Director: Ridley Scott
Background:
Ridley Scott was
born in Northern England in 1937. During World War II his family often moved
around, eventually settling in an industrial part of Northeastern England. He grew
up reading H.G. Wells which fueled his interest in science fiction. He obtained
a diploma in design in 1958 and went on to study at the Royal College of Art in
London. He was a trainee set designer for the BBC shortly after graduation in 1963,
and almost worked on the set of Dr. Who.
Film
Background: Blade Runner is based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
first published in 1968. Interest in an adaptation of the movie started almost
right away, however a screenplay wasn’t approved by the novel’s writer, Philip
K. Dick, until 1977. Ridley Scott joined the project in early 1980. Dick was
impressed with the world that Scott had made, and shooting of the film began in
1981, though Dick passed away before the final product was released in 1982. In
2007 a new edit of the original film was released which had extended scenes and
removed the narration by Deckard. While some film remasters and edits are
critically panned, the “Final Cut” has become known as the best version of the
early 80’s flick.
Genre: Blade Runner is often seen as a quintessential “cyberpunk film.”
Cyberpunk is a type of science fiction that focuses on lower standards of
living juxtaposed against great technological and scientific achievements. The
film is sometimes also described as neo-noir, a type of film noir genre that
often involves updated scenery and themes compared to that of the 1940’s and
1950’s.
Audience:
The film is
designed for mature audiences with interest in science fiction and film noir
elements. Blade Runner is a graphic
depiction of a dark, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, with a story centered around
a bounty hunter tasked with tracking down and “retiring” illegal “Replicants.”
While the movie differs in context and symbolism from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film is still rife with its
own references and symbolism. One can easily watch this film a number of times
and be able to see new elements to the story and cinematography.
Social
Context: Blade Runner and the book it was based on were
both released during the Cold War, when there was a very real danger that the
world would end in a nuclear apocalypse. At the time of the movie’s release,
technology was quickly becoming an ever-greater part of daily life, and fear
was growing that governments of the world were heading for a type of “New World
Order.” As such, dystopian novels and films were becoming increasingly popular.
Dual
Entry Log
1:11:00
– Rachael comes over to Deckard’s apartment after the fight with Leon, one of
the Replicants on the loose. Deckard begins showing signs of affection for Rachael,
even though he knows she’s not human. Rachael asks him if he would hunt her if
she ran away because it’s his job, and Deckard assures her he would not, though
someone likely would. After Rachael plays the piano, Deckard forces himself on
her, eventually cornering her as she tries to leave.
What
Does It Mean?: While
Deckard demonstrates that Rachael is important to him, he doesn’t believe that she
is human and takes advantage of her, knowing that she has no other choice but
to comply. This reinforces the view that Replicants are almost universally
viewed as sub-human, even to Deckard, despite their being genetically engineered
to be equal or superior to them in many aspects.
1:20:00
– Roy and Pris get J.F. Sebastian to agree to go with them to see Tyrell in
order to try and get him to extend their life as both are reaching the end of
their life cycles. Tyrell lets them in, thinking it is only J.F., and Roy
appears from behind him. Knowing that Roy is a Replicant, and that he is a
combat model, Tyrell does not call security or try and lock himself away, He welcomes
Roy into his penthouse and talks with him. He embraces him as one of his
creations and talks to him about life and how everything must eventually die.
Despite being androids, the Replicants are organic beings, and are hard coded
with a life span. Tyrell knows about the events of Roy’s life, and while it is
out of his power to extend it, he tells him to “revel in your time.”
What
Does It Mean? This
scene can extend to anyone who wishes that they had more time to live. It acts
as an analogy for someone meeting their maker, as Roy has the opportunity to
actually talk to his. While no one lives forever and no one’s life is perfect,
there are still amazing things that we are capable of in the time that we are
given on this earth, and instead of focusing on how brief our time is we should
instead focus on how we can make the most of it.
1:45:00
– Deckard is in a fight with Roy on top of J.F. Sebastian’s home. In an attempt
to escape, Deckard jumps between two buildings, but fails to make it and is
hanging from a ledge. Roy chases Deckard and easily makes the jump across. Roy
talks to Deckard about living in constant fear as a slave as he hangs on for
his life. Even as Roy’s body fails and knowing that Deckard has killed all of
his Replicant friends, Roy reaches down and pulls Deckard to safety before he
dies.
What
Does It Mean? This
is where the line between human and Replicant becomes blurred as the right
thing to do would be to save a life whenever possible. Despite all of the
people Roy has killed, and having no ulterior motivation to do so, Roy saves
Deckard’s life, even though Deckard would have surely killed Roy had the roles
been reversed, and he knows this. Earlier Roy talks about all of the things
he’s done and is aware he has not been a good person, after saving Deckard he
laments that what he has seen will fade in time “like tears in rain.” Perhaps
he wished he could have been better and did not want his last act to be that of
murder. There is religious symbolism in this scene as well; during the fight,
Roy impales his hand with a nail, and he saves Deckard with the same arm,
potentially symbolizing Jesus saving Deckard from death.
Summary:
The movie has a number
of themes, but the one most central to the film is “what does it mean to be
human?” Replicants are seen as sub-human, and despite the fact that they develop
free will and emotions and are flesh and blood beings, they are executed
without trial if they are found on Earth. While humans are viewed as morally
superior and are deemed to be trustworthy, Deckard makes a number of questionable
moral choices in the film, while ultimately being saved by Roy in the end of
the movie, a being that he was tasked with finding and killing. This begs the
question, are the real monsters the Replicants or the humans? Deckard’s own
humanity is even questioned in the film. While being introduced to Rachael it
is revealed that he has never taken a Voigt-Kampff test, and Rachael originally
protests to the notion that she herself is a Replicant because she has memories
of when she is a kid. Deckard tells her that these memories are not hers, but
that of Tyrell’s niece. Later in the movie Deckard has a daydream of a unicorn,
and near the end, Gaff leaves an origami unicorn at Deckard’s door, potentially
signifying that Gaff knows that Deckard’s memories are also not his own.
While its reception was lukewarm at
launch, Blade Runner has become known
as a classic that has withstood the test of time. In many ways, the theme of
the movie could not only play into humanity’s views of AI and genetic engineering,
but also into race and sex. Humans fear what they do not understand, which may explain
prejudices toward other races and sexes. Additionally, this could also play
into biases toward those of the LGBT community.
Communication
of theme:
Further
ways to potentially blur the lines between humanity and synthetic life is to
create a bigger emphasis on comparing the “crimes of humanity” to those of the
Replicants. Negative biases propagate easily when talking about those who are
different from us, and a comparison of the two through either an added scene or
narration may create a greater sense of empathy for the Replicants. Groups
fighting for the rights of Replicants may have been a good addition to the
story, as well. Even as artificial intelligence they are still given living
bodies, and a number of groups would attempt to advocate for the rights of
Repicants if such a being existed today.
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