' X-NEWS: spcvxb alt.video.laserdisc: 319 T Relay-Version: VMS News - V6.1B7+SPC1,2 05/22/93 VAX/VMS V5.5-2; site spcvxb.spc.eduj Path: spcvxb!uunet!uchinews!linac!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!cass.ma02.bull.com!petra!chamonix.ma30.bull.com!rmc Newsgroups: alt.video.laserdisc 4 Subject: Blade Runner FAQ (was: BR director's cut Q)5 Message-ID: <1993May28.135225@chamonix.ma30.bull.com> 4 From: rmc@chamonix.ma30.bull.com (Robert M. Carosso)# Date: Fri, 28 May 1993 17:52:25 GMT 8 Reply-To: rmc@chamonix.ma30.bull.com (Robert M. Carosso)/ Sender: news@petra.ma30.bull.com (Network News) 4 References: <C7qto1.x8@da_vinci.it.uswc.uswest.com> 0 Organization: Bull Worldwide Information Systems Lines: 1460   7 nicolas@stam.nl (Nico Veenkamp) was kind enough to send : me the Blade Runner FAQ.  I am posting it here, because it< answers the questions that have been bouncing around in this thread.  Enjoy.   $ Archive-Name: movies/bladerunner-faq Version: 1.2 (March 1993)   O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------   -                                  BLADE RUNNER   6                            Frequently Asked Questions   O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------   M Compiled by Murray Chapman (muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au), from sources too numerous to   mention.  Thank-you one and all.    +                                INTRODUCTION +                                ------------   O The movie "Blade Runner" is one of the internet's most talked about movies.  In O an attempt to stop the same questions being asked and answered every few months & or so, I present the Blade Runner FAQ.  F This list will be posted monthly to: alt.cult-movies, rec.arts.movies,N alt.cyberpunk, rec.arts.sf.movies, news.answers, rec.answers, and alt.answers.9 and rec.answers as soon as I can sort out a few problems.   M The followup field is set to alt.cult-movies, because it is the most relevant ' newsgroup for Blade Runner discussions.   O This, and MANY other FAQs are available for anonymous FTP wherever news.answers  is archived, for example:   D         rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/movies/bladerunner-faq         ftp.uu.net:/usenet   Sites in Europe include:         nic.switch.ch          cnam.cnam.fr         ftp.win.tue.nl   also:   G         ftp.u.washington.edu:/public/alt.cyberpunk/FAQS/BladeRunner.FAQ 5         nic.funet.fi:/pub/culture/tv+film/BladeRunner   D Suggestions welcome for all areas, especially those marked with []s.  5                           This FAQ contains spoilers.   O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------   )                                  CONTENTS )                                  --------   )                 1.  What is Blade Runner? -                 2.  What book is it based on? 1                 3.  Is the sound track available? (                 4.  What are replicants?,                 5.  Who/what is <so-and-so>?8                 6.  I don't like the voice-overs/ending.F                 7.  What different versions of Blade Runner are there?$                 8.  Memorable Quotes<                 9.  What is the significance of the unicorn??                 10. What is the significance of the chess game? ,                 11. Problems in Blade RunnerE                 12. Trivia / What makes Blade Runner popular/special? *                 13. More questions/answers+                 14. Is Deckard a replicant?   O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------    1. WHAT IS BLADE RUNNER?  J Blade Runner (BR) is a science-fiction film starring Harrison Ford, RutgerN Hauer, Sean Young, and Daryl Hannah.  Although it was a box-office failure, itO has become perhaps the definitive cult movie, and is one of the few films which I remain faithful to the ideals of 20th century science fiction literature.   J Blade Runner was directed by Ridley Scott, and features music by Vangelis.    
