Blade Runner Final Cut - It’s the Unicorn!!!

Okay, excellent…now, WHEN is it going to hit the streets? And how much is it going to set us back???

wow! sweet.
i’ll empty the briefcase and take it to work with me =).

Case:

The unofficial date mentioned by Ridley and Warner Brothers is late September early October. It will be shown at the Venice Film Festival, end of August, so hopefully that means it will be running in theaters here mid-September. A trailer should be on the ‘300′ DVD when that’s released, I believe in August. The list price for this package was posted as $199 Australian Dollars when it was leaked on an Australian website, I believe that’s about $150 US. I personally could live without the case and other tchotchkes they’re throwing in to bump up the price. I would expect them to release a disc-only set for about $75, as that was the initial price of the Alien Quadrilogy set, and this is being designed by the same group.

Freaking Sweet!

Oh SFAM, there’s a typo: “Deckherd” should be ‘Deckard’.

Scott himself stated that Deckerd was a replicant.. If you watch the movie it’s bloody obvious, I don’t see why there is such a debate about it. The movie flat out TELLS you he’s a skinjob.

Hey Dipshit, yes, Scott absolutely did state this, many times in fact. However, the original story from Dick does not have this, nor did most of the cast members including Harrison Ford ever hear that Deckard was supposed to be a replicant. So yes, Scott most certainly believes this, but the question is really whether he believed it at the time of filming or came to this notion afterwards (hence the modifications in the DC version).

[…] …that long-awaited Blade Runner release is coming, a veritable festival of Replicant goodness. […]

http://www.tyrell-corporation.pp.se/

If you look in the News Archive for May 2007 there is a rare (and brief) interview with Harrison Ford discussing his role, and how he felt Deckard was to be human.

Fun factoid, some believe PK Dick named our lead character as a pun on Descartes… of Cogito Ergo Sum; “I think therefore I am” fame.

Also, Ridley Scott’s interviews tend to shift around a bit when it comes to truth. After ALIEN was released, he was adamant for years that a scene with Dallas trapped in an alien egg was never shot. And look what happened with that…

[…] Final Cut… June 19th, 2007 Seriously…this is how you do a set for a movie like Blade Runner.  I am sooo glad I never caved and bought the one currently […]

This is how limited editions should be made. Now to look for a easy bank to rob…

DID JERRY PERENCHIO HAVE THE RIGHTS TO THIS FILM?

I am interested in the music. Has anyone heard when the music score will be released for the Blade Runner Final Cut?

F. Reyes
freyes1948@yahoo.com

I remember when I was but a kid of about 12 years old sneeking in to the cinema with my Dad and seeing Blade Runer for the first time. Wow. Has to be one of my favourite sci fi films without a doubt.

I remember reading an interview with Rutger Hauer in an old Starburst magazine saying that on the original shoot they shot footage [never seen before, by me anyway] of the replicants killing humans on a far off planet and escaping to Earth.

Does anyone recall this… and is it in the Final Cut? If there is such a thing, cos I still have’nt seen the bloody ad!

I’ll probably splash out for this full-blown briefcase edition. Didn’t buy the Matrix ‘cube’ nor the Alien xeno-head. But I might just have to treat myself to this package.

On Ridley and his thoughts on Deckard’s replicancy:

An early draft of the Fancher script ended the film with Deckard’s hand beginning to clench up à la Roy Batty. It was meant to end the film on a slightly existential note, and wasn’t supposed to be a full-blown suggestion that Deckard was a replicant. Ridley, however, became infatuated with this idea. His earlier cut of the film that screened with test audiences had the implication that Deckard was a replicant. Studio didn’t like this (neither did Harrison Ford, who stated that he disagreed with Deckard’s replicancy on the grounds that he felt audiences needed a human protagonist with which to empathise), and he recut the thing.

In 1991, when approached to do his director’s cut after the accidental workprint showing at the Farefax, Ridley was pushed for time (he was making Thelma & Louise at the time). As such, he felt he wouldn’t be able to get everything done that he wanted to, but he felt that the most important alteration was the re-inclusion of the unicorn sequence. He essentially said to the studio: “No unicorn, no director’s cut”. The studio eventually agreed.

The original unicorn reverie scene, that didn’t make either the theatrical or international cuts, actually played out a little longer than what we see in the DC. Deckard originally picks up a photograph, swivels around on his piano chair, and continues to look at the picture. Throughout these motions, the unicorn flashes up a few times. Eventually, Deckard blinks the images away and gets up to go to the Esper…and that’s the last you see of the unicorn until the film’s end.

