1.) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the
screening.
In class it
was explained that Blade Runner pulls
a great deal of aesthetic, thematic, and musical elements from film noir
movies. The style of Blade Runner is
referred to as future noir by Paul M. Sammon in his book Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner. This style is clearly
apparent in the film: scenes are darkly lit, the story concerns a
detective/police organization, and the score is reminiscent of film noir style.
Most noticeable about the film's soundtrack is its combined use of traditional
instruments with digital and synthesized ones. This creates a hybrid sound
which furthers the film's futuristic setting. Since it would otherwise have
been impossible to predict norms of the future, the design team behind the film
created a futuristic world combining elements of the past with motifs that were
trending at the time.
2.) Find a related article and summarize the content.
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/replicant4.htm
An article
on howstuffworks.com discusses the possibility and repercussions of Rick
Deckard being a replicant. The article explains that in the original cut of the
film and the book Do Androids Dream of
Electric Sheep? upon which the film is based, there is no doubt that
Deckard is a human but in the director's cut and final cut, there is doubt
concerning Deckard's humanity. The article explains that the added scenes to
the amended cuts of the film give clues that lead to Deckard's status as a
replicant, and that director Ridley Scott, while deliberately leaving Deckard's
fate ambiguous, believed he was a replicant. The article goes on to say that if
Deckard is a replicant, then it raises a number of important questions
including: how long have the police known he's a replicant, why do they permit
him to go after other replicants and then escape, and how long will he live?
3.) Apply the article to the film screened in class.
Parties involved in the production of
Blade Runner seem to have varying
opinions on Deckard's humanity. For example, director Ridley Scott believed
Deckard to be a replicant while actor Harrison Ford does not. Since the details
of the film are left ambiguous, Deckard's fate is left to guesswork. However,
some scenes of the film have interesting implications depending on Deckard's
nature. After administering the Voight-Kampff test to Rachel, Deckard asks
"How can it not know what it is?" If Deckard is himself a replicant,
then it is ironic that he should ask such a question. Additionally, in a
deleted scene at the end of the movie, Rachel says to Deckard she believes the
two were "made for each other," possibly implying that she is aware
that Deckard is also a replicant.
4.) Write a critical analysis of the film.
Following
the success of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford was eager
to take on a more introverted role. While the themes of Blade Runner run deeper than those of his previous projects, Rick
Deckard does not stray from the typical Harrison Ford screen persona. Ford is
still playing the rugged-yet-relatable hero archetype for which he is famous. Blade Runner is in the middle of five movies beginning with The Empire Strikes Back
and ending with Indiana Jones and the
Temple of Doom in which the actor is beaten, battered, and bruised by his
opposition but still manages to win in the end. It is this sequence of films
that cemented Ford's star status and established him as one of the major action/adventure
stars of the 1980s.
Blade Runner's relevancy to the science
fiction genre comes in its settings and aesthetics. Never before had a future
world seemed so plausible. Films such as 2001:
A Space Odyssey and The Black Hole
may have featured a futuristic landscape, but until Blade Runner each future fantasy was too far removed from a contemporary
setting. In previous sci-fi films the future was envisioned as being completely
different from the modern world, with fashion style totally changed and
technology unrecognizable. Blade Runner
takes a different approach to the future. Instead of visualizing new technology
the film enhances contemporary devices, predicting technological advancements
that were not far from reality at the time of the film's release.CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM
1) (X) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (X) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (X) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (X) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (X) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (X) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (X) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (X) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: ______Alex Wisniewski______________ Date: _______2/15/14_________________
