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'''''Blade Runner''''' is an influential [[1982 in film|1982]] [[cyberpunk]], [[neo noir]] [[film]] directed by [[Ridley Scott]] from a [[screenplay]] written by [[Hampton Fancher]] and [[David Peoples]], loosely based on the [[novel]] ''[[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]'' by [[Philip K. Dick]]. It features [[Harrison Ford]], [[Rutger Hauer]], [[Sean Young]], [[Edward James Olmos]], [[Daryl Hannah]] and [[Joanna Cassidy]].
'''''Blade Runner''''' is an influential 1982 [[cyberpunk]], [[neo noir]] [[film]] directed by [[Ridley Scott]] from a [[screenplay]] written by [[Hampton Fancher]] and [[David Peoples]], loosely based on the [[novel]] ''[[Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]]'' by [[Philip K. Dick]]. It features [[Harrison Ford]], [[Rutger Hauer]], [[Sean Young]], [[Edward James Olmos]], [[Daryl Hannah]] and [[Joanna Cassidy]].


The film depicts a [[dystopia]]n [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in November 2019 in which genetically manufactured beings called [[replicant]]s, visually indistinguishable from adult humans, are used for dangerous and degrading work in [[Earth]]'s "[[Space colonization|off-world colonies]]." After replicants became illegal on Earth, specialist police units — called "blade runners" — were trained to hunt down and "retire" (kill) escaped replicants on Earth. The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of replicants hiding in Los Angeles and a semi-retired blade runner, Rick Deckard (Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment.
The film depicts a [[dystopia]]n [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in November 2019 in which genetically manufactured beings called [[replicant]]s, visually indistinguishable from adult humans, are used for dangerous and degrading work in [[Earth]]'s "[[Space colonization|off-world colonies]]." After replicants became illegal on Earth, specialist police units — called "blade runners" — were trained to hunt down and "retire" (kill) escaped replicants on Earth. The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of replicants hiding in Los Angeles and a semi-retired blade runner, Rick Deckard (Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment.
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[[Ridley Scott]] was recently asked "Who's the biggest pain in the arse you've ever worked with?" He replied: "It's got to be Harrison...he'll forgive me because now I get on with him. Now he's become charming. But he knows a lot, that's the problem. When we worked together it was my first film up and I was the new kid on the block. But we made a good movie."<ref>{{cite news | first=Rob | last=Carnevale | coauthors= | title=Getting Direct With Directors...Ridley Scott | date=[[2006]] | publisher= | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/callingtheshots/ridley_scott.shtml | work =BBC Movies | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-21 | language = }}</ref> Ford has said of Scott in [[2000]]: "I admire his work. We had a bad patch there, and I’m over it."<ref name="fordbeneath">{{cite journal|title=And beneath lies, the truth|journal=Empire|date=2000-11|first=Colin|last=Kennedy|coauthors=|volume=|issue=137|pages=76|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-02-24}}</ref> More recently in [[2006]], Ford reflected on the production of the film saying: “What I remember more than anything else when I see ''Blade Runner'' is not the 50 nights of shooting in the rain, but the voiceover... I was still obliged to work for these clowns that came in writing one bad voiceover after another.”<ref>{{cite journal|title=In Conversation with Harrison Ford|journal=Empire|date=2006-04|first=|last=|coauthors=|volume=|issue=202|pages=140|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-02-24}}</ref>
[[Ridley Scott]] was recently asked "Who's the biggest pain in the arse you've ever worked with?" He replied: "It's got to be Harrison...he'll forgive me because now I get on with him. Now he's become charming. But he knows a lot, that's the problem. When we worked together it was my first film up and I was the new kid on the block. But we made a good movie."<ref>{{cite news | first=Rob | last=Carnevale | coauthors= | title=Getting Direct With Directors...Ridley Scott | date=2006 | publisher= | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/callingtheshots/ridley_scott.shtml | work =BBC Movies | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-21 | language = }}</ref> Ford has said of Scott in 2000: "I admire his work. We had a bad patch there, and I’m over it."<ref name="fordbeneath">{{cite journal|title=And beneath lies, the truth|journal=Empire|date=2000-11|first=Colin|last=Kennedy|coauthors=|volume=|issue=137|pages=76|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-02-24}}</ref> More recently in 2006, Ford reflected on the production of the film saying: “What I remember more than anything else when I see ''Blade Runner'' is not the 50 nights of shooting in the rain, but the voiceover... I was still obliged to work for these clowns that came in writing one bad voiceover after another.”<ref>{{cite journal|title=In Conversation with Harrison Ford|journal=Empire|date=2006-04|first=|last=|coauthors=|volume=|issue=202|pages=140|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-02-24}}</ref>


== Themes ==
== Themes ==
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The question of whether Deckard is intended to be a human or a replicant has been an ongoing controversy since the film's release. Ridley Scott, after remaining coy for twenty years, stated in 2000 that Deckard is a replicant.<ref>Scott, Ridley (2000) [http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-6774128243172902888 video clip of Ridley Scott confirming that Deckard is a replicant]</ref> Hampton Fancher and Harrison Ford have stated that Deckard is human. Of note, in a recent interview in Sactown Magazine, Ridley Scott is quoted by director Joe Carnahan as telling him in a private conversation that Deckard is a replicant who thinks he is human.<ref>Halverson, Mark (2007) ''"The Wild Card" Interview with Director [[Joe Carnahan]] in 'sactown' magazine'' ISSN#1932-622X</ref> The rough consensus of the debate is that in the original version of the film Deckard is probably human, whereas the Director's Cut deliberately hints that he may be another replicant. Specifically, the Director's Cut includes a short sequence in which Deckard dreams about a [[unicorn]].
The question of whether Deckard is intended to be a human or a replicant has been an ongoing controversy since the film's release. Ridley Scott, after remaining coy for twenty years, stated in 2000 that Deckard is a replicant.<ref>Scott, Ridley (2000) [http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-6774128243172902888 video clip of Ridley Scott confirming that Deckard is a replicant]</ref> Hampton Fancher and Harrison Ford have stated that Deckard is human. Of note, in a recent interview in Sactown Magazine, Ridley Scott is quoted by director Joe Carnahan as telling him in a private conversation that Deckard is a replicant who thinks he is human.<ref>Halverson, Mark (2007) ''"The Wild Card" Interview with Director [[Joe Carnahan]] in 'sactown' magazine'' ISSN#1932-622X</ref> The rough consensus of the debate is that in the original version of the film Deckard is probably human, whereas the Director's Cut deliberately hints that he may be another replicant. Specifically, the Director's Cut includes a short sequence in which Deckard dreams about a [[unicorn]].


David Peoples, who co-scripted ''Blade Runner'', also wrote ''[[Unforgiven]]'' ([[1992]]), the [[Academy Award]] winning film directed and starring [[Clint Eastwood]]. There are thematic similarities between the two films.<ref name="eastwoodyork">{{cite book
David Peoples, who co-scripted ''Blade Runner'', also wrote ''[[Unforgiven]]'' (1992), the [[Academy Award]] winning film directed and starring [[Clint Eastwood]]. There are thematic similarities between the two films.<ref name="eastwoodyork">{{cite book
| last=Lacey
| last=Lacey
| first=Nick
| first=Nick
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}}</ref> but recent interviews contradict this.<ref>IMDB. (2005) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/trivia Trivia for Blade Runner]</ref>
}}</ref> but recent interviews contradict this.<ref>IMDB. (2005) [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/trivia Trivia for Blade Runner]</ref>