So you know, Deckard being a replicant was actually something Ridley had been inspired to do during the pre-production process. Harrison and the producers wanted to play it safe (i.e. keeping the protagonist human), which was why Ridley didn’t really disclose the full extent of his motives to many people (one of the few he did disclose it to was editor Terry Rawlings). However, the unicorn scenes were planned in pre-production, shot at Pinewood Studios, and was inserted by the director’s imperative into the director’s cut as a top priority. In Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, the character of Deckard is a replicant.

PS
I almost don’t know what I’m looking forward to the most - the FC or the WP.

Fixed, and thanks for the overview, Max314 - that’s pretty cool.

BTW, you should get the Matrix cube.

Thanks, and you’re most welcome.

About the Matrix cube…I just might One of the holders has come kinda loose inside the cover for the first Matrix and Revisited DVDs, so I may repurchase it in cube form for the sake of it being a collector’s item.

PS
How’s it been hanging, man? We haven’t talked for a while! Where you been at since RT?

PPS
If you have time, would you mind properly italicising the words “Matrix” and “Alien” in my post above, as well as remove the erroneous italicisation after “Thelma & Louise”, but remember to retain it for “Blade Runner” near the end. Only if you’ve got time, though, coz I know it’s a bit of a stupid anal request…it’s just that bad formatting is like nails on a chalkboard for me

Hi Max314, unless I turn on this special plugin, the blogs use HTML instead of BB scripting, which means you would use “em” for italics inside of the greater-than/less than symbols.

But yeah, long time no see. Things are doing well here - what you up to these days? I got sick of RT (especially the management), and don’t hang out there very much. I’m usually either here or at Icine. Really though, as successful as this site is, I’m ending up having less and less time to spend at Icine.

Ah, thanks very much

So, what have I been up to…?

Well, I kinda fled from one particular Matrix forum where I got my head bitten off for insisting that Neo’s real world powers were a result of wireless technology present inside Neo’s cybernetically enhanced body. One can only take so much flaming from the “no, Neo can do miracles because Neo is JESUS!!!” crew before you say “screw you guys, I’m off”. Which was a bit of a shame, coz there were also some really nice people there. It’s always the nasty few, ain’t it?

RT is going okay. I know you’re probably a little disillusioned with it, but there’s this wierd family vibe there. Yeah, there are some kooks there, but they’re mostly good fun.

Ya know, I signed up to Icine totally forgot about it! A mistake I’m gonna have to rectify…

Anyway, all the best, man. Gotta make sure to keep in touch.

Wireless technology, ey? I’ll have to think about that.

And yeah, that’s pretty much the issue with most Matrix discussions - there’s always a nasty few - both the trolls and then on the other side, “my way is the answer, you idiot!” type posters.

[…] again, jiggity jig” is from Blade Runner, which is 25 years old this month and has a rather impressive looking 5-disc DVD version, re-cut once more, just on the […]

Hello, a few months ago I mentioned to you good folks at ‘ Cyberpunk ‘ about submitting or forwarding an illustration in which I’ve produced for the long awaited masterpiece ‘ Blade Runner: The Final Cut ‘. Now it’s fully colored and I’d be honoured to forward you the ( colored version ) Blade Runner: The Final Cut. Is there anyway I can?

Hi Hal, yes, I remember. Sfam@cyberpunkreview.com. I’m on vacation right now, so its possible I won’t get it online till next week though (hopefully this isn’t a problem - I have very intermittent access right now).

Not a problem - I’ll forward the ‘ Blade Runner: The Final Cut ‘ colored illustration to you next week. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

[…] don’t know how I’m going to afford this, but I’m glad it’s finally happening. Published by Branden July 3rd, […]

Man, I hope this comes out on a dual layer disk BD. If it’s just that in a bluray box, then I’ll shell out for the DVD for all the swag inside it.

I hope SYD MEAD will get properly credited for his part this time. More than Ridley he created the world and visuals of Blade Runner. I recommend his book Kronoteko for anyone interested in the true master of cyberpunk.

hope this img tag will work (syd mead):

To mik: Actually Douglas Trumbull probably gets less credit than Syd Mead, although I do agree Syd does gets ignored to some degree. Ridley did Alien and BR… Trumbull did Blade Runner, Close Encounters, Star Trek TMP, 2001 to name his best. So many high end talents were involved in this, including the least recognized Jordan Cronenworth for his cinematography… it’s hard to mention everyone in a sentence.

I heard there were two versions coming out. Is this the first of two or second of two? (ie Is there a version coming out after this one in the near future?) With everything it has, this would seem to be the version to get, however, I don’t want to lay down bank if it’s not going to be. I ask, because I heard from friends, but I have not been in the loop, so I would like to make sure. Any help would be grateful.

Thanks much.

I hope there is an BluRay/HDDVD version as well. This movie deserves better than DVD.

