Themes in Blade Runner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Despite the initial appearance of an action film, Blade Runner operates on an unusually rich number of dramatic levels.^[1] 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 in the Theatrical Version, 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^[3] — and linguistically, drawing on the poetry of William Blake and the Bible. This is a theme subtly reiterated by the chess game between J. F. Sebastian and Tyrell based on the famous Immortal Game of 1851 symbolizing the struggle against mortality imposed by God.^[4][5] (The king and queen are interposed on Tyrell's side, a position which a grandmaster would never attempt).

Blade Runner depicts a future whose fictional distance from present reality has grown sharply smaller as 2019 approaches. The film 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 but also with how animals are created as mere commodities. 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 the United States being economically surpassed by Japan is reflected in the domination of Japanese culture and corporations in the advertising of LA 2019. The film also makes extensive use of eyes and manipulated images to call into question reality and our ability to perceive it.

This provides 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 empathy; making it the essential indicator of someone's "humanity". The replicants are juxtaposed with human characters who are unempathetic, and while the replicants show passion and concern for one another the mass of humanity on the streets is cold and impersonal. The film goes so far as to put in doubt the nature of Deckard and forces the audience to reevaluate what it means to be human.^[6]

Contents 1 Paranoia 2 Technicism 3 Genetic engineering and cloning 4 Eyes and memories 5 Female stereotypes 6 Christian symbolism 7 Death and immortality 8 Economic inequality, corporatism 9 Environment and globalization 10 Deckard: replicant or human? 10.1 Clues and questions 10.2 Significance of Deckard's identity 10.2.1 Human 10.2.2 Replicant 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Paranoia

Paranoia pervades Blade Runner just as the rain falls on Los Angeles 2019. Every major theme adds to the paranoia of the film and envelops the audience in suspicion and uncertainty.

At the beginning of the film, the replicant Leon is being interviewed by the Blade Runner Holden, who is working undercover at a company's employment office to screen for escaped replicants using the Voight-Kampff test, highlighting the widespread paranoia of replicant infiltration.

Advertising blimps float over the dark sprawl of 2019 Los Angeles; their searchlights penetrating into every dark corner, as seen when Deckard enters the Bradbury building. This gives the impression that the population is always being watched. Even Deckard seems to be watched by Gaff. The way Gaff interacts with Deckard implies that Gaff is Deckard's "handler" and Gaff also seems to know things about Deckard that Deckard doesn't even know. For example, the origami unicorn presumably left by Gaff, leads the audience to believe Gaff knows the truth of Deckard's humanity.

An additional level to the paranoia is the lifetime time-limit imposed on each replicant, and that the limit, while conceived and implemented by the Tyrell Corporation, is now intrinsic to their being. It is ironic to note that one of the most violent of the replicants, Roy, is the only one to execute his genetic programming to his endpoint, as all the rest perish through violent interactions with humans. The callousness and implied cruelty of the design imposed on the replicants is the palpable driving force of the paranoia.

[edit] Technicism

Technicism is the concept that all problems, all needs, and all reality will eventually be controlled using technological means, methods, and devices. It is a notion that dominates the dystopian Los Angeles of Blade Runner as it seems to blindly accept technological improvements. Many of the themes in the film reflect on this idea further. Humans appear to be fleeing from the Earth (to the Off-World Colonies) while replicants (machines) are fleeing to Earth.

Other futuristic novels have examined this idea, such as Burgess' A Clockwork Orange, Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and Huxley's Brave New World. Some critics of Blade Runner state that the technology of the film dominates the characters, and that the depth of characters is second to the depth of technology.^{[citation needed]} Whether by design or not, it is quite apropos for this film as it reflects on a consequence of technicism — the pursuit of ignoble ends, technology for its own sake, devoid of any personal, ethical or moral consideration.

[edit] Genetic engineering and cloning

The first draft of the entire human genome was decoded on June 26, 2000, by the Human Genome Project, followed by a steadily-increasing number of other organisms across the microscopic to macroscopic spectrum. The short step from theory to practice in using genetic knowledge was taken quickly: genetically modified organisms have become a present reality.