In an interview with [[Playboy]] magazine in [[2002]], Ford was asked (about the voice-over) if he "deliberately read it badly, hoping they'd drop it?". He replied "No. I delivered it to the best of my ability given that I had no input. I never thought they'd use it. But I didn't try and sandbag it. It was simply bad narration." He added, "I was compelled by my contract to do the narration. When I first agreed to do the film, I told Ridley there was too much information given to the audience in narration." Ford had suggested to [[Ridley Scott]] that they "take it out and put it into scenes and let the audience acquire this information in a narrative fashion, without being told it." Scott thought this a good idea. "When we got done, the studio said nobody will understand this fucking movie. We have to create a narrative. They had already thrown Ridley off the movie - they were over budget. So I was compelled by my contract to record this narration."<ref name=”playboyford”>{{cite news | first=Micheal | last=Fleming | coauthors= | title=The Playboy Interview | publisher= | url =http://www.harrisonfordweb.com/Article/Miscellaneous/playboy_interview.php | work =Playboy Magazine | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-22 | language = }}</ref> Ford is also quoted (in [[1999]] about the voice-over) saying: "I had no chance to participate in it, so I simply read it. I was very, very unhappy with their choices and with the quality of the material. I contested it mightily at the time. It was not an organic part of the film.'"<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Harrison Ford's Blade Runner Gripe | date=[[1999-09-07]] | publisher= | url =http://www.empireonline.com/News/story.asp?nid=14567 | work =Empire | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-22 | language = }}</ref>
In an interview with [[Playboy]] magazine in 2002, Ford was asked (about the voice-over) if he "deliberately read it badly, hoping they'd drop it?". He replied "No. I delivered it to the best of my ability given that I had no input. I never thought they'd use it. But I didn't try and sandbag it. It was simply bad narration." He added, "I was compelled by my contract to do the narration. When I first agreed to do the film, I told Ridley there was too much information given to the audience in narration." Ford had suggested to [[Ridley Scott]] that they "take it out and put it into scenes and let the audience acquire this information in a narrative fashion, without being told it." Scott thought this a good idea. "When we got done, the studio said nobody will understand this fucking movie. We have to create a narrative. They had already thrown Ridley off the movie - they were over budget. So I was compelled by my contract to record this narration."<ref name=”playboyford”>{{cite news | first=Micheal | last=Fleming | coauthors= | title=The Playboy Interview | publisher= | url =http://www.harrisonfordweb.com/Article/Miscellaneous/playboy_interview.php | work =Playboy Magazine | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-22 | language = }}</ref> Ford is also quoted (in 1999 about the voice-over) saying: "I had no chance to participate in it, so I simply read it. I was very, very unhappy with their choices and with the quality of the material. I contested it mightily at the time. It was not an organic part of the film.'"<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Harrison Ford's Blade Runner Gripe | date=[[1999-09-07]] | publisher= | url =http://www.empireonline.com/News/story.asp?nid=14567 | work =Empire | pages = | accessdate = 2007-02-22 | language = }}</ref>


=== International Cut ===
=== International Cut ===
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Scott has since complained that time and money constraints, along with his obligation to ''[[Thelma & Louise]]'', kept him from retooling the film in a completely satisfactory manner. While he is happier than before with the 1992 release of the film, he has never felt entirely comfortable with it as his definitive Director's Cut.
Scott has since complained that time and money constraints, along with his obligation to ''[[Thelma & Louise]]'', kept him from retooling the film in a completely satisfactory manner. While he is happier than before with the 1992 release of the film, he has never felt entirely comfortable with it as his definitive Director's Cut.


In [[2000]], [[Harrison Ford]] gave his view on the Director’s Cut of the film saying, although he thought it “spectacular” it didn’t “move him at all”. He gave a brief reason: "They haven't put anything in, so it's still an exercise in design."<ref name="fordbeneath"/>
In 2000, [[Harrison Ford]] gave his view on the Director’s Cut of the film saying, although he thought it “spectacular” it didn’t “move him at all”. He gave a brief reason: "They haven't put anything in, so it's still an exercise in design."<ref name="fordbeneath"/>


Originally released as a single-disc DVD in 1997, the Director's Cut was one of the first DVDs on the market. However, it is of low quality compared to DVDs of today due to it being produced in the early days of the format. It was re-released with a new transfer in 2006.
Originally released as a single-disc DVD in 1997, the Director's Cut was one of the first DVDs on the market. However, it is of low quality compared to DVDs of today due to it being produced in the early days of the format. It was re-released with a new transfer in 2006.
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As a result of Fancher's divergence from the novel, numerous re-writes before and throughout shooting the film, and the fact that Ridley Scott never entirely read the novel on which the film was based, the film diverged significantly from its original inspiration. Some of the themes in the novel that were minimized or entirely removed include: fertility/sterility of the population, [[religion]], [[mass media]], Deckard's uncertainty that he is human, and real versus synthetic pets and emotions.
As a result of Fancher's divergence from the novel, numerous re-writes before and throughout shooting the film, and the fact that Ridley Scott never entirely read the novel on which the film was based, the film diverged significantly from its original inspiration. Some of the themes in the novel that were minimized or entirely removed include: fertility/sterility of the population, [[religion]], [[mass media]], Deckard's uncertainty that he is human, and real versus synthetic pets and emotions.


Philip K. Dick refused an offer of $400,000 to write a [[novelization]] of the ''Blade Runner'' screenplay, saying "[I was] told the cheapo novelization would have to appeal to the twelve-year-old audience" and "[it] would have probably been disastrous to me artistically." He added, "That insistence on my part of bringing out the original novel and not doing the novelization -- they were just furious. They finally recognized that there was a legitimate reason for reissuing the novel, even though it cost them money. It was a victory not just of contractual obligations but of theoretical principles."<ref name="Dick's final interview">{{cite news | last = Boonstra | first = John | title = A final interview with science fiction's boldest visionary, who talks candidly about ''Blade Runner'', inner voices and the temptations of Hollywood | publisher = Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone magazine, Vol 2 #3 (available from Phillipkdick.com | date = [[June 1982]] | url = http://www.philipkdick.com/media_twilightzone.html | accessdate = 2007-01-09}}</ref> In the end, ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' was reprinted for a time as a movie [[tie-in]] with the film poster as a cover and the original title in parenthesis below the ''Blade Runner'' title.
Philip K. Dick refused an offer of $400,000 to write a [[novelization]] of the ''Blade Runner'' screenplay, saying "[I was] told the cheapo novelization would have to appeal to the twelve-year-old audience" and "[it] would have probably been disastrous to me artistically." He added, "That insistence on my part of bringing out the original novel and not doing the novelization -- they were just furious. They finally recognized that there was a legitimate reason for reissuing the novel, even though it cost them money. It was a victory not just of contractual obligations but of theoretical principles."<ref name="Dick's final interview">{{cite news | last = Boonstra | first = John | title = A final interview with science fiction's boldest visionary, who talks candidly about ''Blade Runner'', inner voices and the temptations of Hollywood | publisher = Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone magazine, Vol 2 #3 (available from Phillipkdick.com | date = June 1982 | url = http://www.philipkdick.com/media_twilightzone.html | accessdate = 2007-01-09}}</ref> In the end, ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' was reprinted for a time as a movie [[tie-in]] with the film poster as a cover and the original title in parenthesis below the ''Blade Runner'' title.