There will be separate DVD, BluRay, and HD-DVD formats to purchase of the whole 5 disc set. They remastered the 1992 Director’s Cut and released it last fall, and that cleaned up version is one of the 5 discs. That’s probably what you’d consider the “first” version of this release, this is the “final” “definitive” complete motherlode. Just a matter of choosing which format, which could be potentially problematic.

Okay, cool. I’m not really interested in anything but regular DVD version myself. So this is the version to buy. Thanks much!

I’ve forwarded the Blade Runner movie poster to you, I hope you like it. Thanks and take care.

Hi SFAM,
Just curious if you’ve received the Blade Runner image that I forwarded you. Email me if you have - if not, I’ll forward the BR ASAP. Thanks.

[…] the other night I spent about half-hour just reading this site on cyberpunk. One of the posts by the site-owner in the archive mentioned something interesting. He/She said all […]

I’ve heard directors say that they’re lucky if the final film is even 25% of what they imagined it.

Conceptuals and imagination is one thing. But actually executing it and making it a tangible on-screen reality is entirely another.

It was Ridley’s tireless dedication and savvy at hiring the best talents (Syd Mead included, as well as the likes of Moebius) that made Blade Runner what it is.

______________________________________________________________________

QUESTION 1:
Is there an official date yet, or is it still just “FALL 2007″?

QUESTION 2:

QUESTION 2:
How the heck are they gonna fit three different versions of the film onto one disc…? Are there gonna have to be compromises on quality?

@max

Read the previous replies, date and DVD format are discussed. Moebius wasn’t hired for the production, his illustrations to Dan O’Bannon’s The Long Tomorrow heavilly influenced the film. I do agree both casting and staff choices made a serious impact on the quality of the film.

Final prices are set: The five-disc Blade Runner set is $78.92 and four-disc is $34.99. Blu-ray and HD DVD versions of the five-disc configuration also will be available day and date.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6461120.html

There is at least one thing to look forward to that has made me thankful that I decided to keep enduring in this life, the final cut of the greatest sci-fi movie ever. I’ll have to hit the gym again if I decide to be Roy Batty for Halloween like I did in ‘92 (got benefits that night! thanks Scott!) to coincide with The Director’s Cut. (Only) God IS good.

Well, I agree with many that this movie has influenced cinema dramatically and every cyberpunk movie since. This movie as influenced my life in a profound way. I was throughly impressive by the movie and then I went back and dug up the book that it was based on , “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” by Philip K. Dick, and from there and it has just taken on a life of it’s own. Check this out to see for yourself http://www.illsheep.com

http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=65403

Blade Runner: The Final Cut will be included in three stunning DVD editions: a Two-Disc Special Edition (at $20.97 SRP), a Four-disc Collector’s Edition ($34.99 SRP) and the Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition ($78.92 SRP) in Collectible “Deckard Briefcase” packaging. Warner Home Video will unveil on DVD December 18th in the U.S.

A showcase theatrical run is also being planned for New York and Los Angeles October 5.

Why is the Unicorn on the cover of the DVD box set not the same as Gaff’s Unicorn in the Movie? Also if the Origami Unicorn included in the set doesn’t look like the one in the movie, what the point of having it included?

Your thoughts?

Klaw:

Yeah, I know Moebius wasn’t actually hired by the BR team (sloppy speed typing error on my part, sorry), but Ridley has cited his work as a definite influence on the look of the movie.

And great news about the disc set! Christmas can’t come soon enough…

if deckard is a replicant doesn’t that take away from the final batty scene? it means he saved deckard not b/c he realized his own humanity but b/c he was just saving another replicant.

The one i’ve been waiting for… finally is almost here… best. film. ever.

Bless Ridley Scott for giving us what we wanted.

Matt

Does anyone know if a Blu-ray or HD DVD version will be available for purchase around the same time the regular DVD is released?

There’s both DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-ray logos at the end of the Final Cut trailer.
Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_hYs1jBy8Y

I recently pre-ordered the five disk Blu-ray set on Amazon for just under 70.00 USD! It’s gonna be a long four months waiting for it to arrive on my doorstep… it’ll be the best xmas ever!

I for one am sooooooooooo thankful for these new discs, especially my favourite “original” voiceover print, some say ford didn’t want to do the voiceover, i for one am so happy he did, it makes the film, forget the unicorn bulls**t and watch a cinema classic,….the best film ever made, and god bless ALL involved for bringing this to us. Let us thank our “lucky stars”.

You know, I too enjoyed the voice over but many people say they hate it. I am not sure why. Could someone elaborate? I have always felt it gave a gritty true crime feeling to the theatrical release and tied in the style of mixing futuristic concepts with conventions from the 1940’s (clothes, decor and what not) Did I miss something?

