Movie Information – Intro
The movie Blade Runner was released in 1982 by The Ladd Company in association with Sir Run Run Shaw thru Warner Bros. Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Thelma and Louise, Gladiator and American Gangster). Hampton Fancher and David Peoples (12 Monkeys) did the screenplay and finally there was the producer Michael Deelay. These are just a few among others which where the crew behind what is one of the greatest movies of all time.
The making of Blade Runner
The movie Blade Runner is loosely based upon the book Do androids dream of electric sheep written by Philip K. Dick. The book is sometimes refered to as DADOES and it all started 13 years before the movie even has it’s premiere. It all started as early as 1969. One year after the publication of Do androids dream of electric sheep, Martin Scorsese expressed his interest in making a movie based on Dick’s book. Scorsese never got the chance though, instead Herb Jaffe got the option and by 1973 Jaffe completed a script which is said to have horrified Philip K. Dick. It was in other words “complete rubbish”.
The year is now 1977 and Jaffe gives up. The path was now free for former actor Hampton Fancher to give it a try. Hampton Together with Brian Kelly approached the British producer Michael Deeley whom turned them down twice because he thought it would be too hard to transform Dick’s written story into a movie. They proved him wrong when Fancher returned with a good enough script. Deeley was now hooked and their script called “The Android” was given the green light.
The film script went thru a lot of changes, the script also changed names alot, Mechanismo and Dangerous Days where some of the titles, at one time the Director Ridley Scott wanted to use the tile Gotham City but Bob Kane, creator of Batman refused giving Scott the permission to use it. Finally Scott decided to use the title Blade Runner which comes from a book written by William S. Burroughs, Blade Runner – A movie. Burroughs gave Scott the permission to use the title Blade Runner.
While Deeley shopped around for possible backers and money sources Fancher worked on several screenplays, each one leaving Philip K. Dick’s original story and concept more and more. This was something that Dick disliked and he thought that Hollywood had raped his story. Blade Runner is very far from being completely faithful to the book it is based upon but at least it is intellectually and spiritually true to its core.
A lot of things from Do androids dream of electric sheep is missing. But a lot of things are still there. It’s difficult to believe that the final movie would be better if it where more true to the book it’s based upon. Both the book and the movie leaves alot to the audience to think about. What Philip K. Dick wanted his readers to think after they’ve finished reading Do androids dream of electric sheep should be the same thing the audience is thinking after they’ve seen Blade Runner.
If you fight evil, you become evil.
Is it right to kill something that doesn’t know that it isn’t alive ?.
If something has the will to keep going, is it right to shut it down ?.
If something is self conscious, isn’t it a form of life ?.
The movie making turns into “T-shirt war”
Shooting the movie was very tough on everyone involved. Ridley Scott is said to be the kind of director that want everything to be made his way (After all.. He is the director, so why not). Most of the filming was made by night and Ridley was not afraid to shout “Cut” and do a re-take of the same scene with something in the background moved just a little bit closer to the camera. Ridley was almost obsessed, It is said that he wanted to be involved with every aspect of filming and he could spend hours lining up shots. Everything had to be exactly on their marks.
By the closing of filming one set dresser, a prop man, one camera crew and a special effects team had walked out in protest. Some people on the set had printed up T-shirts with the text “Yes, Guv’nor – MY ASS” on the front and on the back it either said “You sore with eagles when you fly with turkeys” or “Will Rogers never meet Ridley Scott” and it didn’t take long before many on the crew started to wear them. Soon afterwards Ridley Scott together with Michael Deeley and some others printed up their own T-shirts with the text “Xenophobia Sucks”. This was a way of letting out steam and emotions.
Not everyone on set was unhappy. Darryl Hannah said that she knew that people had their differences but she tried to stay out of all and enjoy it, which she did. One must understand that not only the crew had a hard time. Harrison Ford had some problems with Ridley, Ford was exhausted with being beaten up by replicants and having Ridley calling for second takes. It’s now well known that “Blade Runner” is not one of Ford’s favorite movies and even though we fan’s love it, it’s not hard to understand if Ford has many bad memories from making it.
Ridley Scott also had a hard time with the companies that financed everything. He had to answer all their questions. Why the movie went over budget very early on and why the movie was behind schedule.
Philip K. Dick died shortly before the movie was finished, but he had the chance to watch Ridley Scott’s vision of the future. After being shown footage of Blade Runner his comment was
This is not like anything we have seen before… It isn’t like anything that has ever been made
The rest is history..
The Story
It is no traditional “Sci-Fi” movie about big space ships, intergalactic battles or aliens. The story takes place on earth, in Los Angeles where it’s in the year 2019 is a dark and dangerous future. A place which the rich and healthy since long has moved away from, Earth (or at least Los Angeles) is damaged environmentally and not longer a good place to to live in.