The producers of the film arranged for a screening of some special effects rough cuts for Philip K. Dick shortly before he died in early 1982. Despite his well known skepticism of [[Hollywood]] in principle, he became quite enthusiastic about the film. He said, "I saw a segment of Douglas Trumbull's special effects for Blade Runner on the KNBC-TV news. I recognized it immediately. It was my own interior world. They caught it perfectly." He also approved of the film's script, saying, "After I finished reading the screenplay, I got the novel out and looked through it. The two reinforce each other, so that someone who started with the novel would enjoy the movie and someone who started with the movie would enjoy the novel."<ref name="Dick's final interview" />
The producers of the film arranged for a screening of some special effects rough cuts for Philip K. Dick shortly before he died in early 1982. Despite his well known skepticism of [[Hollywood]] in principle, he became quite enthusiastic about the film. He said, "I saw a segment of Douglas Trumbull's special effects for Blade Runner on the KNBC-TV news. I recognized it immediately. It was my own interior world. They caught it perfectly." He also approved of the film's script, saying, "After I finished reading the screenplay, I got the novel out and looked through it. The two reinforce each other, so that someone who started with the novel would enjoy the movie and someone who started with the movie would enjoy the novel."<ref name="Dick's final interview" />
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*''[[Blade Runner 4: Eye and Talon]]'' (2000)
*''[[Blade Runner 4: Eye and Talon]]'' (2000)


[[David Peoples]], who co-wrote ''Blade Runner'' and wrote the [[1998 in film|1998]] film [[Soldier (film)|''Soldier'']], has said that ''Soldier'' is intended to be what he calls a "[[Spin-off|sidequel]]" to ''Blade Runner''. ''Soldier'' takes place in the same [[fictional universe]], and the [[Spinner (Blade Runner)|spinners]] used in ''Blade Runner'' are also used in ''Soldier''. However, ''Soldier'' is an [[informal sequel]] as it was never formally approved by the ''Blade Runner'' partnership, which owns the rights to the ''Blade Runner'' universe.
[[David Peoples]], who co-wrote ''Blade Runner'' and wrote the 1998 film [[Soldier (film)|''Soldier'']], has said that ''Soldier'' is intended to be what he calls a "[[Spin-off|sidequel]]" to ''Blade Runner''. ''Soldier'' takes place in the same [[fictional universe]], and the [[Spinner (Blade Runner)|spinners]] used in ''Blade Runner'' are also used in ''Soldier''. However, ''Soldier'' is an [[informal sequel]] as it was never formally approved by the ''Blade Runner'' partnership, which owns the rights to the ''Blade Runner'' universe.


Ridley Scott apparently toyed with the idea of a sequel film, which would have been titled ''Metropolis''. However, the project was ultimately shelved due to rights issues. A script was also written for a proposed sequel entitled ''Blade Runner Down'', which would have been based on K. W. Jeter's first ''Blade Runner'' sequel novel.<ref>[http://brmovie.com/FAQs/BR_FAQ_BR_2.htm BRmovie.com FAQ: "Are there any sequels? I heard rumours ..."]</ref>
Ridley Scott apparently toyed with the idea of a sequel film, which would have been titled ''Metropolis''. However, the project was ultimately shelved due to rights issues. A script was also written for a proposed sequel entitled ''Blade Runner Down'', which would have been based on K. W. Jeter's first ''Blade Runner'' sequel novel.<ref>[http://brmovie.com/FAQs/BR_FAQ_BR_2.htm BRmovie.com FAQ: "Are there any sequels? I heard rumours ..."]</ref>

Revision as of 12:38, 30 May 2007

This article is about the 1982 film. For Bladerunner (disambiguation), see Blade Runner (disambiguation).
Blade Runner
File:Blade Runner poster.jpg
Directed byRidley Scott
Written byPhilip K. Dick (novel)
Hampton Fancher
David Peoples
Produced byMichael Deeley
StarringHarrison Ford
Rutger Hauer
Sean Young
Edward James Olmos
Daryl Hannah
CinematographyJordan Cronenweth
Edited byMarsha Nakashima
Les Healey (director's cut)
Music byVangelis
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
June 25, 1982 (USA)
Running time
117 min. (intl. cut)
115 min. (director's cut)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28,000,000

Blade Runner is an influential 1982 cyberpunk, neo noir film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. It features Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah and Joanna Cassidy.

The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically manufactured beings called replicants, visually indistinguishable from adult humans, are used for dangerous and degrading work in Earth's "off-world colonies." After replicants became illegal on Earth, specialist police units — called "blade runners" — were trained to hunt down and "retire" (kill) escaped replicants on Earth. The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of replicants hiding in Los Angeles and a semi-retired blade runner, Rick Deckard (Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment.

Blade Runner initially polarized critics; some were displeased with the pacing, while others enjoyed its thematic complexity.[1] The film performed poorly in North American theaters but achieved success overseas. Despite poor early ticket sales, it has since become a cult classic. Blade Runner has been hailed for its production design, one said to depict a "retrofitted future". The film is credited with prefiguring important concerns of the 21st century, such as globalization and genetic engineering. It remains a leading example of cyberpunk and neo-noir. Blade Runner brought author Philip K. Dick to the attention of Hollywood and a number of films have since been made from his writings. Ridley Scott regards Blade Runner as his "most complete and personal film."[2]

Seven versions of the film have been created for various markets and as a result of controversial changes made by film executives. A rushed Director's Cut was released in 1992 after a strong response to workprint screenings. This in conjunction with its popularity as a video rental made it one of the first films to see a DVD release. Warner Bros. announced in January 2006 the upcoming 25th anniversary theatrical and DVD release in 2007 of the long-awaited remastered definitive Final Cut by Scott.[3]

Synopsis

Note: The following synopsis refers to the "Director's Cut" version of the film.
File:BladeRunner Sun.jpg
Tyrell polarizing his office window.

An opening crawl following the main titles informs the viewer that advances in genetic technology have allowed scientists to create ultra-sophisticated, biologically-engineered humanoid beings called "replicants." Following a violent revolt that takes place "off world", replicants are declared illegal on Earth.

In Los Angeles, November 2019, Deckard (Harrison Ford) is called out of retirement when a fellow Blade Runner — Holden (Morgan Paull) — is shot during a Voight-Kampff test by Leon (Brion James), an escaped replicant. A reluctant Deckard is brought to his old boss Bryant (M. Emmet Walsh), who informs him that the recent escape of Nexus-6 replicants is the worst yet. He orders Deckard to eliminate the four replicants, a process referred to as "retirement." Deckard agrees to help after Bryant enigmatically threatens him.

Bryant briefs Deckard on the replicants: Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) is a commando, Leon a manual laborer, Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) an assassin built for martial arts, and Pris (Daryl Hannah) a "basic pleasure model." Bryant also explains that the Nexus-6 model has a four-year lifespan as a failsafe against their developing unstable emotions. Deckard is teamed up with Gaff (Edward James Olmos) and sent to the Tyrell Corporation to ensure that the Voight-Kampff test works on Nexus-6 models. While there, Deckard discovers that Tyrell's (Joe Turkel) young assistant Rachael (Sean Young) is an experimental replicant who believes she is a human; Rachael's consciousness has been enhanced with implanted memories from Tyrell's niece, an accomplishment that Tyrell himself is quite proud of.

File:Bladerunner tyrellbuilding.jpg
A Spinner flies over the 700-story Tyrell Complex in Downtown Los Angeles, 2019.

Deckard and Gaff search Leon's apartment as Roy and Leon force Chew (James Hong), an eye designer, to direct them to J.F. Sebastian (William Sanderson) who can lead them to Tyrell. Later, Rachael visits Deckard at his apartment to prove her humanity to him, but leaves in tears after Deckard tells her that her memories are in fact implants. Clues lead Deckard to a sleazy strip club owned by Taffy Lewis (Hy Pyke), who employs Zhora. A chase through the crowded streets ensues and Deckard shoots and "retires" Zhora. Deckard meets with Bryant shortly after and is told to add Rachael to his list of retirements after she has disappeared from the Tyrell Corporation Headquarters. However, after Rachael saves Deckard's life when he is attacked by Leon, they become close and begin to fall in love. In another part of the city, we see Pris and Sebastian for the first time while she's on the street in search of Roy and company. After she freshens up, Roy arrives: then he and Pris employ Sebastian's help by explaining their plight in a very subtle, yet threatening manner. We then turn to Tyrell's penthouse apartment and see Sebastian and Roy arrive on the elevator. Once inside Roy proceeds to demand an extension to his lifespan and absolution for his sins; upon receiving neither, he kills Tyrell and then Sebastian.

Deckard is sent to Sebastian's apartment and is ambushed by Pris. Deckard manages to get the upper hand and violently retires Pris, just as Roy returns. Roy then traps Deckard in the apartment, playfully hunting him throughout the dilapidated Bradbury Building and forcing him to the roof. As Deckard attempts to escape from the roof, he ends up hanging from a beam. Just as Deckard is about to fall, Roy saves his life. Roy is quickly deteriorating, as his 4-year lifespan is up, and he "dies" up on the rooftop. Deckard returns to his open apartment and finds Rachael alive. As they leave, Deckard finds an origami unicorn calling card left by Gaff and they depart towards an uncertain future together.