Jess

no jess you got the point exactly…what goes around comes around, in life and film, don’t pay too much attention what “other” people like, it’s what you like that matters, i only know that there’s a chunk of my credit card waiting to pay for it ! bang the voiceover on the home cinema, plus a bottle of scotch,….and wouldn’t it be nice if i could find a glass the same as deckard used….anybody any ideas where i can purchase one ? jim.

Jim: http://www.brmovie.com/Collect/BR_Col_Glasses.htm

Jess: I happen to like the original voiceover too, it adds a film noir feel to it. People have come to hate it for various incorrect reasons (Ridley never wanted it which is untrue, and Harrison hated it, also untrue) but they were changed last minute by the producers whom many feel altered the film dramatically with other changes such as the “happy ending”. I do like the DC without it as you can hear more ambient sounds, and it becomes more emersive an experience. Overall, there’s information in the voiceover neccesary to the narrative. I hope a voiceover track is included as a secondary audio track on the Final Cut, which would be a nice option.

Has anyone researched what information we would not know about Blade Runner without the voiceover? I can think of a few right now…

1. Deckerd was married “cold fish”
2. Gaff was looking for a promotion
3. Deckerd retired because he was sick of killing

and so on…

What others do you know?

What Gaff’s name was… what cityspeak was… why replicants liked photos… that Rachel had no termination date… what Deckard’s response to Roy’s death was…

spot on kenny and klaw !!! looks like the “voiceover” fans have found theirs !!

Well it’s odd, I’d say 95% of people I talk to in the real world love the voiceover… on the internets, voiceover fans are a minority, or at least the fans of the unofficial “director’s cut” not-made-by-the-director are more vocal.

BR is a great movie. Now if someone could get Ridley to do a remake of Soylent Green, I think that would be pretty cool.

hey klaw ! sorted !!! that is so happiness inducing !! i will be in contact with the manufacturer, was it the large or small chunky glass ? the small i think ? in time for christmas eh ! now then where can i hide a bottle of j.w. till then ? main cheers man ! jim. hey also FIG JAM ,.. you are so right, this film cries to be updated …..in a MUCH more sinister way, good call…….big problem is who will take THE part, poor chuck has altzheimers…god bless his soul ( anyone intending to re-make BEN HUR and EL CID ?…. DON’T…..THEY ARE CINEMA CLASSICS !!! LEAVE THEM ALONE !! IF LOGANS RUN WAS REMADE BY RIDLEY SCOTT/JAMES CAMERON, IN A DARK MOOD, that film will REALLY become the classic it should have been, GOD BLESS ALL ! JIM.

Its about fucking time . Ive been waiting for twenty years !!!!

hey ray,….and so say all of us !! thing is, what do you do with the wife/girlfriend/blow up doll, when it actually comes to watching your favourite version ( voiceover! ), 1) send them shopping with a guaranteed return time ( phone off the hook of course ) 2)headphones to the cinema amp/tv……sorry darlin /love…never heard you pounding on the door window..cause i had my headphones on ) 3) drink water, and get her drunk really early, then put her to bed ! 4) tell her you are disciplining her and she has to remain handcuffed to the toilet till the film ends…………no, bad idea really, when all the jack daniels filters through, you’ll have to piss past her,…… best take a bucket into the room you are viewing from….GET THE BASIC IDEA ! NO INTERFERENCE WHEN YOU ARE WATCHING THE FILM YOU WANT…………….course theres always the fact that she may like the film as much as you…and theres always a hand to hold when rutger is stalking you……but i wouldn’t put it past hearing “this is boring, why can’t we watch FRIENDS “………hooooonk !..back to stage 1) may i take this opportunity to wish a quick safe return from iraq for all uk and us troops from everywhere, GOD BLESS THE WEST.

I refuse to sleep with *any* woman who’s not already squeeling over the fact that we’re finally getting a super-touched-up-mega-five-disc-version of Blade Rjunner!
A man needs principles…

http://bladerunnerthemovie.warnerbros.com/

[…] milestone. Rest assured, that list will be online within hours of the December 18 release of the much-anticipated 5-DVD set. But I can tell you that Blade Runner, the movie that defined the cyberpunk look long […]

[…] The re-release will feature the original theatrical cut as well as the new “final cut”; numerous special features and documentaries including Channel 4’s spectacular 2000 documentary On The Edge Of Blade Runner. CyberpunkPreview.com takes a look at the packaging and artwork, and lists a disc-by-disc breakdown of the new release&#82…. […]

Director’s Cut and first Blade Runner are the same film with two different endings, it’s just that, both films are incredible with their own ending.One is closer to Philip K Dick and the other is closer to Ridley Scott.

