Knowing the Inner Self, F17, Kelly McKinney: Final Project Assignment- Final Film Blog:
Blade Runner
Blade Runner was produced in 1982, directed by Ridley Scott. The screen-writers are Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. The lead actors are Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. The film is an hour and fifty seven minutes long.
Synopsis:
In Los Angeles in the year 2019, Rick Deckard is a “blade runner,” a cop whose job is to track down and kill “replicants,” artificial beings nearly identical to humans made by the Tyrell Corporation. A group of replicants sent off-world to work as slaves rebelled and have come back to earth to find their creator to demand that their limited life-spans be extended. Deckard is forced to track down and kill these rebel replicants: Leon, Zhora, Pris and Roy. In the meantime he meets Tyrell, the replicant maker, and Tyrell’s “niece,” an advanced replicant named Rachael with whom he falls in love. Roy ends up killing Tyrell after he asks for more life and Tyrell tells him it is impossible. By the end. Deckard kills all the replicants, except for Rachael—the film ends with Deckard and Rachael leaving Los Angeles together.
Analysis:
Framing was a cinematic technique used effectively in the film. Close-ups were used in the film to emphasize the importance of an object. For example, the close up to the origami on the floor in the final scene was foreshadowed by the dream Deckard had with the unicorn in the forest earlier in the film. Long shots were used in the film to give the viewer a sense of entirety. For example, when Deckard was being chased by Roy, the long shot showed the whole room and it really showed the distance between Deckard and Roy during the chase, and it gives an effect of thrill because we don’t know what’s going to happen. Medium shots were used to have your attention to the characters and not the backgrounds/surroundings as a mean to focus on their actions. For example, the shot where Leon is being tested, the camera is on him to show his emotions towards the questions.
Lighting is another important cinematic technique used throughout the film. Low-key lighting was used during the whole film as an effect of a darker atmosphere since it’s a dystopian future and a world overcome by pollution. High-key lighting was used in some parts of the film with a brighter atmosphere to show the importance of what is happening in that part of the film. For example, the last part where Deckard finds the origami on the floor of the apartment shows importance because it was the last of the series of origami figures and was foreshadowed by the dream he had earlier in the film. Shadow/lights were used in the film in scenes where light would point at a certain person or object to show their or its importance. For example, the light was on the origami at the end of the film.
Sets played a major role in creating the ambiance of the future world in this film. The strip club set was where Deckard found Zhora, where she worked as a stripper, it was a very bright place with lots of flashing lights. The test room set was a very empty room with a table and the eye examination equipment, and was used to test “people” to distinguish if they are replicants or humans. It was a very different place because it was a video inside the film. The eye examining machine was used as a prop in the film to obtain information from the individuals taking the test to distinguish whether they are replicants or humans. The eyes were important because eyes are the key to the soul and it was the only way to differ a replicant from a human.
Diegetic sounds, such as the excruciating cracking the audience hears when Roy breaks Deckard’s fingers had a painful feeling for the audience. Non-diegetic sounds weren’t used in the film, except for the end title music because it made the film more interesting. Soundtracks with slow and weak sense of pulse were used throughout the film to give a strong ambient quality to the music.
The last cinematic technique used in the film was the use of costumes. Deckard wore a long beige coat to identify himself as a blade runner. Rachel wore wide-shouldered and waist tapered suits in the film. This was a very classy look back then. Roy wore lots of black and gray scale clothes. Black creates an impression of size and since Roy is a physical model, it emphasizes his strength.
During the film, the question, “What does it mean to be human?” is raised. For example, we assume Deckard is human, but in the scene at the end of the film, he finds the unicorn origami that was left by Gaff. Previously Deckard had a daydream about a unicorn running through the forest. So if Deckard was a replicant, Gaff would have been able to access his dreams. Deckard shows very little emotions compared him to Rachael, where she shows more emotions than he does, which really gets you wondering if he is really a human.
Another question we can ask in this film is “how did the replicants interact with each other compared to the humans?” The replicants seem to interact very similar to how humans would however they also seem to have a hatred towards them and can harm them. Humans have the same interactions with the replicants and want to kill all remaining replicants.
