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Blade Runner

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Films

                 Blade Runner
     Directed by   Ridley Scott
     Produced by   Michael Deeley
     Written by    Philip K. Dick (novel)
                   Hampton Fancher
                   David Peoples
      Starring     Harrison Ford
                   Rutger Hauer
                   Sean Young
                   Edward James Olmos
                   Daryl Hannah
      Music by     Vangelis
   Cinematography  Jordan Cronenweth
   Distributed by  Warner Bros.
   Release date(s) June 25, 1982 (USA)
    Running time   117 min. (intl. cut)
                   115 min. (director's cut)
       Country     United States
      Language     English
       Budget      $28,000,000
           All Movie Guide profile
                 IMDb profile

   Blade Runner is an influential 1982 science fiction film directed by
   Ridley Scott from a screenplay written by Hampton Fancher and David
   Peoples, loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric
   Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. The film features Harrison Ford, Rutger
   Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos and Daryl Hannah.

   The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which
   genetically manufactured beings called replicants, physically identical
   to adult humans, are used for dangerous and degrading work in Earth's "
   off-world colonies." Replicants became illegal on Earth after a bloody
   mutiny. Specialist police units — blade runners — hunt down and
   "retire" (i.e. kill) escaped replicants on Earth. The plot primarily
   focuses on a particularly brutal and cunning group of replicants hiding
   in Los Angeles and a semi-retired blade runner, named Rick Deckard, who
   reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment.

   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 achieved success
   overseas. Despite poor early ticket sales, it has since become a cult
   classic. Blade Runner has been hailed for its production design, one
   said to depict a "retrofitted future". The film is credited with
   prefiguring important concerns of the 21st century, such as
   globalization and genetic engineering. It remains a leading example of
   cyberpunk and neo-noir. Blade Runner brought author Philip K. Dick to
   the attention of Hollywood, and several films have since been made from
   his writings.

   Seven versions of the film have been created for various markets and 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 to see a DVD release.
   Warner Bros. announced in January 2006 the upcoming 25th anniversary
   theatrical and DVD release in 2007 of the long-awaited remastered
   definitive Final Cut by Scott.

Production

   Producer Michael Deeley became interested in Hampton Fancher's
   screenplay entitled Android (subsequently it was changed to Dangerous
   Days). Deeley convinced director Ridley Scott to create his first
   American film using Fancher's screenplay. Scott had previously passed
   on the project, but after leaving the slow production of Dune, Scott
   decided to take it on. He joined the project on February 21, 1980, and
   went on to push Filmways promised financing on April 9th of $13 million
   up to $15 million.

   When Scott noted Deckard's line of work needed a new name, Fancher
   found a cinema treatment by William S. Burroughs for Alan E. Nourse's
   novel The Bladerunner (1974), entitled Blade Runner, a movie. Scott
   liked it and Deeley obtained the rights to the titles, but Scott soon
   considered Blade Runner a working title for the film and wanted to find
   something more "commercial". (Note: Some editions of Nourse's novel use
   the two-word spacing Blade Runner, as does the Burroughs book.)

   Scott became unhappy with the direction of the script and had David
   Peoples rewrite it. Fancher subsequently resigned on December 20, 1980
   over the issue, although he later returned to contribute additional
   rewrites and was pleasantly surprised Peoples had done a good job
   incorporating Scott's ideas into the script. Subsequently Fancher and
   Peoples became good friends.

   Having invested over $2.5 million in pre-production, as the date of
   commencement of prinicpal photography neared Filmways withdrew their
   financial backing. In ten days, Deeley secured $21.5 million in
   financing through a three way deal between The Ladd Company (through
   Warner Bros.), the Hong Kong-based producer Sir Run Run Shaw, and
   Tandem Productions. This would later prove problematic as the release
   of the film's Special Edition (Final Cut) was delayed due to legal
   wrangling over distribution rights.

   Philip K. Dick became concerned that no one had informed him about the
   film's production. After Dick criticized an early version of the script
   in an article in the Los Angeles Select TV Guide, the studio sent Dick
   the Peoples rewrite. Although Dick died before the film's release, he
   was pleased with a forty-minute special effects test reel that he
   viewed.

