Blade Runner has had a difficult history. Well actually difficult is putting it mildly. From stories of an unhappy crew, an unhappy director who wanted to call the movie 'Gotham City' (Bob Kane, creator of Batman, wouldn't sell the rights), a lead actor who called it a 'detective story with no detecting', it's a miracle that a finished film exists at all. Then there is all the business with theatrical cuts, directors cuts, voiceovers to explain the story, and now on blu ray we have the final cut. This is it, Ridley Scott says on his commentary. He says he'll never go back and change / fix anything on it ever again. Let's hope he never pulls a George Lucas...........
The film in its final state is, in my humble opinion, a masterpiece. At its surface level it is a cool detective story set in the near future (when will flying cars become a reality?). At its deepest level, it questions our entire existence, the idea of memory and what it means to be human.
For the two people out there who don't know what it is about, it is the story of Rick Deckard, a 'blade runner' who hunts and retires replicants for a living. Several of them have escaped from an off world colony, and he is called in to deal with them when they make their way to earth. Along the way he falls for a woman, who is herself a replicant, forcing him to question his beliefs over what it is to be considered human.
The HD transfer onto blu ray is stunning. From the busy neon landscapes (Ridley Scott ahead of his time with the idea that advertising will take over the world), to the grimy, rain infested street levels, everything sparkles. The tiniest details are made apparent; the red in the eyes of the replicants, the smoky interiors of the police station, the sunset outside the Tyrell corporation as Deckard questions Rachel. It all looks phenomenal. I can only hope that sometime soon either the QFT or the Odeon runs a print of this as it cries out for the big screen.
As a sidenote, I have also read the source novel, Philip K Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'. I have a soft spot for Minority Report, as well as Total Recall. But Blade Runner is without doubt, the finest adaptation of his vision. Unfortunately Dick died during the production of the film, and therefore never got to see the final cut. However, upon seeing the first 20 minutes of rough footage, he is quoted as saying, 'It was my own interior world. They caught it perfectly.' Kudos to Ridley Scott then.
Harrison Ford has publicly stated that he's not overly fond of the film. This is a shame, as sandwiched in between his blockbuster turns as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, this is easily his most nuanced performance. This is a man who clearly hates his place in the world. In the novel, it is made much more apparent that he craves real animals, as opposed to the hybrids readily available. This is not explicitly shown in the film, but is subtly alluded to.
There is a lot of discussion as to whether Deckard himself is a replicant, but I think this is null and void. Whether or not he is, he has clearly grown at the end of the film, and is willing to snatch happiness with Rachel, however fleeting it may be. (Personally I don't believe he is. Replicants are established as being quick and strong. Deckard is neither, and in fact, needs saved on several occasions).
I could go on and on, as you may have guessed this is a rich and rewarding experience. And now that the HD version of the 'Final Cut' is available, it is something I highly recommend. You can pick it up from Amazon.co.uk by clicking the link to the side.
I read that before Christopher Nolan began shooting Inception, he screened Blade Runner for his cast and crew, and said 'this is the feel and tone we are aiming for'. It's not hard to see why Blade Runner is so inspirational, and I think Inception is a perfect companion piece for a double bill. But more on that tomorrow.......
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