 Plot Synopsis 
 -------------    Preamble from movie:  /           Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL ,         CORPORATION advanced Robot evolution1         into the NEXUS phase -- a being virtually 4         identical to a human -- known as replicants..           The NEXUS 6 Replicants were superior3         in strength and agility, and at least equal 1         in intelligence, to the genetic engineers          who created them. +           Replicants were used Off-world as 5         slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and &         colonization of other planets.,           After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS 6+         combat team in an Off-world colony, (         Replicants were declared illegal+         on earth -- under penalty of death. /           Special police squads -- BLADE RUNNER 2         UNITS -- had orders to shoot to kill, upon.         detection, any trespassing Replicants.  (           This was not called execution.#           It was called retirement.                        LOS ANGELES                 NOVEMBER, 2019     I A number of replicants have made it to Earth, and ex-Blade Runner Deckard 0 (Harrison Ford) is convinced to track them down.        O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------  2. WHAT BOOK IS IT BASED ON?  G Blade Runner is LOOSELY based on a Philip K. Dick novella, "Do Androids H Dream of Electric Sheep" (DADoES). Dick also wrote the story that _TotalK Recall_ was based on, "We Can Remember It For You, Wholesale".  A recurring H theme in Dick's work is the question of personal and human identity.   AK question explored more in DADoES and _Total Recall_ than in Blade Runner is  "what is reality?"  N At the most, one can say that the movie borrowed a concept and some characters from the book.  K You are most likely to find DADoES in a second-hand bookstore.  It has been F re-released as: "Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?)."  B The title comes from Alan E. Nourse, who wrote a story called "The
 Bladerunner". M William S. Burroughs took the book and wrote "Bladerunner (A Movie)" in 1979. O Rights to the title only ("in perpetuity throughout the universe") were sold to M Ridley Scott.  Similarities between Nourse's "The Bladerunner" and Scott's BR F are in name only.  Nourse's title refers to people who deliver medical< instruments to outlaw doctors who can't obtain them legally.' [Source: Locus, September 1992 (p. 76)]         O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------   3. IS THE SOUND TRACK AVAILABLE?  N The original movie soundtrack has never been officially released, although the1 credits claim it is available on Polydor records.   L There is an album called the "Blade Runner Soundtrack" (WEA 1982), but it isI NOT the music from the movie, rather it is an orchestral arrangement.  It  contains the following tracks:  7                 Love Theme                       (4:12) 7                 Main Title                       (5:01) 7                 One More Kiss, Dear              (4:00) 7                 Memories Of Green                (4:50) 7                 End Title                        (4:17) 7                 Blade Runner Blues               (4:38) 7                 Farewell                         (3:10) 7                 Love Theme                       (4:12)       ; Vangelis released an album called "Themes", which contains:   7                 End Titles from "BLADERUNNER"    (4:57) 7                 Love Theme from "BLADERUNNER"    (4:55) 7                 Memories of Green                (5:42)   O "Memories of Green" was originally released on Vangelis' album "See You Later".   N Vangelis' 1979 album "VANGELIS: Opera Sauvage" contains some tracks similar to those used in Blade Runner.   H There are recurring but unsubstatiated rumors that a few LPs of the real= soundtrack were sold in Europe.  (Cassette only, France only)   O Scott used the orchestrated version of "Memories of Green" in his film _Someone  to Watch Over Me_     7 The Japanese vocals associated with the Blimp are from:   E         "Japan: Traditional Vocal and Instrumental Music, Shakuhachi, -          Biwa, Koto, Shamisen" [compact disc]:  *          - performed by Ensemble Nipponia K          - 1976, Electra Asylum Nonesuch Records/Warner Communications Inc.e  I         The lyrics are part of a Japanese epic about the tragic and utter.+         destruction of one clan by another.R    M Gail Laughton's "Harps of the Ancient Temples" is used as the bicyclists passm3 by Leon and Batty on their way to Chew's Eye World.r% [Anybody know how to get this music?]     O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------w 4. WHAT ARE REPLICANTS?C  O The following definitions appear in the BR script, the Marvel Comics adaptations& of the film, but not the movie itself:  @ _android_       (an'droid) adj.  Possessing human features -n.  B                 A synthetic man created from biological materials.>                 Also called humanoid.  (Late Greek androeides,)                 manlike:  ANDR(O) - OID.)3  =                                         THE AMERICAN HERITAGE-A                                         DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISHE7                                         LANGUAGE (1976)n    @ _android_       (an'droid) n, Gk.  humanoid automation.  