   Blade Runner owes much to Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Ridley Scott credits
   Edward Hopper's painting Nighthawks and the proto-cyberpunk short story
   comic The Long Tomorrow (by Dan O'Bannon, art by Moebius) as stylistic
   mood sources. In addition, he drew on the industrial night time
   landscape of his hometown of Hartlepool. Scott hired as his conceptual
   artist Syd Mead, who, like Scott, was influenced by the French science
   fiction comic magazine Métal Hurlant ( Heavy Metal), to which Moebius
   contributed. Moebius was offered the opportunity to assist in the
   pre-production of Blade Runner, but he declined so that he could work
   on René Laloux's animated film Les Maîtres du temps -- a decision he
   later regretted. Lawrence G. Paull (production designer) and David
   Snyder (art director) realised Scott's and Mead's sketches. Jim Burns
   briefly worked designing the Spinner hovercars; Douglas Trumbull and
   Richard Yuricich supervised the special effects for the film. Principal
   photography of Blade Runner began on March 9, 1981.

   Prior to principal photography, Paul M. Sammon was commissioned by
   Cinefantastique magazine to do a special article on the making of Blade
   Runner. His detailed observations and research later became the book
   Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner, which is commonly referred to
   as the "Blade Runner Bible" by many of the film's fans. The book
   outlines not only the evolution of Blade Runner but also the politics
   and difficulties on set. It focuses particularly on the British
   director's experiences with his first American crew. It also sheds
   light on Scott's directing style, which caused friction with the cast
   and likely contributed to Harrison Ford's subsequent reluctance to
   discuss the film.

Synopsis

          Note: The following synopsis refers to the " Director's Cut"
          version of the film.

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   In Los Angeles, November 2019, Rick Deckard ( Harrison Ford) is called
   out of retirement when a fellow Blade Runner — Holden ( Morgan Paull) —
   is shot during a Voight-Kampff test by Leon ( Brion James), an escaped
   replicant. A reluctant Deckard is brought to his old boss Bryant ( M.
   Emmet Walsh), who informs him that the recent escape of Nexus-6
   replicants is the worst yet. Deckard agrees to help after Bryant
   threatens him enigmatically.

   Bryant briefs Deckard on the replicants: Roy Batty ( Rutger Hauer) is a
   commando, Leon a soldier and manual laborer, Zhora ( Joanna Cassidy) a
   sex worker retrained as an assassin, and Pris ( Daryl Hannah) a "basic
   pleasure model." Bryant also explains that the Nexus-6 model has a
   four-year lifespan as a failsafe against their developing unstable
   emotions. Deckard is teamed up with Gaff ( Edward James Olmos) and sent
   to the Tyrell Corporation to ensure that the Voight-Kampff test works
   on Nexus-6 models. While there, Deckard discovers that Tyrell's ( Joe
   Turkel) young secretary Rachael ( Sean Young) is an experimental
   replicant (who believes she is a human) with implanted memories from
   Tyrell's niece.

   Deckard and Gaff search Leon's apartment as Roy and Leon force Chew (
   James Hong), an eye designer, to direct them to J.F. Sebastian (
   William Sanderson) who can lead them to Tyrell. Later, Rachael visits
   Deckard at his apartment to prove her humanity to him, but leaves in
   tears after Deckard tells her that her memories are in fact implants.
   Clues lead Deckard to Taffy Lewis' ( Hy Pyke) Zhora, who Deckard shoots
   and "retires". Deckard is told to "retire" Rachael. However, after
   Rachael saves Deckard's life, they become close and begin to fall in
   love. Meanwhile, Roy arrives at Tyrell's apartment and demands an
   extension to his lifespan and absolution for his sins; upon receiving
   neither he kills Tyrell.

   Deckard is sent to Sebastian's apartment and is ambushed by Pris. Roy
   returns and traps Deckard in the apartment, hunting him throughout the
   dilapidated Bradbury Building and forcing him to the roof. As Deckard
   attempts to escape from the roof, he ends up hanging from a beam. Just
   as Deckard is about to fall, Roy saves his life. Roy is quickly
   deteriorating, as his 4-year lifespan is up, and he "dies" up on the
   rooftop. Deckard returns to his apartment and finds Rachael alive.
   Deckard also finds an origami calling card left by Gaff, which suggests
   that he has allowed them to escape.

Themes

   Despite the initial appearance of an action film, Blade Runner operates
   on an unusually rich number of dramatic levels. As with much of the
   cyberpunk genre, it owes a large debt to film noir, containing and
   exploring such conventions as the femme fatale, a Chandleresque
   first-person narration (removed in later versions), and the
   questionable moral outlook of the Hero — extended here to include even
   the humanity of the hero, as well as the usual dark and shadowy
   cinematography.