This is a possible future when we today can produce human and animal clones from DNA and when some parts of this world already are damaged for good. Who knows what the future of mankind might be..
A former cop named Deckard [Harrison Ford] who used to work on the “Bladerunner-Unit” is re-recruited to track down four “Replicants” (Bio-genetically engineered beings, very similar to humans) which where supposed to be used at the”Off World’s” as slaves and to please their owners, do all the dangerous and dirty work. The “Off-World” are colonies located at other planets where man can start a new life.
Four Replicants has mutinied on a transportat ship on it’s way to a slave colony which purpose is to build a off world colony where humans can start all over.
The four “Replicants” are now heading back to earth and it’s now up to Deckard to hunt down each and everyone of the replicants since they are dangerous and have at least the same strength and intelligence as their masters. Since they are like any other “living being” they have a fail-safe device built-in. They only have a four year lifespan.
Now Deckard has to find and track them down before they become a problem.
Different Versions
There are six known different versions of Blade Runner.
- The work print
- Screened only three times. (1982, 1990 and 1991)
- The San Diego Sneak Preview
- Shown once in San Diego, May 1982
- The Domestic Cut
- The original 1982 American theatrical version
- The International Cut
- Length: 117 Minutes
- The 1982 European/Asian theatrical version
- Used for American homevideo, laser disc and Cable TV screenings
- The happy ending
- The voice over
- The Most common version that people have seen
- The Directors Cut
- Length: 117 Minutes
- Released theatrically in 1992
- Released for homevideo in 1993
- By many rated as the best version to see
- The Broadcast Version
- Shown in cable TV in US. CBS Television network aired it February 8, 1986
- Blade Runner – The Final cut
- Length: 117 minutes
- Contains never before seen scenes
- Fixed minor & major errors
- Limited run in Cinemas
- Available on DVD as a Two-Disc Special Edition
- Also Avaiable on DVD in the Four-Disc Collectors Edition (with 3 other cuts, documenturies and more)
- Also Available in a special 5 Disc Blade Runner Ultimate Collectors Edition (Includes 3 other cuts + workrkprint and in a special package filled with alot of extras)
- Also available on HD DVD and BlueRay
Release Dates
Blade Runner
- USA 25 June 1982
- Sweden 10 September 1982
- France 15 September 1982
- Finland 1 October 1982
- West Germany 14 October 1982
Blade Runner – Directors Cut
- Portugal February 1993 (Fantasporto film festival)
- Argentina 18 February 1993
Blade Runner – The Final Cut
- USA October 5 2007 (Limited theatrical run)
- Sweden November 22 2007 (Special Screening @ Stockholm Filmfestival)
Did you know… (Useless facts)
Did you know that Dustin Hoffman was Ridley Scott’s original first choice to play Deckard.
The snake Zhora has where the actress Joanna Cassiy’s own private pet, a Burmese python named “Darling”.
The cigarettes that Rachael smokes during the Voight Kampf test are French and the brand is “Boyard”. The same brand is also smoked by Pris and Holden during the movie.
The number that Deckard dials when he calls Rachael when he visits Taffey Lewis are 555-7583 and the call costs $1.25
When JF Sebastian and Pris first meet, Pris runs into JF’s van, and the actress Daryl Hannah chipped her elbow in eight places.
In the script dated December 22, 1980 then The Tyrell Corporation was called “The Nekko Corporation”
In the shooting script, Zhora isn’t killed by Deckard’s bullets, instead she runs in front of a bus and dies.
The “Animoid Row” set costed over 1 million dollars to build.
Deckards Apartment number is 9732.
Leon’s address is 1187 Hunterwaser, Yukon Hotel.
The alcoholic beverage Deckard gets before Leon attacks him are called “Tsing-Tao”
Blade Runner are the most used movie that artists like to take samples from, read more at The Top Sample Lists
Awards and nominations
Blade Runner was actually nominated for two Oscar awards in 1982. Vangelis, who made the moody and wonderful music used in Blade Runner won an Oscar in the “Best Music, Original Score” category for his “Chariots of fire” theme in 1981.
Oscar Nominations, 1982
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Linda DeScenna, Lawrence G. Paull, David L. Snyder
( Winner of the Best Art Direction-Set Decoration Oscar:
Stuart Craig, Robert W. Laing, Michael Seirton for their work on the movie Gandhi )
Best Effects, Visual Effects
David Dryer, Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich
( Winner of the Best Effects, Visual Effects Oscar:
Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Muren, Kenneth Smith for their work on the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial )
Other awards and nominations
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
1982 – Jordan Cronenweth Won LAFCA Award “Best Cinematography”
Golden Globes
1983 – Vangelis Nominated Golden Globe Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Hugo Awards
1983 – Won Hugo Best Dramatic Presentation
National Film Preservation Board, USA
1993 – National Film Registry