Production

File:Discord.jpg
Ridley Scott on the set of Blade Runner with Harrison Ford.

Producer Michael Deeley became interested in Hampton Fancher's screenplay entitled Android (subsequently it was changed to Dangerous Days). Deeley convinced director Ridley Scott to create his first American film using Fancher's screenplay. Scott had previously passed on the project, but after leaving the slow production of Dune, he wanted a faster project to take his mind off of his older brother's recent death.[4] He joined the project on February 21, 1980, and went on to push Filmways promised financing on April 9 of $13 million up to $15 million.

When Scott noted Deckard's line of work needed a new name, Fancher found a cinema treatment by William S. Burroughs for Alan E. Nourse's novel The Bladerunner (1974), entitled Blade Runner (a movie). Scott liked it and Deeley obtained the rights to the titles, but Scott soon considered Blade Runner a working title for the film and wanted to find something more "commercial". (Note: Some editions of Nourse's novel use the two-word spacing Blade Runner, as does the Burroughs book.)

Scott became unhappy with the direction of the script and had David Peoples rewrite it. Fancher subsequently resigned on December 20, 1980 over the issue, although he later returned to contribute additional rewrites and was pleasantly surprised Peoples had done a good job incorporating Scott's ideas into the script. Subsequently Fancher and Peoples became good friends.

Having invested over $2.5 million in pre-production, as the date of commencement of principal photography neared, Filmways withdrew their financial backing. In ten days, Deeley secured $21.5 million in financing through a three way deal between The Ladd Company (through Warner Bros.), the Hong Kong-based producer Sir Run Run Shaw, and Tandem Productions. This would later prove problematic as the release of the film's Special Edition (Final Cut) was delayed due to legal wrangling over distribution rights.

Philip K. Dick became concerned that no one had informed him about the film's production. After Dick criticized an early version of the script in an article in the Los Angeles Select TV Guide, the studio sent Dick the David Peoples rewrite. Although Dick died before the film's release, he was pleased with a forty-minute special effects test reel that he viewed.

Nighthawks (1942) painting by Edward Hopper.

Blade Runner owes much to Fritz Lang's Metropolis.[5] Ridley Scott credits Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks and the proto-cyberpunk short story comic The Long Tomorrow (by Dan O'Bannon, art by Moebius) as stylistic mood sources. In addition, he drew on the industrial night time landscape of his one-time home of Teesside.[6] Scott hired as his conceptual artist Syd Mead, who, like Scott, was influenced by the French science fiction comic magazine Métal Hurlant (Heavy Metal), to which Moebius contributed.[1] Moebius was offered the opportunity to assist in the pre-production of Blade Runner, but he declined so that he could work on René Laloux's animated film Les Maîtres du temps — a decision he later regretted.[7] Lawrence G. Paull (production designer) and David Snyder (art director) realised Scott's and Mead's sketches. Jim Burns briefly worked designing the Spinner hovercars; Douglas Trumbull and Richard Yuricich supervised the special effects for the film. Principal photography of Blade Runner began on March 9, 1981.

Prior to principal photography, Paul M. Sammon was commissioned by Cinefantastique magazine to do a special article on the making of Blade Runner. His detailed observations and research later became the book Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner, which is commonly referred to as the "Blade Runner Bible" by many of the film's fans. The book outlines not only the evolution of Blade Runner but also the politics and difficulties on set. It focuses particularly on the British director's experiences with his first American crew. It also sheds light on Scott's directing style, which caused friction with the cast and likely contributed to Harrison Ford's subsequent reluctance to discuss the film.[citation needed] Producer Alan Ladd, Jr. has said (on difficulties during production) that, Scott and Ford "stopped speaking to each other." He added: "Harrison wouldn't speak to Ridley and Ridley wouldn't speak to Harrison. By the end of the shoot Ford was "ready to kill Ridley," said one colleague. He really would have taken him on if he hadn't been talked out of it."[8]

Ridley Scott was recently asked "Who's the biggest pain in the arse you've ever worked with?" He replied: "It's got to be Harrison...he'll forgive me because now I get on with him. Now he's become charming. But he knows a lot, that's the problem. When we worked together it was my first film up and I was the new kid on the block. But we made a good movie."[9] Ford has said of Scott in 2000: "I admire his work. We had a bad patch there, and I’m over it."[10] More recently in 2006, Ford reflected on the production of the film saying: “What I remember more than anything else when I see Blade Runner is not the 50 nights of shooting in the rain, but the voiceover... I was still obliged to work for these clowns that came in writing one bad voiceover after another.”[11]

Themes

Main article: Themes in Blade Runner
File:BladeRunner Bradbury.jpg
The dark sprawl overlooked by the glimmering towers of Los Angeles 2019.

Despite the initial appearance of an action film, Blade Runner operates on an unusually rich number of dramatic levels. As with much of the cyberpunk genre, it owes a large debt to film noir, containing and exploring such conventions as the femme fatale, a Chandleresque first-person narration (removed in later versions), and the questionable moral outlook of the Hero — extended here to include even the humanity of the hero, as well as the usual dark and shadowy cinematography.

It is one of the most literate science fiction films, both thematically — enfolding the philosophy of religion and moral implications of the increasing human mastery of genetic engineering, within the context of classical Greek drama and its notions of hubris[12] — and linguistically, drawing on the poetry of William Blake and the Bible. A theme subtly reiterated by the chess game between Roy and Tyrell based on the famous Immortal Game of 1851 symbolizing the struggle against mortality imposed by God.[13][14]

Blade Runner delves into the future implications of technology on the environment and society by reaching into the past using literature, religious symbolism, classical dramatic themes and film noir. This tension between past, present and future is apparent in the retrofitted future of Blade Runner, which is high-tech and gleaming in places but elsewhere decayed and old.

A high level of paranoia is present throughout the film with the visual manifestation of corporate power, omnipresent police, probing lights, and in the power over the individual represented particularly by genetic programming of the replicants. Control over the environment is seen on a large scale, hand in hand with the seeming absence of any natural life, with artificial animals being created as a substitute for the extinct originals. This oppressive backdrop clarifies why many people are going to the off-world colonies, which clearly parallels the migration to the Americas. The popular 1980s prediction of America being economically surpassed by Japan is reflected in the domination of Japanese culture and advertising in LA 2019. The film also makes extensive use of eyes and manipulated images to call into question reality and our ability to perceive it.

These thematic elements provide an atmosphere of uncertainty for Blade Runner's central theme of examining humanity. In order to discover replicants, an empathy test is used with a number of questions focused on the treatment of animals, thus making it the essential indicator of someone's "humanity". The replicants are juxtaposed with human characters who are unempathetic, while the replicants appear to show passion and concern for one another at the same time as the mass of humanity on the streets is cold and impersonal. The film goes so far as to put in doubt whether Deckard is a replicant, and forces the audience to reevaluate what it means to be human.[15]

The question of whether Deckard is intended to be a human or a replicant has been an ongoing controversy since the film's release. Ridley Scott, after remaining coy for twenty years, stated in 2000 that Deckard is a replicant.[16] Hampton Fancher and Harrison Ford have stated that Deckard is human. Of note, in a recent interview in Sactown Magazine, Ridley Scott is quoted by director Joe Carnahan as telling him in a private conversation that Deckard is a replicant who thinks he is human.[17] The rough consensus of the debate is that in the original version of the film Deckard is probably human, whereas the Director's Cut deliberately hints that he may be another replicant. Specifically, the Director's Cut includes a short sequence in which Deckard dreams about a unicorn.