more at@                 robot./  1.  early version utilized for work too;                 boring, dangerous or unpleasant for humans. A                 2.  second generation bio-engineered.  Electronic A                 relay units and positronic brains.  Used in space @                 to explore inhospitable environments.  3.  thirdA                 generation synthogenetic.  REPLICANT, constructedrB                 of skin/flesh culture.  Selected enogenic transferB                 conversion.  Capable of self perpetuating thought.A                 Paraphysical abilities.  Developed for emigrationw                 program.  <                                         WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY@                                         New International (2012)    L Replicants are manufactured organisms designed to carry out work too boring,% dangerous, or distasteful for humans.p  K The new "NEXUS 6" replicants are nearly indistinguishable from humans.  (An K early draft of the script contained an autopsy scene, in which the surgeons O were unaware that the body they were examining was a replicant, until two hoursn into the procedure.)  J Replicants differ from humans in one important factor: they are lacking inN empathy.  In BR, replicants' eyes glow, however Ridley Scott has stressed thatG this is merely a cinematic technique, and the glow can't be seen by the-. characters in the story, only by the audience.  L A test, called the "Voight-Kampff Test" (VK) is administered to determine ifB the subject is a human by trying to elicit an empathetic response.  J NEXUS 6 (and possibly all other) replicants are manufactured by the TyrellJ Corporation, although there is evidence that third party manufacturers areO utilized.  (Chew's Eye World).  Replicants can endure greater pain than humans,eJ and are generally physically superior.  NEXUS 6 replicants have a in-built1 fail-safe mechanism, namely a four year lifespan.   O It was noticed that replicants had eccentricities because they were emotionallytM immature.  Rachael was a NEXUS 6 replicant with experimental memory implants, N designed to provide a cushion for her emotions.  Consequently, she was unaware that she was a replicant.e        O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. WHO/WHAT IS <SO-AND-SO>?-    0 "BLADE RUNNER" GLOSSARY (from the 1982 Presskit)0 ------------------------------------------------  E BLADE RUNNER -- The nickname given to those police detectives who arehC specially trained in the use of the Voight-Kampff machine and whoseuD specific function is to track down and eliminate any replicants thatE manage to escape into human society and attempt to pass as real humand? beings.  The official name of the Blade Runner division is Rep-t Detect.   C REPLICANT -- A genetically engineered creature composed entirely of E organic substance.  Animal replicants (animoids) were developed first C for use as pets and beasts of burden after most real animals becamea> extinct.  Later, humanoid replicants were created for military@ purposes and for the exploration and colonization of space.  TheE Tyrell Corp. recently introduced the Nexus 6, the supreme replicant -a@ - much stronger and faster than, and virtually indistinguishableE from, real human beings.  Earth law forbids replicants on the planet, B except in the huge industrial complex where they are created.  TheD law does not consider replicants human and therefore accords them no rights nor protection.  < ESPER -- A high-density computer with a very powerful three-D dimensional resolution capacity and a cryogenic cooling system.  TheE police cars and Deckard's apartment contain small models which can ben> channeled into the large one at police headquarters.  This bigD apparatus is a well-worn, retro-fitted part of the furniture.  AmongB many functions, the Esper can analyze and enlarge photos, enabling3 investigators to search a room without being there..  B VOIGHT-KAMPFF MACHINE -- A very advanced form of lie detector that< measures contractions of the iris muscle and the presence ofE invisible airborne particles emitted from the body.  The bellows were B designed for the latter function and give the machine the menacingE air of a sinister insect.  The V-K is used primarily by blade runnersrC to determine if a suspect is truly human by measuring the degree oft< his empathic response through carefully worded questions and statements.   A SPINNER -- The generic term for all flying cars in use around theoD year 2020.  Only specially authorized people and police are licensedA to operate these remarkable vehicles, which are capable of street B driving, vertical lift-off, hovering and high-speed cruising.  The< Spinner is powered by three engines -- conventional internal! combustion, jet and anti-gravity.a       Behind the Sceneso -----------------r  E RIDLEY SCOTT: Director.  A veteran television commercial maker, ScottuE consistently makes quality movies.  His feature-film credits include: E The Duellists, Alien, Blade Runner, Someone to Watch Over Me, Legend, E Black Rain, Thelma and Louise, 1492.  Ridley's brother Tony is also arG director, and his film credits include Top Gun, The Last Boy Scout, and  Days of Thunder.    O MICHAEL DEELEY: Producer.  