Just like everyone else I can’t wait to see the Final Cut. However, in the meantime I am working on a project to help bring together fans of Blader Runner and the cyberpunk genre. I am also trying to meet the need for high quality limited edition clothing. Our clothes are comfortable, detail oriented, and made for the unique tastes of cyberpunk fans. New designs coming soon….

[…] brand new documentary about the movie - Dangerous Days. More info on the DVD can be found here and here. Also, Wired did an interview with Ridley Scott recently and it’s a pretty good […]

I am waiting for the Blade Runner Final Cut a lot.
I can not wait at last that moment when I can take in hands this small suitcase with movie…

Oh come on guys…I’ve been hearing this argument since 1982. If Ridley Scott had intended for Deckard to be a replicant; Tyrell would have provided Bladerunners who were stronger and faster than Batty and Leon. After all he was supposed to be a new Nexus 7 right?
The unicorn that Gaff left in the hallway was about Rachel.
Let Deckard stay a medicated and emotionally inept human; I like seeing the contrast of his bumbling humanity with a razor sharp Batty, who discovers in himself a very human trait…that of having compassion for another living human being.

I agree Robert… the Nexus 7 concept is fairly nonsensical. Besides, Tyrell stated clearly, memories were implanted in replicants to give them a sense of comfort and stability… essentially to control them and prevent them from rebelling. Why would you implant a false memory of a mythological creature as a means of control, and a girly creature at that? It would only confound and confuse a replicant, one carrying a gun. Makes no sense, and Ridley’s never fully explained it and rabid fans of the Director’s Cut will do backflips in convoluted logic to downplay it but it’s always been a major flaw to me. I can live without the voiceover, but the inclusion of the unicorn is a huge gaff, so to speak.

I agree Klaw…I suppose one can reluctantly accept the idea that Deckard was deep in thought about Rachel and his own mortality, hence the unicorn dream…however a poor explanation that may be. I still can do without the unicorn…it looks like leftover ‘Legend’ footage anyway.

The 5 disc set it coming out on 12/18 and the retail price will be $78.92.

That’s MSRP, actual price will be closer to about $55. For DVD. For some reason the 5 disc bluray and hd sets are priced at $29 on Amazon.

Robert B & Klaw are right. There are not enough clues to suggest Deckard is a replicant. The whole film works on having Deckard as a weak human. Those that claim the film suggests Deckard is a replicant are caught up in their own “insiders view” of the movie- a disconnect from the what we can reasonably understand from the scenes.

The inclusion of the Director’s Cut unicorn is especially annoying in that it detracts from the piano & theme music interplay that occurs during the Rachel/Deckard piano scene. It breaks the mood at this particular point in my view.

Ideally I would like to see two versions of the Bladerunner Movie. An Original Release version with voiceovers and the correct audio from Abdul Ben Hassan’s shop + the Director’s Cut Version without the voiceovers and WITHOUT the damn unicorn !

Well, I must tell you that I loved the first 1982 voice off version, but I just loved the director cut’s one. It gives us more understanding about Deck’s nature (an ambiguous one…). Meaning, I think Dick slightly introduces this matter in his book (replicant officer who Deckard meets, that didn’t know about it, and had memory implants, such as a non existing police station). Deckard, to me, is a different replicant, maybe a Nexus 7 (just like Rachel is). They are experiences with no lifetime program. Their point is: will they become more human than human (Tyrell theory)? Anyone agree with me?…

I absolutely agree with Scuba in that I would have preferred a remake of the theatrical cut cleaned up with the voiceovers originally intended (written by David Peoples, not the ones used)… and a Director’s Cut sans fairy tale creatures.

The unicorn was something Ridley filmed very late in the game that the writers didn’t know anything about. It isn’t from Legend but the fact it was filmed on the same set roughly 18 month apart just is… well sad. It smacks of bad fantasy bleeding into good sci fi. I hate Legend btw.

You bring up an interesting point for Deckard being a replicant with his ambiguous past mentioned in the book. Except that at that time…Harrison Ford was one of the hottest leading men in the industry and it’s natural that Ridley would have wanted him in this film not to turn him into a robot, but to give him a more complex role that provided an eccentric yet human element to this film. Do you notice all the main human characters in the story are a bit strange? Based on all the arguments I’ve heard; If Deckard is a replicant then couldn’t they all pass for replicants? But notice that Rachel is the latest model and she’s almost perfect…so Tyrell wasn’t really making them too human was he?
Also, if Deckard had been a Nexus 7; wouldn’t the Tyrell Corporation have “made” a replicant that truly was equipped to deal with problem replicants? A Delta Force type police replicant that was faster, smarter, focused and ruthless? Instead we see a retired and burned out human cop who drinks more often that he eats and is reacting to the hunt more than leading it. He looks very human to me.