David Peoples, who co-scripted Blade Runner, also wrote Unforgiven (1992), the Academy Award winning film directed and starring Clint Eastwood. There are thematic similarities between the two films.[18] Unforgiven has been described as "veteran manhunter, bullied from retirement, shoots down undeserving fugitives."[19] It has been suggested that this has: "obvious similarities to the narrative of Blade Runner."[18] In an interview with Ridley Scott in 2002, Journalist Lynn Barber of The Observer described the film as being "extremely dark, both literally and metaphorically, with an oddly masochistic feel." Ridley Scott explained that he "liked the idea of exploring pain" in the wake of his brother's death from skin cancer. "When he was ill, I used to go and visit him in London, and that was really traumatic for me."[2]

Cast

With the exception of Harrison Ford, Blade Runner had a significant number of then-unknown actors in its cast:

File:BladeRunner Deckard and Rachael.jpg
Deckard and Rachael share a moment.
"Blade Runner needs no explanation. It just IZZ. All of the best. There is nothing like it. To be part of a real MASTERPIECE which changed the world's thinking. It's awesome."[22]
  • Sean Young as Rachael. Young still counts Blade Runner among her favorite films, despite friction with Ford and Scott. [citation needed]
  • Edward James Olmos as Gaff. Olmos used his diverse ethnic background, and some in-depth personal research,[23] to help create the fictional "Cityspeak" language his character uses in the film. It later turned out that what he addresses to the sitting and eating Rick Deckard is partly in Hungarian and means "Horse dick! So you say. You are the Blade... Blade Runner."[23]
  • Daryl Hannah as Pris. Hannah managed to bring out the dangerous innocence of a replicant in love with Roy Batty.

Supporting roles:

  • M. Emmet Walsh as Captain Bryant. Walsh lived up to his reputation as a great character actor with the role of a hard drinking police veteran. Walsh's sleazy and underhand character resembles in many ways Orson Welles' Hank Quinlan in A Touch of Evil, and represents a further homage to the Film Noir genre.
  • Joe Turkel as Dr. Eldon Tyrell. With a confident penetrating voice and a penchant for self-aggrandizement, this corporate mogul has built an empire on slavery.
  • William Sanderson as J.F. Sebastian, a quiet and lonely genius who provides a compassionate yet compliant portrait of humanity. This led to more varied work for Sanderson.
  • Brion James as Leon. Although at first glance a dumb replicant used for muscle, Leon did have an undertone of intuitive intelligence.
  • Joanna Cassidy as Zhora. Cassidy portrays a strong woman who has seen the worst humanity has to offer.
  • Morgan Paull as Holden. The Blade Runner initially assigned to the case, he is severely wounded by Leon while screening new Tyrell employees in an attempt to find the replicants, prompting his replacement with Deckard.
  • James Hong as Hannibal Chew. An elder geneticist who loves his work, especially with synthesizing eyes.
  • Hy Pyke as Taffey Lewis. Pyke conveys Lewis' sleaziness with ease and apparently with one take; something almost unheard of with Scott's drive for perfection resulting at times in double digit takes.
  • Unknown as Abdul Hassan. It remains a mystery who played the snake dealer Deckard interrogates.

Music

Main article: Blade Runner (soundtracks)
File:BladeRunner Esper Edition CD 2.jpg
Esper Edition — Disc Two

The Blade Runner soundtrack by Vangelis is a dark melodic combination of classic composition and futuristic synthesizers which mirrors the film-noir retro-future envisioned by Ridley Scott. Vangelis, fresh from his Academy Award winning score for Chariots of Fire, composed and performed the music on his synthesizers. The musicscape of 2019 was created in Vangelis' "space" mode of new age music, as heard on such albums of his as Heaven and Hell. He also made use of various chimes and the vocals of collaborator Demis Roussos. Another memorable sound is the haunting tenor sax solo "Love Theme" by UK saxophonist Dick Morrissey, who appeared on many of Vangelis' albums. Ridley Scott also used "Memories of Green" from Vangelis' album See You Later (an orchestral version of which Scott would later use in his film Someone To Watch Over Me).

"Both emotional and unsettling, the Blade Runner score plays off conflict (discord versus harmony, light against dark) for a rich, textured tapestry of sound." — musicoutfitter.com[24]

Despite being well received by fans and critically acclaimed — nominated in 1983 for a BAFTA and Golden Globe as best original score — and the promise of a soundtrack album from Polydor Records in the end titles of the film, the release of the original soundtrack recording was delayed for over a decade. There are two official releases of the music from Blade Runner. In light of the lack of a release of an album, The New American Orchestra recorded an orchestral adaptation in 1982 which bore little resemblance to the original. Some of the film tracks would in 1989 surface on the compilation Themes, but not until the 1992 release of the Director's Cut version would a substantial amount of the film's score see the light of day. However, while most of the tracks on the album are from the film, there were a few that Vangelis composed but were ultimately not used and some new pieces. Many do not consider this to be a satisfying representation of the score.

These delays and poor reproductions led to the production of many bootleg recordings over the years. A bootleg tape surfaced in 1982 at science fiction conventions and became popular given the delay of an official release of the original recordings, and in 1993 "Off World Music, Ltd." created a bootleg CD that would prove more comprehensive than Vangelis' official CD in 1994. A disc from "Gongo Records" features most of the same material, but with slightly better sound quality. In 2003, two other bootlegs surfaced, the "Esper Edition," closely preceded by "Los Angeles — November 2019." The double disc "Esper Edition" combined tracks from the official release, the Gongo boot and the film itself. Finally "2019" provided a single disc compilation almost wholly consisting of ambient sound from the film, padded out with some sounds from the Westwood game Blade Runner. The Gongo release is considered the best presentation of the music, while Los Angeles — November 2019 and the Esper Edition are excellent mementos of the film.

"Dreamy, evocative, beautiful and essential." — moviegrooves.com[25]

Reception

Template:Infobox movie certificates Blade Runner was released in 1,290 theaters on June 25 1982. That date was chosen by producer Alan Ladd, Jr. because his previous highest-grossing films (Star Wars and Alien) had a similar opening date (May 25) in 1977 and 1979, making the date his "lucky day."[1] However, the gross for the opening weekend was a disappointing $6.15 million. A significant factor in the film's rather poor box office performance was that its release coincided with another science fiction film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which was released in the U.S. on June 11, 1982, and dominated box office revenues at the time.

Film critics were polarized as some felt the story had taken a back seat to special effects and that it was not the action/adventure the studio had advertised. Others acclaimed its complexity and predicted it would stand the test of time.[1]

In the United States, a general criticism was its slow pacing that detracts from other strengths;[26] one film critic went so far as to call it "Blade Crawler."[27] Roger Ebert praised Blade Runner's visuals and recommended it for that reason; however, he found the human story clichéd and a little thin.[28] Ebert thought Tyrell's character unconvincing and the apparent lack of security measures allowing Roy to murder him problematic. Also he believed the relationship between Deckard and Rachael seemed "to exist more for the plot than for them."[29] In 1992, with the release of the director's cut version, Roger Ebert refused to change his opinion and said that the new version of the film added little.[30] However, around the world the movie gained critical acclaim since its release.

Awards and nominations

Blade Runner has both won, and been nominated for, many awards.

It has won the following accolades:

Year Award Category — Recipient(s)
1982 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Cinematography — Jordan Cronenweth
1983 BAFTA Film Award Best Cinematography — Jordan Cronenweth
Best Costume Design — Charles Knode, Michael Kaplan
Best Production Design/Art Direction — Lawrence G. Paull
1983 Hugo Award Best Dramatic Presentation
1983 London Critics Circle Film Awards — Special Achievement Award Lawrence G. Paull, Douglas Trumbull, Syd Mead — For their visual concept (technical prize).

It was nominated for the following awards:

Influence

File:BladeRunner Spinner Billboard.jpg
A police spinner flies alongside a huge advertising-laden skyscraper in Los Angeles at night.

