The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered organic robots called replicants—visually indistinguishable from adult humans—are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other "mega–manufacturers" around the world. Their use on Earth is banned and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial or leisure work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by police special operatives known as "Blade Runners". The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down.
Blade Runner initially polarized critics: some were displeased with the pacing, while others enjoyed its thematic complexity. The film performed poorly in North American theaters but has since become a cult film.[2] The film has been hailed for its production design, depicting a "retrofitted" future,[3] and remains a leading example of the neo-noir genre.[4] It brought the work of Philip K. Dick to the attention of Hollywood and several later films were based on his work.[5] Ridley Scott regards Blade Runner as "probably" his most complete and personal film.[6][7] In 1993 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Seven versions of the film have been shown for various markets 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 released on DVD, resulting in a basic disc with mediocre video and audio quality.[8] In 2007 Warner Bros. released The Final Cut, a 25th anniversary digitally remastered version by Scott in selected theaters, and subsequently on DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray Disc.
Blade Runner Presentation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=565MxPxtLuw
Postmodernism in Blade Runner (Ridley Scott,1986)
·
Direct descendent of Fritz Langs ‘Metropolis’
(intertextuality & Pastische)
·
The dystopian like city conforms to Jean
Baudrillards theory of hyper reality
Define Postmodernity in Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
Postmodernity is a late 20th-century style and concept in the
arts, architecture, and criticism, which represents a departure from modernism
and is characterized by the self-conscious use of earlier styles and
conventions, a mixing of different artistic styles and media, and a general
distrust of theories
B
lade Runner (Ridley Scott 1982) is a
postmodern film, in the sense that it both represents the conditions of
postmodernity and employs elements of the postmodern condition to texture its
narrative. Blade Runner explores and utilises the use of blurring because the
film mixes genres and time periods together as well as the use of intertextual
references, quotation, pastiche, recycling, hyperreality, and identity crisis.
Textually Blde Runner quotes from different
film genres and film movements for example: the original release of the film
featured a voice over creating the film-noir sense to it as well as the use of
the low lighting. For example the scene where Deckard is at home using the
espier machine, we see his apartment, however it is presented in an orange haze
and low lighting, furthermore the audience see him drinking a spirit all of
these things relating back to the film-noir/detective-noir style of films. This
creating a dated aspect to the film although it is set in the future therefore
emphasising Baudrillards theory of blurring the boundaries. Also, in this scene
Deckard is using an esper machine, which is to be considered the height of
technology however the style of it looks dated and old fashioned this again
blurring the boundaries between modern and old, thus again blurring the
voundaries and highlighting the postmodern aesthetic of the film.
The whole of Blade Runner blurs time. Blade
Runner happens in a future but one which is a mixture of numerous past times.
The film takes different elements from history and mixes them together such as
the science fiction elements of the replicants and the advanced technology used
to create them. Additionally, the architecture like Tyrell corporation appears
modern yet clearly takes influence from Egyptian pyramids, to create the sense
of authority from Tyrell. The film takes on the sense of nostalgia with the
mixture of modern elements and the historical aspects such as the Mayan design
of Tyrell's home, this presenting the element of pastiche because the film
takes on the aspect of dead styles and recollection of the past.
Another element that makes Blade Runner
postmodern is it intertextual references to other texts. Such as the class
system in 2019 Los Angeles is reminiscent of the one in Fritz Lang's Metropolis
(1927) as takes on the same class system of how the upper classes live higher
up, which in Blade Runner's case would be Tyrell living in the gold styled
pyramids which also feature in Metropolis, as well as the lower classes live on
the ground floor, which in blade runner this is represented by the use of over
populating Los Angeles and having it set in a city remeniscient of a china town
from the past.
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