I have to agree with you in many things you say Robert, but then again, there are some other aspects to be considered… For example, in the movie it is known that “6″ replicants have escaped to earth (one was killed), which leads us to this, if we have Pris, Zhora, Leon and Roy, who is the fifth??? And this question comes even from the first version of the movie… Another thing is Deck’s bright red eyes in some scenes… Anyone saw this, or would like to say something about this? I’m in Portugal, and I don’t know yet if there will be a portuguese edition of the BR Special Edition Briefcase with all material and 5 discs… Anyone got a clue??? Help! I’d like to have it with portuguese subtitles…

Hey Carly Girl; again I see your point. Originally the film script included 6 replicants but they cut one out for the sake of time. If Deckard had been one of those six even he would have known that and would not have agreed to kill his fellow reps. The light in the eyes was intended for Rachel…but if it made film viewers wonder about Deckard why not? And there is never any talk about Gaff finishing Deckard off…as unstable as he was no sane replicant hunter unit would have let him live. Also, in earlier versions of the script they had Deckard and rachel escaping to some mountain cabin…where she then takes her own life. Again, no talk of Deckard being a replicant and killing himself too.
You still haven’t answered my questions posed to you earlier. : )

I played the BladeRunner game a while ago, and during the game, the bladerunner sees his own mirror image in a window when the spaceship was crashed containing the Nexus runners. Ok, this is nothing to do with the BladeRunner movie, but it gives a little hint about the truth of some BladeRunners. In the game, some BladeRunners were replicants themselves…

Ok Robert. I’ll “answer” your earlier questions. In my latest net researchs, I’ve found plenty of interesting stuff to discuss. About 5th rep, you’re absolutely right. Deck’s not the one (it was Mary). But what stroke me the most was the rumour that Scott had filmed a scene just after Roy kills Tyrell, where the police are investigating the crime scene and they discover a back room with his real corpse in a cryogen coffin… And also, after Leon shoots Holden, there’s a deleated scene where we can see that Holden has a kind of a metal implant in his back… As well as Roy Batty’s scream when he’s saving Deckard in the roof saying “Kinship!”. I’m tempted to think almost all of them were replicants (or cyborgs, half human, half machine, like Holden and Deckard?). Maybe reps took over the means of their own production…What do u say?

Carly and Robert… I suggest you both read Future Noir by Paul Sammon. It’s the definitive inside making of book… with all the details of the scripts, etc.

Carly, as for languages, unfortunately it doesn’t look like there is a Portugese Disk set planned. Subtitles listed are English Spanish German Pole Norwegian Danish Swedish Finnish from http://www.tyrell-corporation.pp.se/

Alright, Klaw.That’s what I’ll do (read Paul Sammons’s Future Noir). I was actually willing to buy it anyway… Now a different thing, I’ve seen an image of the Australian new 5 DVD Edition and… I was surprised with the “Eye” cover (first image of the movie), very different from all the other editions! I just loved it!!! As for the subtitles… Thanks for your help, Klaw. Well, I guess I’ll manage with the English ones (sometimes they make real bad translations anyway…). About the “supposed” deleated scene of Holden’s piece of metal implant in his back (when he falls dead over the typing machine),I must tell you that I got this information from a BR discussion forum “Off-World City Speak” where a guy remembers viewing it in a local theater, in the eighties. Although he and his friends confirm it, he says they don’t understand why it is NOT mencioned in Future Noir (or elsewhere)…

Alright, Klaw.That’s what I’ll do (read Paul Sammons’s Future Noir). I was actually willing to buy it anyway… Now a different thing, I’ve seen an image of the Australian new 5 DVD Edition and… I was surprised with the “Eye” cover (first image of the movie), very different from all the other editions! I just loved it!!! As for the subtitles… Thanks for your help, Klaw. Well, I guess I’ll manage with the English ones (sometimes they make real bad translations anyway…). About the “supposed” deleated scene of Holden’s piece of metal implant in his back (when he falls dead over the typing machine),I must tell you that I got this information from a BR discussion forum “Off-World City Speak” where a guy remembers viewing it in a local theater, in the eighties. Although he and his friends confirm it, he says they don’t understand why it is NOT mencioned in Future Noir (or elsewhere)…

That’s a very interesting point (you’re sharp). But if Holden and Deckard were replicants I still say that they should have been more advanced (faster with better senses and reflexes) than the Nexus 6 versions. Holden should have been faster than Leon…though I did notice that he did look like Deckard a bit. Also, when Deckard takes a shot at Roy at Sebastian’s apartment…he would not have missed. Holden and Deckard definitely are more human than the replicants…I suppose your argument could work if Ridley just wanted to make the movie more interesting and pull a Hitchcock or Twilight Zone kind of ending.
If replicants were manufacturing themselves they would be getting better, not worse. Do you actually create a depressed replicant with a slight drinking problem? When you’re desperately trying to fix an embarrasing situation?
Your theory about deleted scenes is interesting but I don’t really know how much of that was filmed…I have a copy of the script and it’s not in there.
Your thoughts?