   It is one of the most literate science fiction films, both thematically
   — enfolding the philosophy of religion and moral implications of the
   increasing human mastery of genetic engineering, within the context of
   classical Greek drama and its notions of hubris — and linguistically,
   drawing on the poetry of William Blake and the Bible. Blade Runner also
   features a chess game based on the famous Immortal Game of 1851. (The
   king and queen are interposed on Tyrell's side, a position which a
   grandmaster would never attempt.)

   Blade Runner delves into the future implications of technology on the
   environment and society by reaching into the past using literature,
   religious symbolism, classical dramatic themes and film noir. This
   tension between past, present and future is apparent in the retrofitted
   future of Blade Runner, which is high-tech and gleaming in places but
   elsewhere decayed and old.

   A high level of paranoia is present throughout the film with the visual
   manifestation of corporate power, omnipresent police, probing lights,
   and in the power over the individual represented particularly by
   genetic programming of the replicants. Control over the environment is
   seen on a large scale, hand in hand with the seeming absence of any
   natural life, with artificial animals being created as a substitute for
   the extinct originals. This oppressive backdrop clarifies why many
   people are going to the off-world colonies, which clearly parallels the
   migration to the Americas. The popular 1980s prediction of America
   being economically surpassed by Japan is reflected in the domination of
   Japanese culture and advertising in LA 2019. The film also makes
   extensive use of eyes and manipulated images to call into question
   reality and our ability to perceive it.

   These thematic elements provide an atmosphere of uncertainty for Blade
   Runner's central theme of examining humanity. In order to discover
   replicants, an empathy test is used with a number of questions focused
   on the treatment of animals, thus making it the essential indicator of
   someone's "humanity". The replicants are juxtaposed with human
   characters who are unempathetic, while the replicants appear to show
   passion and concern for one another at the same time as the mass of
   humanity on the streets is cold and impersonal. The film goes so far as
   to put in doubt whether Deckard is a replicant, and forces the audience
   to reevaluate what it means to be human.

Deckard: replicant or human?

   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

   The question of whether Deckard is intended to be a human or a
   replicant has been an ongoing controversy since the film's release.
   Ridley Scott, after remaining coy for twenty years, stated in 2000 that
   Deckard is a replicant. Hampton Fancher and Harrison Ford have stated
   that Deckard is human. The rough consensus of the debate is that in the
   original version of the film Deckard is probably human, whereas the
   Director's Cut deliberately hints that he may be another replicant.
   Specifically, the Director's Cut includes a short sequence in which
   Deckard dreams about a unicorn. This sequence alters the significance
   of the origami unicorn that Gaff leaves in Deckard's apartment,
   suggesting to the viewer (and to Deckard) that Gaff knows about
   Deckard's dream in the same manner that Deckard knows about Rachael's
   implanted memories. An answer to Deckard's nature is not given – as
   such it provides additional layers of ambiguity to the film's questions
   about humanity and reality.

Cast

   With the exception of Harrison Ford, Blade Runner had a significant
   number of then-unknown actors in its cast:
     * Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard. Coming off some success with Star
       Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, but still a year before Raiders
       of the Lost Ark was released, Ford was looking for a role with
       dramatic depth. After Steven Spielberg praised Ford and showed some
       Raiders rushes to Deeley and Scott they hired Ford. Due to the
       initially poor reception of Blade Runner and friction with Scott,
       Ford has usually avoided discussing the film.
     * Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty. Hauer gave a brief but effective
       performance as the violent yet thoughtful leader of replicants; and
       was regarded by Philip K. Dick as "the perfect Batty — cold, Aryan,
       flawless." Of the many films Hauer has done, Blade Runner is his
       favorite. As he explains:

                "Blade Runner needs no explanation. It just IZZ. All of
                the best. There is nothing like it. To be part of a real
                MASTERPIECE which changed the world's thinking. It's
                awesome."

     * Sean Young as Rachael. Young still counts Blade Runner among her
       favorite films, despite friction with Ford and Scott.
     * Edward James Olmos as Gaff. Olmos used his diverse ethnic
       background, and some in depth personal research, to help create the
       fictional "Cityspeak" language his character uses in the film. It
       later turned out that what he addresses to the sitting and eating
       Rick Deckard is partly in Hungarian and means "Horse dick! So you
       say. You are the Blade... Blade Runner."
     * Daryl Hannah as Pris. Hannah managed to bring out the dangerous
       innocence of a replicant in love with Roy Batty.