The embryonic techniques of somatic cell nuclear transfer from a specific genotype via cloning, as well as some of the problems pre-figured in Blade Runner, were demonstrated by the cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996. Since 2001, political efforts have been mounting in many countries to ban human cloning, impelled by a sense of its abhorrence and imminence, while rumors abound that the first human clones may already have been produced, the most famous example being a claim by the extra-terrestrial worshipping Raelians, a religious group who have offered no proof to support their extraordinary claims. In all of these developments, a clear tension between commercial and non-commercial interests is apparent, as scientific and business motivations conflict with ethical and religious concerns about the appropriateness of human intervention in the deepest fabric of nature. In many ways Blade Runner serves as a cautionary tale in the tradition of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein.^[3]

[edit] Eyes and memories

Eye symbolism appears repeatedly in Blade Runner and provides insight into themes and characters therein. The film opens with an extreme closeup of an eye which fills the screen reflecting the hellish landscape seen below. When reflecting one of the Tyrell Corp. pyramids it evokes the all-seeing Eye of Providence on the back of the U.S. one dollar bill.^[7]

In Roy's quest to "meet his maker" he seeks out Chew, a genetic designer of eyes, who created the eyes of the Nexus-6. When told this, Roy quips, "Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes", ironic in that Roy's eyes are Chew's eyes since he created them, but it also emphasizes the importance of personal experience in the formation of self. Roy and Leon then intimidate Chew with disembodied eyes and he tells them about J.F. Sebastian.

It is symbolic that the man who designed replicant eyes shows them the way to Tyrell. Eyes are widely regarded as "windows to the soul", eye contact being a facet of body language that unconsciously demonstrates intent and emotion and this meme is used to great effect in Blade Runner. The Voight-Kampff test that determines if you are human measures the emotions, specifically empathy through various biological responses such as fluctuation of the pupil and involuntary dilation of the iris (as pointed out by Dr. Tyrell). Furthermore, Tyrell's trifocal glasses are a strong indicator of his reliance on technology for his power and his myopic vision. Later he is killed by Roy who forces his thumbs into Tyrell's eyes.

The glow which is notable in replicant eyes in some scenes creates a sense of artificiality. According to Ridley Scott, "that kickback you saw from the replicants' retinas was a bit of a design flaw. I was also trying to say that the eye is really the most important organ in the human body. It's like a two-way mirror; the eye doesn't only see a lot, the eye gives away a lot. A glowing human retina seemed one way of stating that"^[3]. He considers the glow to be a stylistic device only, but Brion James, Leon's actor, suggests that pollution was the "cause" for the glow.^[2]

The relationship between sight and memories is referenced several times in Blade Runner. Rachael's visual recollection of her memories, Leon's "precious photos", Roy's discussion with Chew and soliloquy at the end, "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe". However, just as prevalent is the concept that what the eyes see and the resulting memories are not to be trusted. This is a notion emphasized by Rachael's fabricated memories, Deckard's need to confirm a replicant based on more than appearance, and even the printout of Leon's photograph not matching the reality of the Esper visual.

Also in the Director's Cut, when at the Tyrell corporation the owl's eyes flicker with a red tint. This wasn't done on purpose and later decided to call the owl a fake^{[citation needed]} and emphasize the red tint.

[edit] Female stereotypes

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (June 2008)

Another issue that permeates Blade Runner is the role of women. This is explored through the treatment and defining of lead female roles, which all happen to be artificial (replicants) and sexualized by the men around them. This gives whole new meaning to the term "objectifying women" since they are manufactured to look like models.

• Pris is a "basic pleasure model."
• Zhora becomes an erotic dancer performing with a snake.
• Rachael is supposed to be a copy of Tyrell's niece (with implanted memories). Her ambiguous part-secretary, part-femme fatale character can be read as being objectified – one of the questions in her Voight-Kampff test seems to question her sexuality. Depending on one's view of replicants, she then becomes Deckard's "love interest" or "love object."

The film-noir setting provides further context of the portrayal of women in film, with the femme-fatale historically portraying women as dangerous, uncaring, devious, sexualized and deadly as a reaction to changing roles after World War II. Sebastian is lured by Pris' sexuality, a naked Zhora catches Deckard off-guard, and then there is the forbidden love with Rachael.