I had forgotten about that, you’re right.
I played the game when it came out. That certainly made it a little more intriguing.

Also Carly girl…why would Holden have a metal implant on his back if he’s more advanced? Batty didn’t and Deckard didn’t seem to.

Well Robert, maybe Deck and Holden were made by Tyrell for specific proposes (in any case not suspecting that they were reps…). So, Tyrell could have made these kind of replicants, to serve the police (BRunners) or to serve Tyrell himself and his Corp. (like Rachel) being weaker than the Nexus 6 so that they wouldn’t suspect anything (if they were made much “advanced” they would start being suspicious…). About Holden’s possible metal implant, he could have been injured in some fight before and had already been “fixed”…But pal, these are only thoughts and I’m really willing to buy “Future Noir”… Anyway it’s always nice to talk about this wonderful BR universe. Has anybody seen the Final Cut in a theatre? I wish… Now I’m trying to know if there will be a Portuguese edition of BR Ultimate with the 5 discs before Christmas!!! Your thoughts?

Yeah I guess I take issue with the “Blade Runner Replicant” because it is very Twilight Zone… although the idea of replicants manufacturing themselves is something similar to the book, with the separate replicant police force. That has more of a body snatchers feel to it, and was somewhat arbitrary, not unlike P.K.’s writing at times.

I saw it 2 weeks ago… quite amazing on screen… the audio has been done incredibly well, sounds move dynamically in surround sound. Visually beautiful as always, but much much sharper, looks absolutely brand new.

Klaw, I must ask you this… Is there in the Final Cut a scene, after Leon’s shot, where Holden falls over the typing machine (and we can see through the smoke he’s got a metal implant in his back?). Now I must confess that in my latest review of the voice over version (an old cassette!), there is a creapy scene which I’ve never noticed before (I got to check, but it must be in the DC too). When Pris and Roy are talking to Sebastian at his place, we can see in a brief second, a strange toy at the left corner, like a dummy model, which moves its head suddenlly! Very creapy!!! Has somebody seen this and felt like me? And also, are we able to see Sebastian’s UNICORN TOY among the others at his table? Can’t wait for December! I’ve asked a friend to pre-order the Ultimate 5 discs in London, as I’m in Portugal (I won’t have the briefcase, origami and spinner but at least I’ll have the metal tin box with all the other important stuff!). Comments?

Not to bitch too much, but I really wish this had been spoiler-free.

I was 7 when I first saw Blade Runner in 1982 and gave it a half-hearted viewing @ 15 during a party; I was looking forward to really *watching* it this time, but now I feel I may have been told of a twist ending that I don’t remember. I may be wrong, though - like I said, I don’t remember much.

Anyway, IMHO, reviews should always take into account that EVERY movie - no matter how old or popular they get - has fans-to-be who don’t want to read a spoiler.

The way I look at it, Deckard is a replicant according to the DC. I don’t know how much of this holds up to “fact”, but here are my explanations:

1) Deckard is not stronger or faster because he needs to believe he is human. He has to be weaker, but still a Blade Runner (who are, essentially, weaker humans killing stronger androids). If he was stronger, it would confuse him more than a unicorn in his memory.
2) The VO about Rachel having no death date is part of the happy ending. Gaff saying she won’t live makes more sense when we understand he is talking about not just her, but Deckard himself.
3) The memories come from one person, not out of a box. Twice mentioned “Tyrell’s neice” supports this. Thus, Deckard gets memories, including a unicorn, from one person.
4) Deckard is surrounded by photos, on his piano - everywhere. That is a singularly replicant trait in the movie.
Here’s where it get’s interesting. Gaff knows Deckard’s thoughts. Origamis represent a different speak - “you’re chicken”, “you’re attracted to her”, and probably “I know you - deeply” or something. How does he know this? Bacause Deckard is modelled on Gaff. He has Gaff’s memories, and I am guessing part of that is to make him a good Blade Runner. Gaff’s a good Blade Runner but he can’t hunt the Nexu(ii?) 6. ‘Cause he has a cane - and thus useless physically, but his head in a replicant’s body = new Blade Runner with no training! Sort of like “I Know Kung Fu”.
Gaff can’t kill Deckard. Not because he’s a clone, but because he’s an alternative Gaff, both a son and doppelganger. Gaff sees this and lets “himself” run away with the one “he” loves - for whatever good it will do them, what with their accelerated decrepitude and all.

I got more, but that’s the brief version.

