“I saw so many things that men cannot imagine… battleships burning, eruptions from Orion… I saw C-rays glowing in the dark at Tannhäuser Gate… all these moments will be lost in time. .. like… tears in the rain… it’s time to die.”
Who didn’t cringe at that Roy Butt (Rutger Hauer) monologue in Blade Runner the first time? “This is truly the most moving funeral hiccup in the history of cinema”said film critic Mark Rowlands in his book A philosopher at the end of the world.
Directed in 1982 by Ridley Scott, Blade Runner featured booze with its tacky aesthetic and cold and harsh cyberpunk vibe. Adapted from the novel Do androids dream of electric sheep? Philip K. By Dick, the story takes us to the near future. Thousands of men and women set out to conquer space, escaping megacities that had become unhealthy.
A new race of slaves is born on the colonies: replicants, androids indistinguishable from humans. Los Angeles, 2019. After slaughtering the crew and taking over the starship, the most advanced Nexus 6-type replicants are now declared “legitimate”.
However, four of them manage to escape and enter Los Angeles. A special forces agent, a blade-runner, is responsible for their elimination. In official terminology, we are not talking about enforcement, but withdrawal.
One movie, 5 versions!
It is a relatively rare fact that there are no less than five versions of Blade Runner. The first is the one used for the trial screening offered to the audience; It became almost impossible to find him. The second version is the most controversial and incriminated version, as it conforms to the editing desired by the Warner studio, to the detriment of Ridley Scott’s vision.
The European version of Rough Cut is noticeably different, especially with the addition of some violent shots. In 1989, Warner Bros. executive Michael Arick came across a 70mm print of the film while researching Gypsy. The work shown at various festivals was a great success; Rumor has it that it will be the original version of Blade Runner.
After watching it, director Ridley Scott claims it’s not his director’s cut. Given the success of the screening, Warner Bros. decided to finance a re-release of the film in 1992 with a new edit. Despite the printed director’s cut, the screenwriter had no leeway, even if this version came close to what he always wanted.
While fans waited in vain for the final version of the film’s 20th anniversary in 2002, Ridley Scott only presented the final version of this absolute masterpiece of science fiction in December 2007. It is this version, the actual director’s cut, that is slated for release on June 7, 2023. It lasts 1 hour and 57 minutes.
HARRISON FORD IMPERIAL
Of course, Blade Runner wouldn’t be as remarkable without its main character, Rick Deckard, aka Harrison Ford. “Deckard, this is Philip Marlowe”said Ridley Scott, revealing a more than obvious reference to the character created by Raymond Chandler, immortalized on screen by Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (Howard Hawkes, 1946).
Harrison Ford
In this way, the director introduces many codes of film noir to Blade Runner, including the raised collar, rain, dirt, night, the cynicism of the characters… Even the sound recording is reminiscent of classic monologues. from genre films.
Ride the wire
Note that the title of the film is not the same as Philip K. Dickey’s work from which it is adapted. The original work is titled Do androids dream of electric sheep? Literally, Blade Runner means “one who runs on a razor’s edge”.
It was purchased by the author William S. from Burroughs. The latter wrote a book with an interesting title in the 1950s Blade Runner: The Movie. A second source of inspiration for the title comes from another science fiction novel written in the 1970s by Alan Nourse called… Tea bladerunner !
BEAUTIFUL MUSIC
A feature film soundtrack is a character in itself that sticks in your mind. The film’s score also includes one of the most famous musical themes in cinema. We are indebted to the composer Vangelis, who works almost exclusively on electronic instruments.
In 1981, he won an Oscar for Best Score for Chariots of Fire, another legendary piece from the world of movie soundtracks. He was nominated for a Golden Globe twice, first in 1982 for Blade Runner and second in 1993 for 1492: Christopher Columbus, another Ridley Scott landmark film. The musician died in 2022 at the age of 79.
Blade Runner Final Cut hits theaters June 7. In 1982, the work attracted 2 million viewers in theaters. Its sequel, Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve, attracted 1.2 million curious people in 2017.
WARNER AT UGC
From June 7th to August 29th, UGC cinemas will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. with a special program of 100 studio masterpieces in 20 UGC cinemas across France throughout the summer at a price of €8.50 per seat.
All programming is enabled ugc.fr :
UGC Ciné Cité les Halles: 1 film per day, or 84 films during the summer, and various events and entertainment to accompany this anniversary program.
UCG Ciné Cité Bercy: special retrospectives around franchises and filmmakers (Lord of the Rings, Christopher Nolan, DC Universe, etc.)
Dedicated program in 18 cinemas in France on Saturday and Sunday evenings:
UGC Ciné Cité Vélizy, UGC Ciné Cité Créteil, UGC Ciné Cité Cergy, UGC Issy les Ciné Cité, UGC Ciné Cité La Défense, UGC Ciné Cité SQY Ouest, UGC Ciné Cité Cité Cité, UGC Ciné Cité Cité Cité, Le Grand, UGC Ciné Cité Part-Dieu (Lyon), UGC Ciné Cité Internationale (Lyon), UGC Ciné Cité Atlantis (Nantes), UGC Ciné Cité Bordeaux, UGC Ciné Cité Bassins afloat (Bordeaux), UGC Talence (Bordeaux), UGC Talence (Bordeaux) Lille, UGC Ciné Cité Strasbourg, UGC Nancy.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