[edit] Christian symbolism

There is a subtext of Christian allegory in Blade Runner, particularly in regard to the Roy Batty character. Given the replicants' superhuman abilities, their identity as created beings (by Tyrell) and "fall from the heavens" (off-world) makes them analogous to fallen angels. In this context, Roy Batty shares similarities with Lucifer as he prefers to "reign in hell" (Earth) rather than "serve in heaven".^[8] This connection is also apparent when Roy deliberately misquotes William Blake, "Fiery the angels fell..." (Blake wrote "Fiery the angels rose..." in America, A Prophecy). Nearing the end of his life, Roy creates a stigmata by driving a nail into his hand, and becomes a Christ-like figure by sacrificing himself for Deckard. Upon his death a dove appears to symbolise Roy's soul ascending into the heavens.^[9]

Zhora's gun shot wounds are both on her shoulder blades. The end result makes her look like an angel whose wings have been cut off. Zhora makes use of a serpent that "once corrupted man" in her performance.

[edit] Death and immortality

Death and immortality are prominent concepts throughout the movie. Some examples are:

• Replicants age rapidly and seek a way to avoid death.
• Deckard realizes replicants are acting like humans as they get close to death.
• J.F. Sebastian was aging fast like the replicants.
• Roy's final soliloquy in which he says, "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." Also, shortly after in the same sequence, the statement from Gaff, "It's too bad she won't live, but then again, who does?"

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] Economic inequality, corporatism

The dark and dirty urban sprawl Deckard explores in searching for the replicants is contrasted with Dr. Eldon Tyrell's offices, and by the bright skyscrapers in the distance, people are migrating to off-world colonies in outer space to escape poverty and contamination. Corporations dominate this world, much as their buildings and pervasive advertising dominate both the city and the surrounding landscape, strongly implying that corporatism is widespread.

[edit] Environment and globalization

The climate of the city of Los Angeles, in A.D. 2019, is very different from today's. It is strongly implied that industrial pollution has adversely affected planet Earth's environment, i.e. global warming and global dimming. Real animals are rare in the Blade Runner world. In Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, animal extinction and human depopulation of the planet were consequent to the radioactive fallout of a nuclear war;^[10] Owls were the first species to become extinct. This ties in with Deckard's comment about Dr. Tyrell's artificial owl: "It must be expensive." (cf. post-apocalyptic science fiction)

Given the many Asian peoples populating Los Angeles in A.D. 2019, and the cityspeak dialect policeman Gaff speaks to the Blade Runner, Rick Deckard, clearly indicates that much cultural mixing has happened. Globalization also is reflected in the name of the Shimago-Domínguez Corporation, whose slogan proclaims: "Helping America into the New World".^[11] This indicates that a mass migration is occurring, as there is a status quo that people want to escape.

The cultural and religious mixing can also be verified at the scene where Deckard chases Zhora. At the streets, we can see people dressed traditionally as Jews, hare kishnas, as well as young boys dressed as punks.

[edit] Deckard: replicant or human?

Rick Deckard is the anti-hero of Blade Runner, hired to "retire" replicants. The nature of most of the characters is clearly shown, yet Deckard's character is ambiguous, and viewers are left doubtful; aficionados debate this matter. If Deckard is human, then his being spared by Roy and his love for Rachael soften the line between human and replicant, adding conflicting ambivalence to the story. If Deckard is a replicant, the irony is greater. There is a sequence in the Director's Cut version that 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. If the origami unicorn seen in the Director's Cut reveals Deckard as a replicant in the film's end, then the audience's expectations and prejudices are questioned — and, by extension, our humanity.

Relevant opinions from those involved in the production:

• Philip K. Dick wrote the character Deckard as a human.^{[citation needed]}
• Hampton Fancher (original screenwriter) has said that he wrote the character Deckard as a human.^{[citation needed]}
• Ridley Scott stated in an interview in 2002 that he considers Deckard a replicant.^[13][14]
• Harrison Ford considers Deckard as a human. "That was the main area of contention between Ridley and myself at the time," Ford told interviewer Jonathan Ross during a BBC1 Hollywood Greats segment. "I thought the audience deserved one human being on screen that they could establish an emotional relationship with. I thought I had won Ridley's agreement to that, but in fact I think he had a little reservation about that. I think he really wanted to have it both ways."^[15] (However, in an interview in Wired magazine in 2007, Ridley again states that Deckard is a replicant, and that Harrison Ford has given up the idea of Deckard being human.)^[16]

The debate on his nature renewed when the Director's Cut was released with the unicorn sequence. Since the Original Theatrical Version (OV) points to Deckard being human, whereas the Director's Cut (DC) indicates Deckard is a replicant, it may be that Deckard's nature depends on which version one considers authoritative. Others maintain the film is ambiguous.