   Supporting roles:
     * M. Emmet Walsh as Captain Bryant. Walsh lived up to his reputation
       as a great character actor with the role of a hard drinking police
       veteran.
     * Joe Turkel as Dr. Eldon Tyrell. With a confident penetrating voice
       and a penchant for self-aggrandizement, this corporate mogul has
       built an empire on slavery.
     * William Sanderson as J.F. Sebastian, a quiet and lonely genius who
       provides a compassionate yet compliant portrait of humanity. This
       led to more varied work for Sanderson.
     * Brion James as Leon. Although at first glance a dumb replicant used
       for muscle, Leon did have an undertone of intuitive intelligence.
     * Joanna Cassidy as Zhora. Cassidy portrays a strong woman who has
       seen the worst humanity has to offer.
     * Morgan Paull as Holden.
     * James Hong as Hannibal Chew. An elder geneticist who loves his
       work, especially with synthesizing eyes.
     * Hy Pyke as Taffey Lewis. Pyke conveys Lewis' sleaziness with ease
       and apparently with one take; something almost unheard of with
       Scott's drive for perfection resulting at times in double digit
       takes.
     * Unknown as Abdul Hassan. It remains a mystery as to who played the
       snake dealer Deckard interrogates.

Music

   The Blade Runner soundtrack by Vangelis is a dark melodic combination
   of classic composition and futuristic synthesizers which mirrors the
   film-noir retro-future envisioned by Ridley Scott. Vangelis, fresh off
   of his Academy Award winning score from Chariots of Fire, composed and
   performed the music on his synthesizers. The musicscape of 2019 was
   created in Vangelis' "space" mode of new age music, as heard on such
   albums of his as Heaven and Hell. He also made use of various chimes
   and the vocals of collaborator Demis Roussos. Ridley Scott also used
   "Memories of Green" from Vangelis' album See You Later (an orchestral
   version of which Scott would later use in his film Someone To Watch
   Over Me).

          "Both emotional and unsettling, the Blade Runner score plays off
          conflict (discord versus harmony, light against dark) for a
          rich, textured tapestry of sound." — musicoutfitter.com

   Despite being well received by fans and critically acclaimed —
   nominated in 1983 for a BAFTA and Golden Globe as best original score —
   and the promise of a soundtrack album from Polydor Records in the end
   titles of the film, the release of the original soundtrack recording
   was delayed for over a decade. There are two official releases of the
   music from Blade Runner. In light of the lack of a release of an album,
   The New American Orchestra recorded an orchestral adaptation in 1982
   which bore little resemblance to the original. Some of the film tracks
   would in 1989 surface on the compilation Themes, but not until the 1992
   release of the Director's Cut version would a substantial amount of the
   film's score see the light of day. However, while most of the tracks on
   the album are from the film, there were a few that Vangelis composed
   but were ultimately not used and some new pieces. Many do not consider
   this to be a satisfying representation of the score.

   These delays and poor reproductions led to the production of many
   bootleg recordings over the years. A bootleg tape surfaced in 1982 at
   science fiction conventions and became popular given the delay of an
   official release of the original recordings, and in 1993 "Off World
   Music, Ltd." created a bootleg CD that would prove more comprehensive
   than Vangelis' official CD in 1994. A disc from "Gongo Records"
   features most of the same material, but with slightly better sound
   quality. In 2003, two other bootlegs surfaced, the "Esper Edition,"
   closely preceded by "Los Angeles — November 2019." The double disc
   "Esper Edition" combined tracks from the official release, the Gongo
   boot and the film itself. Finally "2019" provided a single disc
   compilation almost wholly consisting of ambient sound from the film,
   padded out with some sounds from the Westwood game Blade Runner. The
   Gongo release is considered the best presentation of the music, while
   Los Angeles — November 2019 and the Esper Edition are excellent
   mementos of the film.

          "Dreamy, evocative, beautiful and essential." — moviegrooves.com

Reception

                     Ratings
        Australia:       M
    Canada (Manitoba):   PA
    Canada ( Ontario):   AA
   Canada ( Maritime):   A
     Canada (Quebec):    13+
   Canada ( Home Vid.):  14A (director's cut)
         Iceland:        16
         Ireland:        15
     United Kingdom:     AA (original rating);
                         15 (1986 video rating)
      United States:     R

   Blade Runner was released in 1,290 theaters on June 25, 1982. That date
   was chosen by producer Alan Ladd, Jr. because his previous
   highest-grossing films (Star Wars and Alien) had a similar opening date
   ( May 25) in 1977 and 1979, making the date his "lucky day." However,
   the gross for the opening weekend was a disappointing $6.15 million. A
   significant factor in the film's rather poor box office performance was
   that its release coincided with another science fiction film, E.T. the
   Extra-Terrestrial, which was released in the U.S. on June 11, 1982, and
   dominated box office revenues at the time.

