Other things that are vital for business, including running water, or even the internet are often viewed more leniently today as long as they are kept and used outside the house.
Basically, it remains that nothing must physically connect the house to the outside world.
Thanks to N Pollard
Watch for the young Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings) who plays Moses Hochlightner in "Witness".Thanks to Jaroslaw
I would like to know what the triangular thing was that was moving in front of the house? The boy explained the water wheel, but not what that was. I grew up on a farm and never saw one. By the way, the water wheel, which was made just for the movie, would never have made enough pressure to run the regular faucets seen inside the home. Thanks to whoever answers what the triangle thing is.Editor Nick
Jan Rubes, who played old Eli Lapp was actually an accomplished opera singer from Czechoslovakia. He had been the youngest basso singer with the Prague Opera before moving to Canada. At the time, he had very little movie acting experience -a fact that was true for several other key actors in this movie too.Editor Nick
It looks to me like that is producer Edward S. Feldman doing a cameo as the tour guide in the town scene. "Don't take pictures of the Amish; they don't like it, but you can sneak one now & again"Thanks to Jaime Toth
I just returned from a trip to Lancaster PA. I love this movie and to see a piece of it was truly thrilling. I now have photos of the infamous "Zimmermans" pay phone. I struck up a conversation with a lovely man who has worked at Zimmermans for over 20 years. We were chatting at the back parking lot and he showed me where they used to have the 3 trailors set up. He said they would eat in a kitchen in the trailer. And pointed out that the tree I was leaning against, was where Harrison Ford would sit and rest in the shade between takes. That was so cool to me! He also mentioned that the Amish were not at all pleased. He said it was really quite a production to film. Many trailors and crews and noise. It was very disruptive especially to the Amish.Rewind Archive
Danny Glover plays villain cop McFee. This is surely the role that catapaulted him into the big time. That same year he had another great role in "The Color Purple" and just two years later would star in "Lethal Weapon" alongside Mel Gibson...Thanks to Robert Baum
It's a small universe:Ford's fellow Star Wars actor Angus MacInnes (Gold Leader) portrayed Fergie, one of the rogue cops. The only time they appeared together in Lucas' celebrated space opera is in the Rebel briefing room.
Actor Robert Earl Jones, who is the father of Ford's fellow Star Wars actor and co-star in 2 of the Tom Clancy adaptations (Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger) James Earl Jones, portrays the fellow who tells Ford that he only reported the murder and was not the witness to the crime.
Thanks to Robert Baum
Danny Glover isn't the only actor who would go on to appear in a Predator film. Richard Chaves, who portrayed one of the cops, was among the soldiers in Schwarzenegger's commando team in the first film.Bogus Trivia
There's often fake stuff floating round, y'know? -Like the 'ghost boy' that can allegedly be seen in "Three Men And A Baby".
But, nothing bogus that we know yet for "Witness".
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1985 Paramount Pictures
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