Although it initially gained a small North American audience, the film was popular internationally and became a cult classic which has been often referenced in other media. Blade Runner's dark cyberpunk style and futuristic design have served as a benchmark and its inspiration can be seen in many subsequent science fiction films and television programs, such as Max Headroom, Batman, RoboCop, The Fifth Element, Brazil, Dark Angel, Judge Dredd, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, The Matrix, I, Robot, and Children of Men and in anime, including Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Armitage III, Silent Möbius, Cowboy Bebop, Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files, Parasite Dolls, Heat Guy J and Ergo Proxy.[citation needed]

The film arguably marks the introduction of the cyberpunk genre into popular culture.[citation needed] Blade Runner continues to reflect modern trends and concerns, and an increasing number consider it one of the greatest science fiction films of all time.[31] The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is frequently used in university courses. It is one of the most musically sampled films of the 20th century.[32] Leon is sampled, saying: "Wake up time to die" in the Pop Will Eat Itself song named for the quote. He is also sampled in the song by Tricky titled, "Aftermath," saying, "Let me tell you about my mother." The character Roy Batty served as the apparent inspiration of several songs, such as Audioslave's "Show Me How To Live", White Zombie's "Electric Head" and "More Human Than Human" (a Tyrell Corporation slogan), Covenant's "Like Tears In Rain" and "Replicant", Diesel Christ's "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?", Sigue Sigue Sputnik's "Love Missile F1-11", Hoodlum Priest's "Tyrell" and Kent's "OWC", Fightstar's "Lost Like tears in rain".

Gary Numan was a Philip K. Dick fan and has cited Blade Runner as one of his favourite films; the title of his 1979 single "Are 'Friends' Electric?" (from the album Replicas) was influenced by Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Numan used vocal samples from Blade Runner for his songs "Call Out The Dogs," "My World Storm" and "From Russia Infected," and his song "Time To Die" was derived from Roy Batty's death scene (the lyrics paraphrase Batty's final speech). Numan admired Dick Morrissey's work on the Blade Runner score and invited the saxophonist to play on his 1983 album Warriors; Morrissey played on five of Numan's albums between 1983 and 1991.

Other Rock songs influenced by the film (and the book it is based upon) include Altered State's "Where's Harrison Ford?", Blind Guardian's "Time What Is Time", Fear Factory's "Replica", Incubus' "Talk Shows On Mute", Kim Wilde's "Bladerunner", Circle of Dust's "Pale Reflection," Revolting Cocks's "Attack Ships on Fire," and Tan-Hauser Gate's "Little Piece of You".

"Ridley Scott's film remains the defining vision of futuristic science fiction." — Steve Biodrowski[33]

Blade Runner has also influenced the adventure games Rise of the Dragon, Snatcher and Flashback: The Quest for Identity, the role-playing game Shadowrun, the computer game System Shock and the Syndicate games. The fictional language Cityspeak has been used in many cyberpunk genre role-playing games. The memorable Scrap Brain Zone level from the original Sonic the Hedgehog features an almost identical score to the Blade Runner 'End Title' theme, and is clearly a direct tribute.[citation needed]

Director Christopher Nolan used Blade Runner as "an interesting lesson on the technique of exploring and describing a credible universe that doesn't appear to have any boundaries", he applied this inspiration to the production of Batman Begins.[34]

Blade Runner is currently ranked the third best film of all time by The Screen Directory.[35]

Curse

Among the folklore that has grown up around the film over the years has been the belief that the film was a curse[36] to the companies whose logos were displayed prominently in some scenes. While they were market leaders at the time, many of them experienced disastrous setbacks over the next decade and hardly exist today:

  • Atari, which dominated the home video game market when the film came out, never recovered from the next year's downturn in the industry, and by the 1990s had ceased to exist as anything more than a brand, a back catalog of games and some legacy computers. The Atari of today is an entirely different firm, using the former company's name.
  • The Bell System monopoly was broken up that same year, and all of the resulting Regional Bell operating companies have since changed their names and merged with each other or other companies.
  • Pan Am suffered the terrorist bombing/destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 and went bankrupt in 1991, after a decade of mounting losses.
  • Cuisinart similarly went bankrupt in 1989, though it lives on under new ownership.

Coca-Cola almost joined this list in the wake of its failed introduction of New Coke three years later, but has since experienced a thirtyfold increase in share price.

Versions

Seven versions of the film exist, but only the Director's Cut and International Cut are widely known and seen:

  • The original 1982 International Cut (also known as Criterion Edition), which included more graphic violence than the U.S. theatrical release, and which was released on VHS and on Criterion Collection Laserdisc.
  • The U.S. theatrical version (also known as Original Version), also called the domestic cut.
  • Two workprint versions, shown only as audience test previews and occasionally at film festivals; one of these was distributed in 1991, as a Director's Cut without Scott's approval.
  • The Ridley Scott-approved 1992 Director's Cut; prompted by the unauthorized 1991 release, it is to date the only version officially released on DVD.
  • The broadcast version, edited for profanity and nudity.
  • Warner Home Video has scheduled both theatrical and DVD releases of Ridley Scott's final cut of the film for 2007.[37]

Theatrical versions

The 1982 American and European theatrical versions released by the studio included a "happy ending" (using stock footage from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining) and a voice-over added at the request of studio executives during post-production after test audience members indicated difficulty understanding the film. Although several different versions of the script had included a narration of some sort, both Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford disliked the studio voice-over and resisted having it added to the film. It has been suggested that Ford intentionally performed the voice-over poorly in the hope it wouldn't be used,[38] but recent interviews contradict this.[39]

In an interview with Playboy magazine in 2002, Ford was asked (about the voice-over) if he "deliberately read it badly, hoping they'd drop it?". He replied "No. I delivered it to the best of my ability given that I had no input. I never thought they'd use it. But I didn't try and sandbag it. It was simply bad narration." He added, "I was compelled by my contract to do the narration. When I first agreed to do the film, I told Ridley there was too much information given to the audience in narration." Ford had suggested to Ridley Scott that they "take it out and put it into scenes and let the audience acquire this information in a narrative fashion, without being told it." Scott thought this a good idea. "When we got done, the studio said nobody will understand this fucking movie. We have to create a narrative. They had already thrown Ridley off the movie - they were over budget. So I was compelled by my contract to record this narration."[40] Ford is also quoted (in 1999 about the voice-over) saying: "I had no chance to participate in it, so I simply read it. I was very, very unhappy with their choices and with the quality of the material. I contested it mightily at the time. It was not an organic part of the film.'"[41]

International Cut

The International Cut, or Criterion Edition, is largely identical to the theatrical release but with extra violence added in three scenes:

  • When Batty confronts Tyrell in his bedroom, in addition to crushing Tyrell's face with his hands, Batty pokes out Tyrell's eyes with his thumbs, releasing a huge amount of blood.
  • When Pris has somersaulted onto Deckard's back, rather than hitting him three times and then dropping him (as she does in all other versions), she hits him twice, then inserts her fingers into his nostrils and releases her legs, holding him up by his nostrils for a few seconds before he falls to the floor. The shot of him falling to the floor is identical in all versions. Deckard also shoots Pris an extra time, and the scenes of her thrashing spastically on the floor after having been shot are slightly extended.
  • When Batty is being hunted by Deckard at the end of the film, he pushes a nail through his own hand, which again bleeds profusely.

Director's Cut

File:BladeRunner Unicorn1.jpg
Deckard's dream in the 1992 Director's Cut

In 1990, Warner Bros. briefly allowed theatrical screenings of a 70 mm copy of the workprint version of the film, advertising it as a Director's Cut. However, Ridley Scott publicly disowned the workprint version of the film as his definitive Director's Cut, citing that it was roughly edited and lacked the score composed for the film by Vangelis. In response to Scott's dissatisfaction (and in part because of the film's resurgent cult popularity in the early 90s) Warner Bros. decided to assemble a definitive Director's Cut of the film with direction from Scott to be released in 1992.