   Film critics were polarized as some felt the story had taken a back
   seat to special effects and that it was not the action/adventure the
   studio had advertised. Others acclaimed its complexity and predicted it
   would stand the test of time.

   A general criticism was its slow pacing that detracts from other
   strengths; one film critic went so far as to call it "Blade Crawler."
   Roger Ebert praised Blade Runner's visuals, but found the human story a
   little thin. Ebert thought Tyrell's character unconvincing and the
   apparent lack of security measures allowing Roy to murder him
   problematic. Also he believed the relationship between Deckard and
   Rachael seemed "to exist more for the plot than for them."

   Other critics have countered that the strong visuals serve to create a
   dehumanized world where human elements stand out, and that the
   relationship between Deckard and Rachael could be essential in
   reaffirming their respective humanity. In a later episode of their
   show, Ebert and Gene Siskel admit they were wrong about their early
   negative reviews and that they consider the film to be a modern
   classic.

Awards and nominations

   Blade Runner has both won, and been nominated for, many awards.

   It has won the following accolades:
   Year Award Category — Recipient(s)
   1982 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award Best Cinematography —
   Jordan Cronenweth
   1983 BAFTA Film Award Best Cinematography — Jordan Cronenweth
   Best Costume Design — Charles Knode, Michael Kaplan
   Best Production Design/Art Direction — Lawrence G. Paull
   1983 Hugo Award Best Dramatic Presentation
   1983 London Critics Circle Film Awards — Special Achievement Award
   Lawrence G. Paull, Douglas Trumbull, Syd Mead — For their visual
   concept (technical prize).

   It was nominated for the following awards:
     * BAFTA (1983)
          + Best Film Editing — Terry Rawlings
          + Best Make Up Artist — Marvin G. Westmore
          + Best Score — Vangelis
          + Best Sound — Peter Pennell, Bud Alper, Graham V. Hartstone,
            Gerry Humphreys
          + Best Special Visual Effects — Douglas Trumbull, Richard
            Yuricich, David Dryer
     * British Society of Cinematographers: Best Cinematography Award
       (1982) — Jordan Cronenweth
     * Fantasporto
          + International Fantasy Film Award (1983) — Best Film — Ridley
            Scott
          + International Fantasy Film Award (1993) — Best Film — Ridley
            Scott (Director's cut)
     * Golden Globe: Best Original Score (1983) — Motion Picture —
       Vangelis
     * Academy Award (1983)
          + Best Art Direction-Set Decoration — Lawrence G. Paull, David
            L. Snyder, Linda DeScenna
          + Best Effects, Visual Effects — Douglas Trumbull, Richard
            Yuricich, David Dryer
     * Saturn Award (1983)
          + Best Science Fiction Film
          + Best Director — Ridley Scott
          + Best Special Effects — Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich
          + Best Supporting Actor — Rutger Hauer
          + Best Genre Video Release (1994) — Director's cut

Influence

   Although it initially gained a small North American audience, the film
   was popular internationally and became a cult classic which has been
   often referenced in other media. Blade Runner's dark cyberpunk style
   and futuristic design have served as a benchmark and its inspiration
   can be seen in many subsequent science fiction films and television
   programs, such as Max Headroom, Batman, RoboCop, The Fifth Element,
   Brazil, Dark Angel, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, and The Matrix, and
   in anime, including Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Armitage III, Silent
   Möbius, Cowboy Bebop, Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files, Parasite
   Dolls, and Ergo Proxy.

   The film arguably marks the introduction of the cyberpunk genre into
   popular culture. Blade Runner continues to reflect modern trends and
   concerns, and an increasing number consider it one of the greatest
   science fiction films of all time. The film was selected for
   preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1993 and is
   frequently used in university courses. It is one of the most musically
   sampled films of the 20th century. The character Roy Batty served as
   the apparent inspiration of several rock songs by Audioslave "Show Me
   How To Live", White Zombie "Electric Head" and " More Human Than Human"
   (a Tyrell Corporation slogan), Gary Numan "Time To Die", Covenant "Like
   Tears In Rain" and "Replicant", Diesel Christ "Do Androids Dream Of
   Electric Sheep?", Sigue Sigue Sputnik "Love Missile F1-11" and Kent
   "OWC".

   Other Rock songs influenced by the film (and the book it is based upon)
   include Blind Guardian's "Time What Is Time", Fear Factory's "Replica",
   Gary Numan's "Are 'Friends' Electric?", Incubus' "Talk Shows On Mute",
   Kim Wilde "Bladerunner", and Tan-Hauser Gate's "Little piece of you".

