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IMDbPro

The Witness

  • 2015
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
The Witness (2015)
Trailer for The Witness
Play trailer2:04
7 Videos
10 Photos
Crime DocumentaryBiographyCrimeDocumentaryMystery

The brother of Kitty Genovese investigates the circumstances of her murder and the truth of the story that dozens of locals witnessed the crime and did nothing to intervene.The brother of Kitty Genovese investigates the circumstances of her murder and the truth of the story that dozens of locals witnessed the crime and did nothing to intervene.The brother of Kitty Genovese investigates the circumstances of her murder and the truth of the story that dozens of locals witnessed the crime and did nothing to intervene.

  • Directors
    • James D. Solomon
    • Jessica Robinson
  • Writers
    • William Genovese
    • Russell Greene
    • Gabriel Rhodes
  • Stars
    • William Genovese
    • Kitty Genovese
    • Charles Skoller
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    4.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • James D. Solomon
      • Jessica Robinson
    • Writers
      • William Genovese
      • Russell Greene
      • Gabriel Rhodes
    • Stars
      • William Genovese
      • Kitty Genovese
      • Charles Skoller
    • 49User reviews
    • 64Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 6 nominations total

    Videos7

    The Witness
    Trailer 2:04
    The Witness
    THE WITNESS - Trailer
    Trailer 2:03
    THE WITNESS - Trailer
    THE WITNESS - Trailer
    Trailer 2:03
    THE WITNESS - Trailer
    The Witness: A Cold Night In March
    Clip 1:54
    The Witness: A Cold Night In March
    The Witness: What Do You Want Answered?
    Clip 1:17
    The Witness: What Do You Want Answered?
    The Witness: My Sister Kitty
    Clip 1:06
    The Witness: My Sister Kitty
    THE WITNESS - "What Do You Want Answered?"
    Clip 1:18
    THE WITNESS - "What Do You Want Answered?"

    Photos10

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    Top cast61

    Edit
    William Genovese
    William Genovese
    • Self - Kitty's Brother
    • (as Bill Genovese)
    Kitty Genovese
    Kitty Genovese
    • Self - Murder Victim
    • (archive footage)
    Charles Skoller
    Charles Skoller
    • Self - Prosecutor
    Michael Farrar
    Michael Farrar
    • Self - Kitty's Neighbor
    Vincent Genovese
    Vincent Genovese
    • Self - Kitty's Oldest Brother
    Frank Genovese
    Frank Genovese
    • Self - Kitty's Youngest Brother
    Aram Boyajian
    • Self - Producer 20
    • (voice)
    • …
    Lynne Tillotson
    Lynne Tillotson
    • Self - Former Kew Gardens Resident
    Tod Tillotson
    Tod Tillotson
    • Self - Lynne's Brother
    Hattie Grund
    Hattie Grund
    • Self - Kew Gardens Resident
    Dale Genovese
    Dale Genovese
    • Self - Bill's Wife
    A.M. Rosenthal
    A.M. Rosenthal
    • Self - Editor
    Joseph De May
    Joseph De May
    • Self - Kew Gardens Resident
    Jim Rasenberger
    Jim Rasenberger
    • Self - Journalist
    Mike Wallace
    Mike Wallace
    • Self - Correspondent
    Joseph Lelyveld
    • Self - Journalist
    • (voice)
    Richard Wald
    Richard Wald
    • Self - Managing Editor, The New York Herald Tribune
    • (voice)
    Gabe Pressman
    Gabe Pressman
    • Self - Journalist
    • Directors
      • James D. Solomon
      • Jessica Robinson
    • Writers
      • William Genovese
      • Russell Greene
      • Gabriel Rhodes
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews49

    7.04.6K
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    Featured reviews

    10flkatej

    Impressive Investigation

    This was so well done. It's amazing how impartial her brother was while investigating the reactions of the media, police, and ear witnesses. Revisiting the building and recreating what they heard must have been excruciating. He displayed the same courage that must have been necessary to move forward with his life after her death and the severe injuries he suffered while serving as a marine during the Vietnam war. Getting to see glimpses of her personality only magnify the loss. The Genovese family have shown a great deal of character in dealing with the hardships in their lives. Her murderer's son is more concerned with victim blaming than accepting his father's responsibility for his own actions.
    7paul-allaer

    Worthwhile true crime documentary... "The end hasn't been reached yet"

    "The Witness" (2015 release; 88 min.) is a documentary about the life and death of New Yorker Kitty Genovese. As the movie opens, we learn how Kitty was brutally murdered in Kew Gardens, a densely populated area of Queens and, as the New York Times then reported, how 38 witnesses watched and did nothing. Now 50 years later, Kitty's brother Bill is still bothered by many aspects of the whole thing. "The end hasn't been reached yet", he murmurs as he decides to get to the bottom of this. At that moment we're not even 10 min. into the documentary but to tell you more of how it plays out would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to watch it for yourself.