Word Count: 879 words
Review:
Given the time period (1980’s) in which the movie was produced, the quality of the film is quite advanced and appealing as it depicts an instance of how artificial intelligence would integrate in a futuristic society. The strengths seen in the movie are obviously the cinematic effects, mainly the special effects, such as flying cars manoeuvring throughout the city, as they bring the story to life and immerse the viewer in a movie that is part of the science fictional canon. Blade Runner also is set in the future (2019), however maintained a sense of relatability and reality, which helped raise questions and emphasized themes regarding the role of A.I. in everyday life and the consequences involved with this concept. This is seen through the betrayal of Roy, by killing his creator, Eldon Tyrell. While there were many strengths seen within the film, there were also weaknesses. The overall acting was the most noticeable instance, as it was bland to be quite honest, which made the dialogue between characters and fight scenes boring and hard to follow. Harrison Ford had the same expression for most of the movie, in contrast to Sean Young, who played her character Rachel perfectly (curious, emotional and adventurous). Ironically, one would think that Ford was actually playing a replicant instead of Young. Rutger Hauer, Joe Turkel and William Sanderson’s style of acting belonged in a 1940’s movie rather than a movie set in the future, as the way in which they spoke in Blade Runner sounded like the way people did in that time period. While one may argue that this is the way that people, like Rick Deckard, would talk or behave due to the sensory and emotional deprivation incorporated within that society, it became detrimental to the overall quality of the movie.
Rating: 4 stars
Connections:
In addition to the cinematic significance the movie holds, there are also connections found between itself and the course material. For example, the use of robots and their roles in society are questioned. The Nexus 6 robots sent to the new colony are used as slave to build and serve humans on their fresh start at life on Mars, which can relate to how robots today are being used to manufacture goods or how social robots integrate themselves in society (e.g. helping the elderly). In a more specific case, focusing on sex robots, humans seem to be establish ambivalent or even genuine relationships with their sex robots because they feel more connected to them than actual humans. This is also seen in Blade Runner as Rick falls in love with Rachel, despite hating the Nexus 6 race and hunting them for his job.
Furthermore, the uncanny valley is explored, as robots in Blade Runner are so advanced in terms of physicality, intelligence and consciousness, that they are indistinguishable from humans unless given the Voight-Kampff test (which questions their empathy and is the loophole in their programming along with their short life spans). In today’s society, the uncanny valley has not been resolved yet, since the technology used to create robots is not advanced enough, thus the robots are distinguishable despite their resemblance to humans. In Blade Runner,however, the Replicants have made it to the other side of the uncanny valley as the only way to distinguish them from a human is via Voight-Kampff test.
Finally, a self-aware self can represent itself. It is the subject of experience but can also be the object of its experience. It can reflect. It can introspect. It knows it exists. It is an “I” with symbols of an “I”. Basically, it can represent its own consciousness and is discussed often when questioning non-human animals, such as dolphins, for example. The same question is raised and demonstrated by the A.I. throughout Blade Runner. The robots who returned from Mars show that they are self-aware as they recognize their own identities and existence, and are on the same level of humans in terms of sentience, consciousness and self-awareness. For instance, Roy returns to Earth with the other A.I. to learn how to extend his lifespan, which demonstrates that he is aware of his own physical limits of being a Nexus 6 model. He also demonstrates a sense of morality, when he saves Rick from slipping off of a building to his death during the eleventh hour. Interestingly his level of morality surpasses that of humans in the movie.
Questions:
- Imagine if these replicants can replicate/reproduce with other replicants and/or humans, what would be the impact on society?
2. In the film Pris said “I think, therefore I am” (Which are the words of Descartes that we learnt in class). Do you agree with Pris that in order for a replicant to be considered a conscious person, they have to be able to think? Or do you disagree?
3. Would you like to have a friend replicant? Would you want it to be able to do things on its own or control it?
Links in relation to Blade Runner:
Should we grant a robot the status of personhood?
This website has covered a robot that has been able to think for itself to an extent but is on the way to being completely self-aware. Personhood is a tricky subject, on one hand there are people who are all for granting robots personhood and on the other there are people who think of them solely as machines and will never think of them in any other way. In the Blade Runner movie, the replicants are in search for more life and to live among society.
2. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/12/give-robots-personhood-status-eu-committee-argues
Should we be developing A.I. that might become self-aware and can think for itself? This website will cover The European Union is even discussing whether or not robots should be granted rights and personhood.
Works Cited
Scott, Ridley, director. Blade Runner. Warner Bros., 1982.
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