          "Ridley Scott's film remains the defining vision of futuristic
          science fiction." — Steve Biodrowski

   Blade Runner also influenced the cyberpunk adventure game Snatcher, the
   role-playing game Shadowrun, the computer game System Shock and the
   Syndicate games. The fictional language Cityspeak has been used in many
   cyberpunk genre role-playing games.

   The memorable Scrap Brain Zone level from the original Sonic the
   Hedgehog features an almost identical score to the Blade Runner 'End
   Title' theme, and is clearly a direct tribute.

Versions

   Seven versions of the film exist, but only the Director's Cut and
   International Cut are widely known and seen:
     * The original 1982 International Cut (also known as Criterion
       Edition), which included more graphic violence than the U.S.
       theatrical release, and which was released on VHS and on Criterion
       Collection Laserdisc.
     * The U.S. theatrical version (also known as Original Version), also
       called the domestic cut.
     * Two workprint versions, shown only as audience test previews and
       occasionally at film festivals; one of these was distributed in
       1991, as a Director's Cut without Scott's approval.
     * The Ridley Scott-approved 1992 Director's Cut; prompted by the
       unauthorized 1991 release, it is to date the only version
       officially released on DVD.
     * The broadcast version, edited for profanity.
     * Warner Home Video has scheduled both theatrical and DVD releases of
       Ridley Scott's final cut of the film for 2007.

Theatrical versions

   The 1982 American and European theatrical versions released by the
   studio included a "happy ending" (using stock footage from Stanley
   Kubrick's The Shining) and a voice-over added at the request of studio
   executives during post-production after test audience members indicated
   difficulty understanding the film. Although several different versions
   of the script had included a narration of some sort, both Ridley Scott
   and Harrison Ford disliked the studio voice-over and resisted having it
   added to the film. It has been suggested that Ford intentionally
   performed the voice-over poorly in the hope it wouldn't be used, but
   recent interviews contradict this.

Director's Cut

   In 1990, Warner Bros briefly allowed theatrical screenings of a 70 mm
   copy of the workprint version of the film, advertising it as a
   Director's Cut. However, Ridley Scott publicly disowned the workprint
   version of the film as his definitive Director's Cut, citing that it
   was roughly edited and lacked the score composed for the film by
   Vangelis. In response to Scott's dissatisfaction (and in part because
   of the film's resurgent cult popularity in the early 90s) Warner
   Brothers decided to assemble a definitive Director's Cut of the film
   with direction from Scott to be released in 1992.

   They hired film-restorationist Michael Arick, who had rediscovered the
   workprint of Blade Runner and who was already doing consultation work
   for them, to head the project with Scott. He started by spending
   several months in London with Les Healey, who had been the assistant
   editor on Blade Runner, attempting to compile a list of the changes
   that Scott wanted made to the film. He also got a number of
   suggestions/directions directly from the director himself. Arick made
   several changes to the film, most of them fairly minor editing changes,
   including the reinsertion of Deckard finding Gaff's origami unicorn in
   the hallway near his apartment at the film's closing. However, three
   major changes were made to the film which most would agree
   significantly changed the feel of the film: the removal of Deckard's
   explanatory voice-over, the re-insertion of a dream sequence of a
   unicorn running through a forest, and the removal of the studio imposed
   happy ending, including some associated visuals which had originally
   run under the film's end-credits. The original sequence of Deckard's
   unicorn dream wasn't found in a sufficiently high quality print; the
   original scene shows Deckard intercut with the running unicorn. So
   Arick used a different print that just shows the unicorn running
   without any cut to Deckard.

   Scott has since complained that time and money constraints and his
   obligation to Thelma and Louise kept him from retooling the film in a
   completely satisfactory manner, and that while he's happier than before
   with the 1992 release of the film, he's never felt entirely comfortable
   with it as his definitive Director's Cut.

   Originally released as a single-disc DVD in 1997, the Director's Cut
   was one of the first DVDs on the market. However, it is of low quality
   compared to DVDs of today due to it being produced in the early days of
   the format.