[edit] Clues and questions

Sixth Replicant: An unaccounted replicant in versions previous to the Final Cut was a script mistake when a replicant (Mary) was cut from the film.^[17] In the Final Cut Bryant's dialog was changed from 1 to 2 replicants being killed attempting to enter the Tyrell Building.

Human Replicants are illegal on Earth. The idea that the authorities would allow a replicant to run free, especially when he is retired (in the literal sense as opposed to being killed), makes no sense. No connection is shown between the police and Tyrell to account for a replicant Deckard. Deckard does not have the accelerated strength of a replicant. He is beaten physically by Leon, Zhora, Pris, and Roy. A rationale for using a weak replicant as a Blade Runner is not provided. All humans are referred to by their surname ("Bryant"); all replicants are referred to by their given name ("Roy"). Deckard is referred to via his surname. In the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? upon which the movie was based, Deckard's humanity is crucial to the novel's storyline.

Replicant Director Ridley Scott said "yes, Deckard is a replicant, you're a moron if you don't see that" in an interview on "Dangerous Days". Rachael asks Deckard: "You know that Voight-Kampff test of yours? You ever take that test yourself?" He doesn't answer. Deckard's eyes appear to glow red like a replicant's when he tells Rachael "but somebody would". While taking severe beatings from known replicants, Deckard manages to survive every time. Gaff saying: "You've done a man's job, sir!" and "It's too bad she won't live, but then again who does?" could hint that Deckard is not human. Leon (a replicant) cherishes his photos; and Rachael (a replicant) is given photographs to substantiate her memories. Deckard also has many family photos on his piano. Deckard dreams of a unicorn, later he finds an origami unicorn left by Gaff, suggesting Deckard is a replicant with known implanted memories like Rachael. (Dir. Cut)

[edit] Significance of Deckard's identity

[edit] Human

To emphasize similarity by juxtaposition: When Roy Batty saves Rick Deckard, a replicant is saving a human. When Deckard falls in love with Rachael, a human is affectionate towards a non-human. If replicants are hunting — and falling in love with — replicants, there is no ambivalence, and therefore, no conflict. If Deckard is a human interacting with replicants, who are behaving very humanly, it renders moot the question of whether there is a resonant difference. It places a few human attributes into relief, so they may be clearly seen.

[edit] Replicant

Emphasizing Deckard's struggle to find his own identity, and so provoke the audience to feel as he does in their struggle to grasp Deckard's identity, and ultimately to question their understanding of how we can know our humanity is different, and how we can know at all (cf. epistemology). If the audience ignores the answer until the end, and the characters do not know it either, then the story again provokes the audience, and the characters, to ask: What is the difference between being human and being non-human, if I can be either, and I need someone else to tell me which I am?

[edit] References

• Telotte, J.P. (1999). A Distant Technology: Science Fiction Film and the Machine Age. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 165, 180-185. ISBN 0819563463. 
• Menville, Douglas; R. Reginald (1985). Futurevisions: The New Golden Age of the Science Fiction Film. Van Nuys, CA: Newcastle, 8, 15, 128-131, 188. ISBN 0893706817. 

[edit] External links

• Blade Runner FAQ – Is Deckard a Replicant?
• The Replicant Option – essay by Detonator
• Deckard Is Not A Replicant – essay by Martin Connolly
• Was Deckard a replicant? – discussion at 2019: Off-World
• Ridley Scott interview
• Hampton Fancher interview
• Edge of Bladerunner Channel 4 – Documentary explores the question of Deckard's pedigree
• Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ISBN 0-345-40447-5

v • d • e The Blade Runner series Novels Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? · The Edge of Human · Replicant Night · Eye and Talon Games/comics The Blade Runner videogame · A Marvel Comics Super Special: Blade Runner Characters Rick Deckard · Eldon Tyrell · Gaff · Rachael · Roy Batty · Leon Kowalski · Pris · Zhora · J.F. Sebastian Locations Tyrell Corporation · Bradbury Building · Tannhauser Gate Cast Harrison Ford · Rutger Hauer · Sean Young · Edward James Olmos · Daryl Hannah Crew Ridley Scott · Hampton Fancher · Michael Deeley · David Peoples Other topics Philip K. Dick · Vangelis · Soundtrack · Themes · Versions · Replicants · Voight-Kampff machine · Spinner Related articles Soldier  · Postmodernism · Cyberpunk · Cult film