Analysis: Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner (1982) Ridley Scott

Overall, Blade Runner was fifty fifty for me. Reason being that; I enjoy good detective drama films but Blade Runner was too sci-fi for me. Therefore, it's safe to assume that the film is targeted at cyberpunk audiences with considerable interest in sci-fi films. For me, the message the film is trying to give is to make the audience ask themselves what it is to be human. This being shown from the behaviour the replicants show (particularly Rachael) when being told that their memories are artificially manufactured and thus if they are in fact living or mechanical.

With visual storytelling, I noticed that Deckard is mostly in the shadows compared to Batty during their final confrontation. 

My analysis of this is that something about Deckard is hidden that is clearly visible in Batty. Whilst it was later confirmed by Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford that Deckard was in fact a replicant, these scenes imply that it's not exactly clear whether he is; whereas Batty is plainly lit in sight of being a replicant in his final moments before 'retirement'.

Another use of visual components involves the almost constant contrasting of tone. The nearly the entire film's setting is at night and there are constant flashing spotlights in every window or on any character or point of interest. 

With this constant use of the technique chiaroscuro lighting that Ridley Scott has used, there is almost constant contrast of tone throughout the film. This may be to show the consistent conflict between man and replicant as the spotlight is like a search like hunting the shadows. Simultaneously, so much contrast of tone creates elements of affinity with the characters; meaning that replicants blend in so well with humans, it's hard to know who is a replicant and who isn't. 

This is evident with Rachael. She doesn't want to believe she is a replicant but through most intimate scenes with Deckard, there is contrast of tone and chiaroscuro lighting creates the dilemma of her wanting to admit her feelings for Deckard; whilst knowing she is a replicant with limited time on the clock. 

However, the moments that Deckard and Rachael share that are supposedly 'human' moments (emotional and empathetic); like when he explains about the piano music and when they kiss by the blinds. Both of them are lit equally.

These moments imply that despite their physical differences, love is real and not artificial. And so, there is no difference between humans and replicants when it comes to this. These moments are also  when Deckard is lit at his brightest. Again, this may mean that whether he may be a replicant or not, his feelings for Rachael are undeniably real and this pushes through the layers of his character stronger than anything else.

Other visual components used include shapes; or rather physical objects. Through the course of the film, Gaff makes three origami figures: a chicken, a man with an erection and a unicorn:

Correlating with the events in the scenes they appear, the chicken is a visual symbol to Deckard's initial cowardly approach in turning down the job of hunting down rogue replicants, the man with the erection is a sign towards the fact that Gaff knows that Deckard is growing attracted to Rachael; despite the fact he knows she's a replicant. The unicorn however has multiple meanings.

 One interpretation is that Deckard should live his dream (a unicorn he dreamt about) and run away with Rachel and live in hiding. Another may be that Gaff knew about Deckard's unicorn dream as he saw it from artificial memories; implying that Gaff knows Deckard is a replicant and that he'll one day come and hunt him and Rachael down.

In my opinion, I believe that Gaff put the unicorn out for Deckard to find because it's a symbol of something that is in myth and doesn't last forever. The implications in reality is that life is short and we shouldn't kid ourselves about it; we need to live life to the full before our time runs out.

Following up the unicorn symbolism, the visual subtext implied with the origami is that a unicorn is the one creature that was unwilling to go on Noah's ark in The Old Testament. They then faced extinction by means of the flood. In the context of the film, Deckard and Rachael are like the unicorn, they choose to live on the run away from the police; with the risk of being killed along the way.

Another example of visual subtext in the film is the setting. Originally in the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by  Philip K. Dick (the novel the film is based on), the setting is in a post apocalyptic San Francisco. However, Ridley Scott decided to set the film in a Chinese based community. The subtext here is that during the same year the film was released (1982), China had officially announced that it's population had reached over a billion people. Obviously the demographics implied the risk of population control; which may also be hinted to by means of retiring the minorities in the film; the replicants.

Concluding this. Blade Runner is a film that for me shows the implications of the subtext and also the number of sub plots within the story. However from personal interest of genres, it's not a film I would get hyped about; purely because of the intense sci-fi element.