They hired film-restorationist Michael Arick, who had rediscovered the workprint of Blade Runner and who was already doing consultation work for them, to head the project with Scott. He started by spending several months in London with Les Healey, who had been the assistant editor on Blade Runner, attempting to compile a list of the changes that Scott wanted made to the film. He also received a number of suggestions/directions directly from the director himself. Three major changes were made to the film which most would agree significantly changed the feel of the film: the removal of Deckard's explanatory voice-over, the re-insertion of a dream sequence of a unicorn running through a forest, and the removal of the studio-imposed "happy ending", including some associated visuals which had originally run under the film's end-credits. The original sequence of Deckard's unicorn dream wasn't found in a print of sufficient quality; the original scene shows Deckard intercut with the running unicorn. Arick was thus forced to use a different print that shows only the unicorn running without any intercutting to Deckard. As mentioned above, the removal of the "happy ending" and the re-insertion of the unicorn scene suggests a completely different ending where Gaff's origami unicorn would mean that Deckard's dreams are also known, and therefore he too would be a replicant of the same generation as Rachael. That would also explain the need for the unicorn scene.

Interestingly, the cut did not include much of the "extra violence" included in the "International" version of the film. (See above.)

Scott has since complained that time and money constraints, along with his obligation to Thelma & Louise, kept him from retooling the film in a completely satisfactory manner. While he is happier than before with the 1992 release of the film, he has never felt entirely comfortable with it as his definitive Director's Cut.

In 2000, Harrison Ford gave his view on the Director’s Cut of the film saying, although he thought it “spectacular” it didn’t “move him at all”. He gave a brief reason: "They haven't put anything in, so it's still an exercise in design."[10]

Originally released as a single-disc DVD in 1997, the Director's Cut was one of the first DVDs on the market. However, it is of low quality compared to DVDs of today due to it being produced in the early days of the format. It was re-released with a new transfer in 2006.

Special Edition

Partly as the result of those complaints, Scott was invited back in mid-2000 to help put together a final and definitive version of the film, which was completed in mid-2001. During the process, a new digital print of the film was created from the original negatives, special effects were updated and cleaned, and the sound was remastered in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. Unlike the rushed 1992 Director's Cut, Scott personally oversaw the new cut as it was being made. The Special Edition DVD was slated for a Christmas time 2001 release, and was originally rumored to be a three-disc set including the full international theatrical cut, an early workprint with additional scenes, and the newly enhanced version in addition to deleted scenes, extensive cast and crew interviews, and the documentary "On the Edge of Blade Runner". But Warner Bros. indefinitely delayed the "Special Edition" release after legal disputes began with the film's original completion bond guarantors (specifically Jerry Perenchio), who were ceded ownership of the film when the shooting ran over budget from $21.5 to $28 million.

After years of legal disputes, Warner Bros. announced in 2006 that it had finally secured full distribution rights to the film. There will be a three stage release of the film. First, a digitally remastered single-disc limited re-release of the 1992 Director's Cut was released on September 5, 2006 in the United States and on October 9, 2006 in Ireland and the UK. Second, Ridley Scott's new "Final Cut" of the film is scheduled for theatrical release in 2007.[3] The third and final phase, a multi-disc box set including the two previous versions — the U.S. and International cuts — and bonus features, is also scheduled for 2007. Warner Bros. has plans to release this box set not only on DVD, but also on the HD DVD and Blu-ray disc formats.[42][43] Joanna Cassidy has stated on her website that she has reshot some footage for the upcoming release.[44]

Documentaries

File:BladeRunner Fancher and Peoples.jpg
From the Edge documentary, featuring Blade Runner screenwriters Fancher (left) and Peoples, now friends.

On the Edge of Blade Runner[45] (55 minutes), produced in 2000 by Nobles Gate Ltd. (for Channel 4), was directed by Andrew Abbott and hosted/written by Mark Kermode. Interviews with production staff, including Scott, give details of the creative process and the turmoil during preproduction. Stories from Paul M. Sammon and Fancher provide insight into Philip K. Dick and the origins of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Interweaved are cast interviews (with the notable exceptions of Harrison Ford and Sean Young), which convey some of the difficulties of making the film (including an exacting director and humid, smoggy weather). There is also a tour of some locations, most notably the Bradbury Building and the Warner Bros. backlot that became the LA 2019 streets, which look very different from Scott's dark vision.

The documentary then details the test screenings and the resulting changes (the voice over, the happy ending, and the deleted Holden hospital scene), the special effects, the soundtrack by Vangelis, and the unhappy relationship between the filmmakers and the investors which culminated in Deeley and Scott being fired but still working on the film. The question of whether or not Deckard is a replicant surfaces.

Future Shocks (27 minutes) is a more recent documentary from 2003 by TVOntario (part of their Film 101 series using footage compiled over the years for Saturday Night at the Movies). It includes interviews with executive producer Bud Yorkin, Syd Mead, and the cast, this time with Sean Young, but still without Harrison Ford. There is extensive commentary by science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer and from film critics, as the documentary focuses on the themes, visual impact and influence of the film. Edward James Olmos describes Ford's participation and personal experiences during filming are related by Young, Walsh, Cassidy and Sanderson. They also relate a story about crew members creating t-shirts that took pot shots at Scott. The different versions of the film are critiqued and the accuracy of its predictions of the future are discussed.

Novel

See also: Differences between the novel and film

The original screenplay by Hampton Fancher was based loosely on Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which he optioned in 1980 after an unsuccessful previous attempt. However, Fancher's script focused more on environmental issues and less on issues of humanity and faith, which weighed heavily in the novel. When Ridley Scott became involved with the film, he wanted changes to the script made, and eventually hired David Peoples to perform the re-writes after Fancher refused. The film's title also changed several times during the writing process; it was to be called Dangerous Days in Fancher's last draft before eventually taking the title Blade Runner, borrowed (with permission) from a William S. Burroughs treatment of Alan E. Nourse's science fiction novel The Bladerunner (1974).

As a result of Fancher's divergence from the novel, numerous re-writes before and throughout shooting the film, and the fact that Ridley Scott never entirely read the novel on which the film was based, the film diverged significantly from its original inspiration. Some of the themes in the novel that were minimized or entirely removed include: fertility/sterility of the population, religion, mass media, Deckard's uncertainty that he is human, and real versus synthetic pets and emotions.

Philip K. Dick refused an offer of $400,000 to write a novelization of the Blade Runner screenplay, saying "[I was] told the cheapo novelization would have to appeal to the twelve-year-old audience" and "[it] would have probably been disastrous to me artistically." He added, "That insistence on my part of bringing out the original novel and not doing the novelization -- they were just furious. They finally recognized that there was a legitimate reason for reissuing the novel, even though it cost them money. It was a victory not just of contractual obligations but of theoretical principles."[46] In the end, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was reprinted for a time as a movie tie-in with the film poster as a cover and the original title in parenthesis below the Blade Runner title.

The producers of the film arranged for a screening of some special effects rough cuts for Philip K. Dick shortly before he died in early 1982. Despite his well known skepticism of Hollywood in principle, he became quite enthusiastic about the film. He said, "I saw a segment of Douglas Trumbull's special effects for Blade Runner on the KNBC-TV news. I recognized it immediately. It was my own interior world. They caught it perfectly." He also approved of the film's script, saying, "After I finished reading the screenplay, I got the novel out and looked through it. The two reinforce each other, so that someone who started with the novel would enjoy the movie and someone who started with the movie would enjoy the novel."[46]

The film also draws upon We Can Build You, another of Dick's novels. In chapter 3 of We Can Build You, another character named Pris is described as wearing "odd make-up, eyes outlined in black, a harlequin effect, and almost purple lipstick; the whole color scheme made her appear unreal and doll-like." This description inspired the make-up worn by Pris in Blade Runner.

Games and comics

The Westwood PC game cover

There are two video games based on the film, one for Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC 6128 by CRL Group PLC (1985) based on the music by Vangelis (due to licensing issues), and another action adventure PC game by Westwood Studios (1997). A prototype board game was also created in California (1982) that had game play similar to Scotland Yard. The cult computer game Snatcher was heavily influenced by Blade Runner, so much so that websites exist detailing the numerous similarities between the two.[47] The Westwood PC game featured new characters and branching storylines based on the Blade Runner world, coupled with voice work from some of the original cast from the film and some recurring locations from the film. It is noteworthy that the events portrayed in the 1997 game occur not after, but in parallel to those in the film — the player assumes the role of another replicant-hunter working at the same time as Deckard, though of course they never meet, so as to remain consistent with the film. The game was highly advanced for its time, featuring a non linear plot, and advanced non player characters that each ran in their own independent AI. Unfortunately, the game was hobbled by an unusual pseudo-3D engine (which eschewed true 3-D imagery in favor of actively scaled, pre-rendered raster graphics) that did not require the use of a 3-D accelerator card (still a very optional piece of hardware) to play the game. This system was credible when the game went into production, but seriously outclassed by the time the game was finally released. Westwood's production also presented some of the most technically advanced and visually stunning pre-rendered cutscenes seen in any game of its time.