Special Edition

   Partly as the result of those complaints, Scott was invited back in
   mid-2000 to help put together a final and definitive version of the
   film, which was completed in mid-2001. During the process, a new
   digital print of the film was created from the original negatives,
   special effects were updated and cleaned, and the sound was remastered
   in 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. Unlike the rushed 1992 Director's
   Cut, Scott personally oversaw the new cut as it was being made. The
   Special Edition DVD was slated for a Christmas time 2001 release, and
   was originally rumored to be a three-disc set including the full
   international theatrical cut, an early workprint with additional
   scenes, and the newly enhanced version in addition to deleted scenes,
   extensive cast and crew interviews, and the documentary "On the Edge of
   Blade Runner". But Warner Bros indefinitely delayed the "Special
   Edition" release after legal disputes began with the film's original
   completion bond guarantors (specifically Jerry Perenchio), who were
   ceded ownership of the film when the shooting ran over budget from
   $21.5 to $28 million.

   After years of legal disputes, Warner Brothers announced in 2006 that
   it had finally secured full distribution rights to the film. They
   planned for three stages of releases for the film. First, a digitally
   remastered single-disc limited re-release of the 1992 Director's Cut
   was released on September 5, 2006 and on October 9, 2006 in Ireland and
   the UK. Second, Ridley Scott's new "Final Cut" of the film is scheduled
   for theatrical release in 2007. The third and final phase, a multi-disc
   box set including the two previously mentioned cuts, the U.S. and
   International cuts, and bonus features, is also scheduled for 2007.
   Warner Bros. has plans to release this box set not only on DVD, but
   also on the HD DVD and Blu-ray disc formats.

Documentaries

   On the Edge of Blade Runner (55 minutes), produced in 2000 by Nobles
   Gate Ltd. (for Channel 4), was directed by Andrew Abbott and
   hosted/written by Mark Kermode. Interviews with production staff,
   including Scott, give details of the creative process and the turmoil
   during preproduction. Stories from Paul M. Sammon and Fancher provide
   insight into Philip K. Dick and the origins of Do Androids Dream of
   Electric Sheep?

   Interweaved are cast interviews (with the notable exceptions of
   Harrison Ford and Sean Young), which convey some of the difficulties of
   making the film (including an exacting director and humid, smoggy
   weather). There is also a tour of some locations, most notably the
   Bradbury Building and the Warner Brothers backlot that became the LA
   2019 streets, and which look very different from Scott's dark vision.

   The documentary then details the test screenings and the resulting
   changes (the voice over, the happy ending, and the deleted Holden
   hospital scene), the special effects, the soundtrack by Vangelis, and
   the unhappy relationship between the filmmakers and the investors which
   culminated in Deeley and Scott being fired but still working on the
   film. The question of whether or not Deckard is a replicant surfaces.

   Future Shocks (27 minutes) is a more recent documentary from 2003 by
   TVOntario (part of their Film 101 series using footage compiled over
   the years for Saturday Night at the Movies). It includes interviews
   with executive producer Bud Yorkin, Syd Mead, and the cast, this time
   with Sean Young, but still without Harrison Ford. There is extensive
   commentary by science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer and from film
   critics, as the documentary focuses on the themes, visual impact and
   influence of the film. Edward James Olmos describes Ford's
   participation and personal experiences during filming are related by
   Young, Walsh, Cassidy and Sanderson. They also relate a story about
   crew members creating t-shirts that took pot shots at Scott. The
   different versions of the film are critiqued and the accuracy of its
   predictions of the future are discussed.

Novel

   The original screenplay by Hampton Fancher was based loosely on Philip
   K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which he optioned in
   1980 after an unsuccessful previous attempt. However, Fancher's script
   focused more on environmental issues and less on issues of humanity and
   faith, which weighed heavily in the novel. When Ridley Scott became
   involved with the film, he wanted changes to the script made, and
   eventually hired David Peoples to perform the re-writes after Fancher
   refused. The film's title also changed several times during the writing
   process, it was to be called Dangerous Days in Fancher's last draft
   before eventually taking the name Blade Runner, actually borrowed (with
   permission) from a William S. Burroughs treatment of Alan E. Nourse's
   science fiction novel The Bladerunner (1974).

   As a result of Fancher's divergence from the novel, numerous re-writes
   before and throughout shooting the film, and the fact that Ridley Scott
   never entirely read the novel it was based on, the film diverged
   significantly from its original inspiration. The changes have led many
   critics and fans to consider them as independent works of fiction,
   despite the fact that the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
   was reprinted for a time with the title Blade Runner with the intention
   of promoting sales. Some of the themes in the novel that were minimized
   or entirely removed include: fertility/sterility of the population,
   religion, mass media, Deckard's uncertainty that he is human, and real
   versus synthetic pets and emotions.

   The producers of the film arranged for a screening of some rough cuts
   for Philip K. Dick shortly before he died in early 1982. Despite the
   fact that the movie deviated significantly from his book and his well
   known skepticism of Hollywood in principle, he became quite
   enthusiastic about the film. He predicted that: "This will change the
   way we look at movies."

