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March 28, 2024, 10:40:32 AM

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Blade Runner

Started by Chedney Honks, March 07, 2021, 05:58:07 PM

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Chedney Honks

A film I've seen over the years but not really embraced or paid attention to beyond the aesthetics, not sure why. I suppose the expectation or misremembering of what it really is: an existential noir.

I watched it today on 4K Blu-ray about a metre from the screen, blackout blinds down, OLED, sound cranked and my cat in my lap. I wouldn't say it was epiphanous but I did feel like I was watching it for the first time. Even more than the physical experience, I felt like I was engaging with its intentions in a way I never had.

The world-building is superb, and not only the physical magnificence of the city. There's so much suggested in the details of clothing and umbrellas and dirt and pipes and signage. It's remarkably evocative and 'convincing'. The sound design is so impressive, really adds to the thick atmosphere.

What really got me were the characters, though. Such a melancholic film, I had enormous pity and empathy for so many, even Leon. The desperation to simply endure. Roy and Rachael were magnificent, heartbreaking. They looked too perfect to live. Incredible casting and performances. Sean Young does a hell of a lot with little more than a tear. Rutger Hauer, fucking hell. What to say? The saddest scene though was possibly when Deckard pursued and shot the stripper. Slow-motion is very hackneyed, but it worked so well there. Drawn out pain.

Well, then. Blade Runner finally clicked. Must be loads of fans here.

BlodwynPig

n00b

a film that time cannot diminish

Ant Farm Keyboard

At release, Blade Runner flopped. Of course, Ridley Scott was hurt, but there were two things that showed him that it was hugely influential. First, he noticed on MTV that there were shots borrowed from the film. Then, he was invited by Bob Dylan to spend an evening with him because he was such a big fan of the film.

Chedney Honks

Blod

As I say, I've seen it quite a few times, first time was whenever you saw it, before that.

I do agree that it feels very timeless, not only thematically and philosophically, but the city and sets and visual design stand up so well. I like how dirty it is. On the ground, it's not especially 'futuristic' at all, which rings very true. For most people, it would be the same old crud.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Chedney Honks on March 07, 2021, 06:34:08 PM
Blod

As I say, I've seen it quite a few times, first time was whenever you saw it, before that.

I do agree that it feels very timeless, not only thematically and philosophically, but the city and sets and visual design stand up so well. I like how dirty it is. On the ground, it's not especially 'futuristic' at all, which rings very true. For most people, it would be the same old crud.

I was one of only 10 people to see the film upon its release in the UK.

I love the line "I'll be back" spoken by the cyborg character.

bgmnts

The fact that animals are so rare in the Blade Runner universe is so depressingly prescient, I can't watch it anymore. Visually spectacular.

Chedney Honks

Quote from: BlodwynPig on March 07, 2021, 06:57:19 PM
I was one of only 10 people to see the film upon its release in the UK.

I actually remember seeing you there now you mention it. What a great showing it was. You were right behind me in the queue.

Quote from: bgmnts on March 07, 2021, 06:59:00 PM
The fact that animals are so rare in the Blade Runner universe is so depressingly prescient, I can't watch it anymore. Visually spectacular.

Great observation. Although I would love a synthetic owl.

Poobum

Favourite film. The way Pris screams and fights against her death will always be harrowing, that wild tantrum anger of her existence being brutally stolen.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Chedney Honks on March 07, 2021, 07:14:52 PM
I actually remember seeing you there now you mention it. What a great showing it was. You were right behind me in the queue.


Second viewing after seeing the rushes at Ridley's villa.

Chedney Honks

I laughed.

Hope you enjoyed my little cameo.



Little fella in the fez.

Quote from: Poobum on March 07, 2021, 07:34:08 PM
Favourite film. The way Pris screams and fights against her death will always be harrowing, that wild tantrum anger of her existence being brutally stolen.

Totally agree, very disturbing, even Deckard looked freaked. I think this is probably the best I've seen Darryl Hannah in anything. Innocent in some ways, not just when she was pretending to be vulnerable, but also terrifying and deadly.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Chedney Honks on March 07, 2021, 08:48:56 PM
I laughed.

Hope you enjoyed my little cameo.