Well, I agree with you in most part of your thoughts, but let me ask you one thing:if Gaff was Deckard’s model, how come does he have, in first place, that strange memory of the unicorn? If Gaff is human, what kind of memory is that???

Nice one Carly Girl.
Angshuman; you’ve given this a lot of thought but I’m not convinced. When you are in charge of keeping your society safe from homicidal replicants who slaughtered a shuttle full of people, you don’t send a “weak” android because you’re afraid he might suspect he’s more than human; you send in overwhelming force to make this embarrasing problem go away. Androids were illegal on earth; and even the police force had to abide by the law. Hence my original argument that Deckard never was a replicant. This film only works because Deckard, Bryant, Sebastian and Chew are very human.

Robert, let me ask you this: according to your vision, shouldn’t Deckard be stronger anyway? I don’t think that with the skills he shows up, he could ever be part of that “overwhelming force”!… Deckard is weak, he’s always kicked up. So, why the hell sending a weak blade runner to do the job? The answer is simple, my friend. Because they didn’t care if he got injured or killed, he was a rep! They could manufacture lots of Deckards afterwards… And I’m confused about the fact of Bryant having so many pictures on his desk (lamp). Maybe that police force is like the one of Dick’s book… a fake one, meaning, a “rep” one!… Ah, ah (now I’m a bit joking)

Deckard is not as weak as you think; but he is human, like all of us. Remember Bryant saying that he was the best? “I need ya, Deck. This is a bad one, the worst yet. I need the old blade runner, I need your magic.”
Deckard was very good at his job; they didn’t send him there to fail…they were desperate because they had just lost Holden, their lead Bladerunner and Investigator in this case. And they brought a cynical and burned out Deckard out of retirement who consumed more alcohol than food (get the picture?).
If you’re argument is true; then why didn’t they just make another Holden to do the job? Why keep him hooked up to life support? When they could have just downloaded his memories to a new Holden and dropped him off at a street corner?
These Bladerunners were not replicants…not Gaff, not Holden and not Deckard. Haven’t you seen movies where the hero stays alive by the skin of his teeth or by sheer luck? We happily accept those outcomes in other movies and yet we’re trying to read so much into this one.
Harrison Ford was hired because he’s a popular film action hero…and in this 1940’s noir detective story he stumbles through doing as much “real” detective work as he did “real” archeology in Raiders of the Lost Ark (there’s only so much time in a movie). If Ridley really wanted him to be a replicant he would have given this film more of a twilight zone ending…maybe where you see a “new” Holden and Deckard having some asian food…that would have made me wonder. Also, I think the way they dispose of a good Bladerunner like Holden is less plausible…to believe that Leon actually got through security with a gun the size of a frying pan. And sure, he looks a little like Deckard; but I think that was meant to confuse us and keep us off balance just the way Deckard is beautifully off balance throughout the film.
One more thing; don’t you think with such advanced technology they could have had locators built into the replicants so they could find them within minutes? But then we wouldn’t have had this great story.
But that discussion is for another day.

And Holden is a replicant with Bryant’s memories I guess… no factual evidence in the film to support any of these wild speculations but it’s fun to think about.

Deckard is weak… so he’s definitely a replicant meant to look exactly like a human for the express purpose of fooling him alone.

Deckard is strong… enough to free climb a building in the rain with two broken fingers.

The movie really isn’t about Deckard since he’s not really the hero… It’s about Batty… Deckard is a foil, and in that case it’s more interesting a film if he is human, or a the very least… the conversation be diverted off Deckard because there is no way to know other than Ridley attempted to make him a replicant but not very successfully. A unicorn daydream is hardly masculine or interesting as a “sign” of his replicant nature, and the “twist ending” is as tacked on and abrupt (meaning un-artistic) as is the much balley-hooed original ending. A film with Noir intentions and engaging moody atmosphere that veers into cheap “fooled ya” M. Night Shyamalan gimmickry just doesn’t cut it for me.

“You’ve done a man’s job”.

What does that tell you?

Cheers

Eco

That tells me that in spite of the odds; against superhuman replicants, Deckard finished the mission. Actually, Batty let him finish the mission.

deckard… or decartes… seems to be a machine………

For anyone looking to purchase Gaff’s Origami Unicorn I found this Site! I got one on my fireplace mantle!!!!!

bladerunnerunicorn.com

About the unicorn - this is my guess. Phillip K. Dick’s book title “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” suggests that androids (replicant) can only dream about things that aren’t real, or that are as real as them. Because an android is not fully human, it can’t dream like people. Regarding Deckard, he dreams about a unicorn which is fictional and not real, and this points to or hints at him being an android. Gaff knows this and left the unicorn origami to prove it. I still haven’t read the book but I really want to.

Superb write-up, well crafted I must say.

the best movie of all!