November Noir is finishing so I thought I would wax lyrically (or waffle needlessly) to that magnificence of Future Noir that is better known as
Blade Runner. (Spoilers hereafter)
I still remember the first day I saw this film. I was nine years old, and I had returned to a store to return a PC game that didn't work on my PC. Since the game wasn't technically at fault, I was offered a store credit refund instead. I browsed the aisles and found a VHS of
Blade Runner - in
Widescreen and in the Director's Cut. I was familiar with the concept of a "director's cut" as the
Resident Evil game had a director's cut which meant new content. But, Widescreen was something new to me at that age, and with a promising looking cover of Indiana Jones holding a gun over a futuristic building, as well as being "from the director of
ALIEN", I opted for the tape. Dad told me I was in for a treat.
And, by God, was he right. I felt a shiver down my spine as Vangelis' score cracked over the opening title cards. And then, I was struck by one of the most amazing opening shots ever - a cityscape lit by industrial fires and lightning. I had never seen anything like it before. I had seen Terminators turn from liquid to solid, or dinosaurs run amok through parks but I never seen an entire city created onscreen before.
At nine years of age, I had no idea of the themes or subtleties of
Blade Runner but I didn't care. All I cared about was that I was watching Harrison Ford gun down robots in the most amazing future I had ever seen. I wore the tape out, watching it again and again. Thankfully, DVD had arrived by then and I bought it again.
I had fallen in love with the world of
Blade Runner. The Asian influences in architectural design; the cityspeak; and the extraordinary low-key lighting (by ace cinematographer, Jordan Cronenweth). I couldn't get enough - I tracked down the book,
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and was struck by how different it was. I even snagged a copy of the PC game (still have it), which is very much a sidequel that follows Phillip K. Dick's book a lot more closely. I learnt that
Blade Runner was considered the start of a genre called Cyberpunk (future-noir), so I started reading William Gibson novels and watching Japanese animes. Needless to say,
Blade Runner probably made me the film-geek I am today.
When I was 14, I discovered something strange. TnaG (a station aimed for Irish speaking audiences) were showing
Blade Runner, and having just finished my homework I switched it on rather than load up the DVD. It looked like
Blade Runner, but it didn't sound like
Blade Runner. Who the hell was talking over the film? And where did my unicorn go to? And wasn't the film meant to end when the elevator closes?
I was flummoxed. What was this new version I had seen? I didn't like this new version as much but I was still fascinated. Thankfully, we soon got hooked up to the internet (dial-up
) and I was able to get to the bottom of this mystery. I learnt about the horrors Ridley Scott had to go through to try and get the film on screen, and how it was ripped away from him and was mutilated into something "blockbuster-friendly". I just got my first major lesson on how editing can make a major difference. Once again,
Blade Runner had shaped my tastes.
Over the years, my estimation of
Blade Runner has gone up. I rewatch the film every couple of months and I still get enraptured. Not just by its visuals, or that wonderful soundtrack, but by the themes I now understand. Its a grim warning of a future collapsing under overpopulation and pollution, and the dominance of corporations. Its a cry to God or the maker of your choice - why are we here? What is our purpose? Who are we? What is the meaning of life if it doesn't last forever? [I should point out that, shortly before he agreed to do
Blade Runner, Scott's brother had passed on. The scene where Roy Batty confronts Eldon Tyrell is pretty much Scott confronting God on the same issue]
Despite its sci-fi setting, and philosophical musings, Blade Runner is noir. Shadows and paranoia dominate the rainy Los Angeles of November 2019. And scurrying within these shadows are some of the most morally complex, or grey, characters ever captured on celluloid. Even though he looks the part, Ford's Deckard is only the hero because the society within
Blade Runner calls him one. It's hard to be heroic when you're gunning down suspects whose only crime is trying to survive. I sometimes suspect this is why Ford had a hard time revisiting the film, as it was made in between his runs as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. It's a shame, as I honestly think Deckard is his finest character and performance. He says a lot about his weariness, moral unease, and paranoia without ever opening his mouth.
This paranoia he feels leads us to what is the biggest controversy in
Blade Runner: is Deckard a replicant?
Maybe it's because I grew up with the director's cut, but I always find it hard to believe that people do not accept Deckard as a replicant. It makes sense - Deckard is a "retired" cop who is, according Bryant (M. Emmet Walsh), "the best". Would it be too hard to believe that Deckard was created specifically to hunt down advanced replicants? Rachel (Sean Young) was implanted with memories from Tyrell's niece to keep her in check so why wouldn't Deckard be implanted with memories or previous Blade Runners? Also, his dreams of unicorns are known by fellow Blade Runner, Gaff (Edward James Olmos). How else would Gaff know this unless he has checked Deckard's files?
For me, Deckard being a replicant is a perfect encapsulation of the film's themes of humanity and identity. We define ourselves by our memories (i.e. any political choices you make are more than likely influenced by an occurrence in your past) but, if the memories are not ours then who are we? This fits well within the dark world of
Blade Runner (what with the replicants' love for photographs) and the paranoia generated by higher beings (corporations, governments, God).
I flat out love
Blade Runner. If Ridley Scott were to drive a bus full of children off a cliff, he would still be my hero simply because what he achieved here. It's beautiful yet troubling and it lingers with you like the most vivid dream.
[All images from
www.film-grab.com]