   The film also draws upon We Can Build You, another of Dick's novels. In
   chapter 3 of We Can Build You, another character named Pris is
   described as wearing "odd make-up, eyes outlined in black, a harlequin
   effect, and almost purple lipstick; the whole colour scheme made her
   appear unreal and doll-like". This description inspired the make-up
   worn by Pris in Blade Runner.

Sequels

   Three official and authorized Blade Runner novels have been written by
   Philip K. Dick's friend K. W. Jeter that continue the story of Rick
   Deckard and attempt to resolve many of the differences between Blade
   Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.
     * Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human (1995)
     * Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night (1996)
     * Blade Runner 4: Eye and Talon (2000)

   David Peoples, who co-wrote Blade Runner and wrote the 1998 film
   Soldier, has said that Soldier is intended to be what he calls a "
   sidequel" to Blade Runner. Soldier takes place in the same fictional
   universe, and the spinners used in Blade Runner are also used in
   Soldier. However, Soldier is an informal sequel as it was never
   formally approved by the Blade Runner partnership, which owns the
   rights to the Blade Runner universe.

   Though not an official sequel to Blade Runner, many fans have noted
   similarities between the 1999 television series Total Recall 2070 and
   the Blade Runner universe. Total Recall 2070 was based on two works by
   Phillip K. Dick: " We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" (the basis for
   Total Recall), and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (the basis for
   Blade Runner), so many consider the series a sequel to (or at least a
   spin-off of) Blade Runner.

Games and comics

   There are two computer games based on the film, one for Commodore 64,
   ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC 6128 by CRL Group PLC (1985) based on the
   music by Vangelis (due to licensing issues), and another action
   adventure PC game by Westwood Studios (1997). The latter game featured
   new characters and branching storylines based on the Blade Runner
   world, coupled with voice work from some of the original cast from the
   film and some recurring locations from the film. It is noteworthy that
   the events portrayed in the 1997 game occur not after, but in parallel
   to those in the film — the player assumes the role of another
   replicant-hunter working at the same time as Deckard, though of course
   they never meet, so as to remain consistent with the film. The game was
   highly advanced for its time, featuring a non linear plot, and advanced
   non player characters that each ran in their own independent AI.
   Unfortunately, the game was hobbled by an unusual 3D engine that was
   credible when the game went into production, but outclassed by the time
   the game was finally released.

   A prototype board game was also created in California (1982) that had
   game play similar to Scotland Yard.

   The cult computer game Snatcher was heavily influenced by Blade Runner,
   so much so that websites exist detailing the numerous similarities
   between the two.

   Archie Goodwin scripted the comic book adaptation, A Marvel Comics
   Super Special: Blade Runner, published September, 1982. The Jim
   Steranko cover leads into a 45-page adaptation illustrated by the team
   of Al Williamson, Carlos Garzon, Dan Green and Ralph Reese. This
   adaptation was poorly received and widely ridiculed because of poor
   writing and misquoted dialogue taken from the film. (This adaptation
   includes one possible explanation of the title's significance in story
   context: the narrative line, "Blade runner. You're always movin' on the
   edge.") Also there was a parody comic of Blade Runner called Blade
   Bummer by Crazy comics.

   Steve Gallacci wrote and illustrated an anthropomorphic parody of the
   film as Bad Rubber in the prototype issue (Number 0) of his comic book
   title Albedo Anthropomorphics. The character based on Rick Deckard was
   a duck named "Rick Duckard".

Curse

   Among the folklore that has grown up around the film over the years has
   been the belief that the film was a curse to the companies whose logos
   were displayed prominently in some scenes. While they were market
   leaders at the time, many of them experienced disastrous setbacks over
   the next decade and hardly exist today:
     * Atari, which dominated the home video game market when the film
       came out, never recovered from the next year's downturn in the
       industry, and by the 1990s had ceased to exist as anything more
       than a brand, a back catalog of games and some legacy computers.
       The Atari of today is an entirely different firm, usurping the
       former company's name.
     * The Bell System monopoly was broken up that same year, and all of
       the resulting Regional Bell operating companies have since changed
       their names and merged with each other or other companies.
     * Pan Am suffered the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 and went
       bankrupt in 1991, after a decade of mounting losses.
     * Cuisinart similarly went bankrupt in 1989, though it lives on under
       new ownership.

   Coca-Cola almost joined this list in the wake of its failed
   introduction of New Coke three years later, but has since experienced a
   thirty-fold increase in share price.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner"
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