Yeh good stuff. As you'll know from the source material, I feature quite heavily in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Dick writing a foreword in later editions "...of course, **** W. (me) was the main inspiration throughout the book, not just in the character Resch, but his ideologies, his storytelling, his vision..."

greenman

Quote from: Chedney Honks on March 07, 2021, 05:58:07 PMWhat really got me were the characters, though. Such a melancholic film, I had enormous pity and empathy for so many, even Leon. The desperation to simply endure. Roy and Rachael were magnificent, heartbreaking. They looked too perfect to live. Incredible casting and performances. Sean Young does a hell of a lot with little more than a tear. Rutger Hauer, fucking hell. What to say? The saddest scene though was possibly when Deckard pursued and shot the stripper. Slow-motion is very hackneyed, but it worked so well there. Drawn out pain.

Which would always have been my argument against it being "merely good looking" although its a good advert for visuals used to sell drama. The issue I spose is that it lacks much of a complex plot or many memorable lines beyond the tears in rain speach or "its to bad she won't live but then again who does?". The latter did seem like it sumed up the film for me, if Alien was about sex/rape/birth then Blade Runner seems to be about memory/death with the Replicates as stands ins for godless modern humans with limited lifespans to highlight mortality and the Deckard reveal basically as "thats you that is"

You mentioned the chase with Zhora and it is I think effective the way the film avoids the idea of the cheap kill, I didnt like the way the sequel had the typical "bang and then drop" style deaths were as in the original all the deaths(well I spose we don't see Sebastian's) are brutal and nasty not at all off hand.

BlodwynPig

the whole script is memorable. I don't see that a film NEEDS memorable lines, apart from High School meme-backs...as I told Ridley before first day shooting.

greenman

That does often seem to be what films end up being judged by, whether a character can be boiled down to a quote.

turnstyle

Yeah, good innit.

I sought out the official Blade Runner novels a few months back as something to do during lockdown. Published in the 90s, so predating the proper film sequel (and barely practically no relation to it), they are...odd.

For starters they take the film, not Dick's novel, as canon, and continue on from the end of the film. Below are some brief summaries, spoiler warning for anyone weird enough to care.

In  the first book, (The Edge of Human) Deckard is living off planet with Rachel in stasis, and thaws her out once in a while for a quick snog. He returns to earth, gets framed for murder, and has to track down a replicant (natch). Unlike in the film, he's a bit more of an action hero type and dispatches a few coppers like it's nothing. The Tyrell corporation has been taken over by Sarah Tyrell, niece of the original Mr Tyrell, and the person that the Rachel replicant model was based on. The UN has placed an auto-destruct bomb at Tyrell HQ. This is so that if they do anything naughty, the UN can just flip a switch and blow the whole thing up. Never mind the people that work in the canteen or the work experience lad, the whole place is going the fuck up if they step out of line.

Anyway, in the end, the Tyrell corp gets blown up, and Sarah Tyrell pretends to be Rachel and Deckard legs it off with her.

In the second book, (Replicant Night) Deckard is off world again, making a movie of his life (no, really). He's still in a relationship with Sarah Tyrell, who lives in a small apartment and communes with a sentient alarm clock, like Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast. At one point she threatens to shoot it. The clock calls Deckard 'Daddy'. Deckard takes ownership of a suitcase that is inhabited by the personality of Roy Batty. In the suitcase is a bag of powder, that is the dehydrated essence of Sebastian (the bloke from the film who made the living toys). Deckard ingests the powder (why not) and is able to commune with Sebastian. Deckard carries on making his movie, and there's some insane shit with Rachel (a real one this time) being Sarah's twin, despite being much younger.

The last book (Eye and Talon), centres on female Blade Runner called Iris, who has a mission to track down an owl (a real one), called 'Scrappy'. At one point she watches the movie Blade Runner, which is positioned as a documentary. Some more mental shit happens. The end.

All these books are 'official' and were green lit by Phlip K Dick's estate, although I imagine that the 2017 film now makes them very much not canon.




rack and peanut

"Replicant Night" sounds like classic PKD to be fair.

Phil_A

Quote from: turnstyle on March 08, 2021, 11:24:30 AM
In the second book, (Replicant Night) Deckard is off world again, making a movie of his life (no, really). He's still in a relationship with Sarah Tyrell, who lives in a small apartment and communes with a sentient alarm clock, like Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast. At one point she threatens to shoot it. The clock calls Deckard 'Daddy'. Deckard takes ownership of a suitcase that is inhabited by the personality of Roy Batty. In the suitcase is a bag of powder, that is the dehydrated essence of Sebastian (the bloke from the film who made the living toys). Deckard ingests the powder (why not) and is able to commune with Sebastian. Deckard carries on making his movie, and there's some insane shit with Rachel (a real one this time) being Sarah's twin, despite being much younger.