Archie Goodwin scripted the comic book adaptation, A Marvel Comics Super Special: Blade Runner, published September, 1982. The Jim Steranko cover leads into a 45-page adaptation illustrated by the team of Al Williamson, Carlos Garzon, Dan Green and Ralph Reese. This adaptation was poorly received and widely ridiculed because of poor writing and misquoted dialogue taken from the film. (This adaptation includes one possible explanation of the title's significance in story context: the narrative line, "Blade runner. You're always movin' on the edge.") Two Blade Runner parody comics have been written: Blade Bummer by Crazy comics,[48] and an anthropomorphic parody of the film known as Bad Rubber, which was written and illustrated by Steve Gallacci, and published in the prototype issue (Number 0) of his comic book title Albedo Anthropomorphics. In Bad Rubber, the character based on Rick Deckard is a duck named "Rick Duckard".

Sequels

Three official and authorized Blade Runner novels have been written by Philip K. Dick's friend K. W. Jeter that continue the story of Rick Deckard and attempt to resolve many of the differences between Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.

David Peoples, who co-wrote Blade Runner and wrote the 1998 film Soldier, has said that Soldier is intended to be what he calls a "sidequel" to Blade Runner. Soldier takes place in the same fictional universe, and the spinners used in Blade Runner are also used in Soldier. However, Soldier is an informal sequel as it was never formally approved by the Blade Runner partnership, which owns the rights to the Blade Runner universe.

Ridley Scott apparently toyed with the idea of a sequel film, which would have been titled Metropolis. However, the project was ultimately shelved due to rights issues. A script was also written for a proposed sequel entitled Blade Runner Down, which would have been based on K. W. Jeter's first Blade Runner sequel novel.[49]

Though not an official sequel to Blade Runner, many fans have noted similarities between the 1999 television series Total Recall 2070 and the Blade Runner universe. Total Recall 2070 was based on two works by Phillip K. Dick: "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (the basis for the film Total Recall), and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (the basis for Blade Runner), so many consider the series a sequel to (or at least a spin-off of) Blade Runner.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Sammon, Paul M. (1996). Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner. London: Orion Media. ISBN 0-06-105314-7.
  2. ^ a b Barber, Lynn (2002-01-02). "Scott's Corner". The Observer. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  3. ^ a b Foster, Dave (31-05-2006). "Warner confirms Blade Runner DVD plans". Retrieved 2007-03-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Sammon, Paul M. (1996). "4". Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner. London: Orion Media. p. 48. ISBN 0-06-105314-7.
  5. ^ Bukatman, Scott (1997-08-01). Blade Runner: BFI Modern Classics. London: BFI (British Film Institute). ISBN 0-85170-623-1.
  6. ^ Scott, Ridley. (2003) Daily Telegraph — Interview with Ridley Scott
  7. ^ Giraud, Jean. (1988) The Long Tomorrow & Other SF Stories. ISBN 0-87135-281-8
  8. ^ Shone, Tom (2004). Blockbuster. Simon 7 Schuster. ISBN 0743239903.
  9. ^ Carnevale, Rob (2006). "Getting Direct With Directors...Ridley Scott". BBC Movies. Retrieved 2007-02-21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ a b Kennedy, Colin (2000-11). "And beneath lies, the truth". Empire (137): 76. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ "In Conversation with Harrison Ford". Empire (202): 140. 2006-04. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ Jenkins, Mary. (1997) The Dystopian World of Blade Runner: An Ecofeminist Perspective
  13. ^ http://www.faqs.org/faqs/movies/bladerunner-faq/ Blade Runner – FAQ
  14. ^ Unnecessary Destruction: The Lost Films of Ridley Scott
  15. ^ Kerman, Judith. (1991) Retrofitting Blade Runner: Issues in Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" and Philip K. Dick's "Do Android's Dream of Electric Sheep?" ISBN 0-87972-510-9
  16. ^ Scott, Ridley (2000) video clip of Ridley Scott confirming that Deckard is a replicant
  17. ^ Halverson, Mark (2007) "The Wild Card" Interview with Director Joe Carnahan in 'sactown' magazine ISSN#1932-622X
  18. ^ a b Lacey, Nick (2000). York Film Notes: Blade Runner. York Press. p. 14. ISBN 0582431980.
  19. ^ Strick, Philip (1992-12). "Blade Runner: Telling the Difference". Sight and Sound. 2 (8): 9. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  20. ^ Ebert, Roger (1992-09-11). "Blade Runner: Director's Cut". Retrieved 2006-08-28.
  21. ^ Sammon, Paul M. (1996). "12". Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner. London: Orion Media. p. 284. ISBN 0-06-105314-7.
  22. ^ BRMovie.com – Rutger Hauer
  23. ^ a b Sammon, Paul M. (1996). "8". Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner. London: Orion Media. pp. 115–116. ISBN 0-06-105314-7.
  24. ^ http://www.musicoutfitter.com/store/item/075678262326/bladerunner.html
  25. ^ http://www.moviegrooves.co.uk/shop/bladerunner.htm
  26. ^ Hicks, Chris. (1992) DeseretNews.com — Review of Blade Runner
  27. ^ Flynn, John. (2003) Towson.edu — Blade Runner Retrospective
  28. ^ "Sneak Previews", week of June 25, 1982.
  29. ^ [1] - 1982 review by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times.
  30. ^ [2] - 1992 review by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times.
  31. ^ Jha, Alok; Rogers, Simon; Rutherford, Adam (2004-08-26). "Our expert panel votes for the top 10 sci-fi films". Guardian.co.uk. Guardian Newspapers. Retrieved 2006-11-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Cigéhn, Peter (2004-09-01). "The Top 1319 Sample Sources (version 60)". Sloth.org.
  33. ^ cinescape.com
  34. ^ Jankiewicz, Pat (August 2005). "Dark Knight Resurrected". Starlog. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  35. ^ thescreendirectory.com – Top Ten Films of All Time
  36. ^ Curse at the Blade Runner FAQ.
  37. ^ Scotsman.com. (2006) Scotsman.com — 'Blade Runner' replicated on DVD again
  38. ^ Sammon, Paul M. (1996). "13". Future Noir: the Making of Blade Runner. London: Orion Media. p. 298. ISBN 0-06-105314-7.
  39. ^ IMDB. (2005) Trivia for Blade Runner
  40. ^ Fleming, Micheal. "The Playboy Interview". Playboy Magazine. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  41. ^ "Harrison Ford's Blade Runner Gripe". Empire. 1999-09-07. Retrieved 2007-02-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  42. ^ "Blade Runner Special Edition News and Views," brmovie.com, Feb. 2, 2006
  43. ^ "Blade Runner Final Cut Due," SciFi Wire, May 26, 2006
  44. ^ "Bladerunner Reshoots? Yep - For The Upcoming DVD". 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2007-04-26.
  45. ^ On the Edge of Blade Runner at Google Video
  46. ^ a b Boonstra, John (June 1982). "A final interview with science fiction's boldest visionary, who talks candidly about Blade Runner, inner voices and the temptations of Hollywood". Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone magazine, Vol 2 #3 (available from Phillipkdick.com. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  47. ^ KoKee. (2001) Blade Runner & Snatcher
  48. ^ Kupperberg, Paul & Camp, Bob. (1982) BladeZone.com — Crazy: Blade Runner Parody
  49. ^ BRmovie.com FAQ: "Are there any sequels? I heard rumours ..."

See also

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