    Couple of comments: this documentary is directed by James Solomon, but is really driven by Bill Genovese, whose investigation we follow on screen (and who co-produced the movie). The most puzzling aspect of the entire story is how the famed NYT got this story so wrong, I mean, their reporting has holes the size of Manhattan in it! Bill also takes the opportunity to look back at Kitty, not just her death, but also her life, in which we get a couple of interesting surprises as well. All that, plus a look back at the 50s and early 60s era, make for interesting viewing, and then some.

    I happen to catch this on a recent trans-Atlantic flight, and it certainly helped the time move along. If you like crime documentaries, you could to a lot worse than this.
    10karisha-31407

    "Emotionally heavy, eighty-nine minute masterpiece..."

    James Solomon phenomenally intertwines the power of sensationalism and the devastating effects of foul journalism in an emotionally heavy, eighty-nine minute masterpiece, The Witness. By allowing America to follow Bill Genovese's personal journey to seek the truth of the brutal murder of his beloved sister, Catherine "Kitty" Genovese, Solomon taps into the minds of many viewers and allows us to question something in which we, as Americans, are unconditionally susceptible to—the press. Bill Genovese does a superb job invalidating The New York Times article. By bringing the audience alongside with him as he met Kitty's friend, Sophia Farrar, as he hired an actress to reenact the death of Kitty Genovese, or as he read the letter in which Winston Moseley falsely put together lies, the audience was able to experience the roller-coaster of emotions and perceive Kitty Genovese as a person, not just an unfortunate example of Urban Apathy. This documentary will leave you realizing that there truly is two sides of a story and by simply projecting a shoddy argument, it can impact people's lives for years. The importance of engaging in sensationalism is brought to light as you see the emotional damage left to the Genovese family. Whether it be the new generations of Genovese ignorance towards their aunt, Kitty Genovese, or Kitty's siblings inability (besides Bill) to reveal the truth, The New York Times has left a mark.
    bob_meg

    Incredibly absorbing deep-dive into one man's emotional obsession

    I saw this new doc at a double play with The Lovers and The Despot and the two films couldn't be more different. In scale, the two subjects don't match at all: one woman's senseless 50-year-old slaying against a couple of South Korean filmmakers captive to the whims of Kim Jong Il. Yet The Lovers and The Despot put me to sleep.

    The Witness, by contrast, kept me riveted. My jaw dropped, my eyes wet, I got very angry --- everything you want from a good documentary. I'm old enough to remember the murder of Kitty Genovese or at least the aftermath. You know, the woman who screamed for help and was murdered over a 35 minute period while her neighbors did nothing to assist her?

    Or did they? And that's where The Witness really goes in for the choke. What you thought you knew for certain may not be true, just as what Kitty's brother Bill assumed was fact and based many of his voluntary (and involuntary) life decisions upon for the rest of his life.

    Filmmaker James Solomon holds back nothing while holding his subjects in nothing but the utmost respect. This is largely in credit to Bill Genovese who displays incredible honesty, tolerance, and courage as he uncovers holes, detours, and details in his sister's senseless murder and it's subsequent reporting and media blitz that are shocking and very disturbing.

    But you're never invited to pity Bill, and you won't. The Witness takes a very grim and depressing event and turns it inside out by placing you as close to the action as possible, then gently daring you to not look away. You won't.
    9thejamjam

    Eye Opening.

    I recently had the pleasure of viewing the documentary Witness in my intro to writing English class. The documentary shows an in-depth analysis of the murder case of Catherine "Kitty" Genovese. She was murdered around 3 am by a man named Winston Moseley who has had an unrepresented history of murdering and raping women. Before I watched the doc, I read the first article posted by the New York Times (38 who saw murder and didn't call police) that was printed a couple weeks after Kitty's murder. From viewing Witness, I found that this article was intentionally skewed to push the blame of kitty's murder onto the residents of Kew Gardens in Queens, where kitty was murdered. It also neglected to inform its audience of the details of her murderer, the true antagonist of this story. This documentary has shown me that I shouldn't just stop at ground level if I want the true story, I need to really investigate what I'm being told. Thank you, Bill Genovese and family, for opening your world to us.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      "The Witness" was Shortlisted for the 2017 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.
    • Quotes

      William Genovese: If I was going to have more success, Charlie Skoller suggested that I start with the trial transcript. My family couldn't bear to go to the trial in 1964 so I never heard the testimony of the witnesses. Only 5 of the 38 witnesses were called to take the stand.

    • Connections
      Features Perry Mason (1957)

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    FAQ17

    • How long is The Witness?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 3, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Свидетель
    • Filming locations
      • New York, USA(location)
    • Production company
      • Five More Minutes Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $159,305
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $14,523
      • Jun 5, 2016
    • Gross worldwide
      • $159,305
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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