blade runner

Directed by Ridley Scott

Post-Modern Aspects

• Hyper-real world• The combination of film noir and science fiction• Questionable character morals• Many meanings found by the audience

Hyperreality

The seemingly paradoxical combination of self-consciousness and some sort of

historical grounding

- N. Ford -

Hyperreality – a condition in which “reality” has been replaced…

- Baudrillard-

Hyperreality

Very recognizable sceneryBacks up the inclusion of futuristic elements

Creating a reality we can easily believe

Film Opening

Film Noir meets Science Fiction

Dark Lighting

Despite the presence of bright lights and neon signs (as is stereotypical of sci-fi films based in futuristic environments), the majority of the film is covered in shadows that helps to create a pessimistic atmosphere, which is a convention of film noir titles.

Film Noir meets Science Fiction

The ‘Femme Fatale’

A character who ‘ensnares’ her lovers and leads them into dangerous situations, often using her charm to get ahead.

In this film, we have Pris (right), a Replicant who charms and lies her way into the house of J.F. Sebastian.

Film Noir meets Science Fiction

Deckard’s Morals

Film noir films are very well known for having protagonists who questions the moral implications of his own actions, and Blade Runner fulfils this with the character of Deckard, who questions whether or not he should be killing the Replicants he’s employed to “retire”.

Film Noir meets Science Fiction

…references to many traditions and cultures…(read ‘genres’)

- Jonathan Kramer -

Theatrical Trailer

Questionable Characters

Deckard, the Protagonist

Presented as the hero of the story, he questions his orders to kill the Replicants but still carries them out, causing us to question whether or not he’s really a good guy.

Roy, the Antagonist

Presented as the stereotypical bad guy (complete with scars), and yet the appropriateness of his actions are called into question when it’s revealed he’s just trying to keep him and his friends alive.

Questionable Characters

Dr Eldon Tyrell, the Maker

The creator of Replicants, he also plays the God-like character to them. His pleasant demeanour amongst Deckard contrasts the idea that he created people with the ability to think just to enslave them.

Rachael, the Love Interest

Tyrell’s latest experiment, she doesn’t find out she’s a Replicant until the plot of the movie takes place – at this point, Deckard is tasked to kill her, and we’re forced to asked whether or not she deserves to live.

Questionable Characters

A distrust of binary oppositions

- Jonathan Kramer -

A rejection of the traditional Western moralistic narratives

e.g. good triumphing over evil

- Lyotard -

Roy’s Final Soliloquy

Audience Interpretation

Locates meaning in listenersmore than in scores, performers, or composers

- Jonathan Kramer -

The idea that the meaning isn’tnecessarily predefined by the production,

but lets people apply their own interpretation to what they see

Audience Interpretation

Human, or Replicant?

Constantly left ambiguous throughout the film, the way it portrays Replicants as emotional and humans as cold brings up the idea that Deckard himself may be a Replicant.

Harrison Ford played him as human, but Ridley Scott left it deliberately vague.

Audience Interpretation

Mortality through Chess

The films theme of mortality is often cited to be reflected in the chess game between Roy and Tyrell.

Many fans claim that it’s based on the 1851 ‘Immortal Game’, an infamous chess game between two of the best players, and yet Ridley Scott has passed this as mere coincidence.

Audience InterpretationThe Film’s Ending

The ending left deliberately ambiguous in later releasesAllows the audience to interpret the events their own way

The original release was forced to have a traditional happy ending