I read Replicant Night many years ago, I remember the plot being fairly bizarre but extremely bleak at the same time. So yeah, quite like Dick in that respect. I think it was written by KW Jeter, who was one of Dick's circle of sci-fi author chums when he was still around, so I guess that's how he got given the gig.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

It's Replicant Night and the feeling's right.

St_Eddie

#18
Quote from: turnstyle on March 08, 2021, 11:24:30 AM
Deckard takes ownership of a suitcase that is inhabited by the personality of Roy Batty.


turnstyle

Genuine lolz from me buddy, cheers for that. Superb work.

BeardFaceMan

Never seen this, aren't there multiple cuts of it? Which is the best version to watch?

Poobum

Director's cut, it gets rid of an awful monotone voiceover by Harrison Ford, and cuts an awful addendum that needlessly destroys the ambiguity of the ending.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: Poobum on March 08, 2021, 04:27:20 PM
Director's cut, it gets rid of an awful monotone voiceover by Harrison Ford, and cuts an awful addendum that needlessly destroys the ambiguity of the ending.
I consider myself very lucky that this was the version I first saw, on TV sometime in the early/mid 90s. It really blew my mind in terms of the visuals, music and story, but I'm not sure the original cut would have had the same effect.

St_Eddie

Quote from: turnstyle on March 08, 2021, 03:51:03 PM
Genuine lolz from me buddy, cheers for that. Superb work.

Thank you :)

Quote from: Poobum on March 08, 2021, 04:27:20 PM
Director's cut, it gets rid of an awful monotone voiceover by Harrison Ford, and cuts an awful addendum that needlessly destroys the ambiguity of the ending.

Agreed on the Director's Cut being the best version.  I'd say to go for the Final Cut because it sorts out a few dodgy shots/effects from the Director's Cut but unfortunately it also adds a teal and orange colour grade which just ruins it.

mothman

I do quite like the voiceover. It's part of the version I first saw that made me love the film to begin with. It's like I'm hearing the narration when I'm watching a later cut, without hearing it, you know?

And whichever version you prefer, the sequel has almost negated all the elements thar are unique (voiceover, "happy ending," unicorn dream etc.) to each. It doesn't matter whether Rachael is a special no-BBE-date model or will still die in something under four years, because it turns out she ultimately dies from not being able to handle childbirth (for whatever reason). It doesn't matter why Gaff was there but didn't kill her, and just left the origami unicorn; or that Deckard had a dream about unicorns: just a coincidence I guess, and not any kind of suggestion that Deckard is a replicant too. It doesn't matter if the countryside at the end looked oddly nice, because it could still have been then but obviously wasn't by thirty years later.

The Culture Bunker

I just tell myself the sequel was a shite bit of fan fiction that has nothing to do with the original.

Mr Trumpet

Quote from: mothman on March 08, 2021, 06:30:11 PM
or that Deckard had a dream about unicorns: just a coincidence I guess, and not any kind of suggestion that Deckard is a replicant too

I thought they were quite deft in sidestepping that altogether. The sequel retained the ambiguity of the original film in that regard.

St_Eddie

Quote from: The Culture Bunker on March 08, 2021, 08:04:19 PM
I just tell myself the sequel was a shite bit of fan fiction that has nothing to do with the original.

I disregard it too, not for reasons of continuity but because I just didn't care for it at all.  I watched it once at the cinema upon release and doubt that I will ever watch it again.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: St_Eddie on March 08, 2021, 08:11:28 PM
I disregard it too, not for reasons of continuity but because I just didn't care for it at all.  I watched it once at the cinema upon release and doubt that I will ever watch it again.
I went to the cinema with no expectations beyond expecting it to be bad - a friend wanted to see it, so I went along to get out of the house on an evening. But yeah, I've no intentions of seeing it every again either. I'm not sure which was worse between that and 'Batman vs Superman', though that at least made me laugh from it's shiteness.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: St_Eddie on March 08, 2021, 08:11:28 PM
I disregard it too, not for reasons of continuity but because I just didn't care for it at all.  I watched it once at the cinema upon release and doubt that I will ever watch it again.

Got half way through and never returned.