Acadamy Award winner for producing "The Deer Hunter"O    N SYD MEAD: Visual Futurist: Syd Mead suggested using the term "visual futurist"N for his credit in the Blade Runner movie.  (As he is not a union/guild member,6 he could not use credits such as "creative designer".)  F He has been co-sponsoring an International Student Design Competition  with Sony since 1989.i   Some of his works are:  ( California Pavilion, Seville Expo (1992)/ Future Terminal, for Japan Railways East (1990) ( Club Car, for Japan Railways East (1990)D Dr. Jeekans [This is futuristic cafe/video arcade in Tokyo.]  (1990)= Office for the Future, for Okamura Furniture Co, Japan (1989) ) Club House (Tokyo Bayside Project) (1989)  Tron Computer (1988) San Rio Theatre (1987)# Office of the Future, for GE (1985)     J LAWRENCE G. PAULL: Production Designer.  Holds degrees in Architecture andO City Planning, his feature-film credits include: Blue Collar, Which Was Is Up?,l and The Star Spangled Girl".     DAVID SNYDER: Art director.o    M VANGELIS (Evangelos Papathanassiou): Greek Composer.  He has written numerous J movie scores, perhaps the most famous being for "Chariots of Fire".   AlsoJ wrote some of the music for the TV series "Cosmos".  Prio to writing movieI scores, Vangelis was the keyboard player of the band "Aphrodite's Child".u  7 Vangelis wrote the score for Scott's 1992 film: _1492_.r  O [I lost the discography that someone sent me... can you send it again, please?]s    H HAMPTON FANCHER, DAVID PEOPLES: Screenplay writers.  Peoples wrote Clint Eastwood's _Unforgiven_d    G JORDAN CRONENWETH: Cinematographer. (Altered States, Stop Making Sense)t    M DOUGLAS TRUMBULL: Special Effects (2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of-+ the Third Kind, Brainstorm (also directed))1    	 On Screeny	 ---------h  , DECKARD (Harrison Ford):  (Ex) Blade Runner.  @ DR ELDON TYRELL (Joe Turkel): Owner/Chairman of the Tyrell Corp,O manufacturers of replicants.  Extremely intelligent, designed the NEXUS 6 brainn  E RACHAEL (Sean Young): Prototype NEXUS 6 replicant.  Works for Tyrell.r  = ROY BATTY (Rutger Hauer):  Leader of the renegade replicants.  INCEPT DATE: 8 Jan, 2016+ FUNCTION: Combat, Colonization Defense Prog- PHYS: A                 MENT: AC  H PRIS (Daryl Hannah):  Replicant, (Bryant: "Yer standard pleasure model") INCEPT DATE: 14 Feb, 2016, FUNCTION: Military/leisure PHYS: A                MENT: B  " ZHORA (Joanna Cassidy): Replicant. INCEPT DATE: 12 June, 20161 FUNCTION: Retrained (9 Feb, 2018) Polit. Homicide  PHYS: A                MENT: B  ' LEON KOWALSKI (Brion James): Replicant.  INCEPT DATE: 10 April, 2017   FUNC: Combat/loader (Nuc. Fiss.) PHYS: A                MENT: C  O J F SEBASTIAN (William Sanderson): Genetic designer for the Tyrell Corporation. L Still on Earth because of a premature geriactricism (Methuselah's Syndrome)." Has defeated Tyrell once in chess.  O H BRYANT (M Emmett Walsh): Inspector of the Police force, Deckard's former bossu  I GAFF (Edward James Olmos):  A member of the Police Force.  Makes origami.e  2 HOLDEN (Morgan Paull): Blade Runner, shot by Leon.        O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------3' 6. I DON'T LIKE THE VOICE-OVERS/ENDING.h  E Ridley Scott made BR in a style called "film noir".  Film noir is the.N "hardboiled detective" style of story-telling, perhaps the most famous exampleO is the Humphrey Bogart movie "The Maltese Falcon" (directed by John Huston).  AoK characteristic of film noir is the voice-overs by the detective, explainingE& what he is thinking/doing at the time.  H Having said that, it is interesting to note that Ridley Scott originallyF made BR *without* the voice-overs, but due to it's poor reception whenK sneak previewed, the studio insisted that the voice-overs be added.  RidleyrH Scott has said in an interview on American television that in film noir,L voice-overs sometimes work, and sometimes don't, and they didn't work in BR.  M "(A)n extensive voice-over was added to help people relate to Harrison Ford'snK character and make following the plot easier.  (A)fter a draft by novelist- L screenwriter Darryl Ponicsan was discarded, a TV veteran named Roland KibbeeN got the job.  As finally written, the voice-over met with universal scorn fromF the filmmakers, mostly for what Scott characterized as its 'Irving theM Explainer' quality....  It sounded so tinny and ersatz that, in a curious bitoL of film folklore, many members of the team believe to this day that HarrisonI Ford, consciously or not, did an uninspired reading of it in the hopes itsO wouldn't be used.  And when co-writers Fancher and Peoples, now friends, saw itaO together, they were so afraid the other had written it that they refrained from * any negative comments until months later."8 [Source: Los Angeles Times Magazine, September 13, 1992]  K The ending of the film was also changed by the studio.  Scott wanted to endtK the film with Deckard and Rachael getting into the elevator, but the studiooJ decided that the film needed a happier, less ambiguous ending.  The aerialN landscape photography used in the theatrical release was outtakes from Stanley Kubrik's _The Shining_.-  O In 1992, Ridley Scott released a "Director's Cut" of Blade Runner (BRDC), which-K eliminates the voice-overs and the happy ending.  This version is discussedt in more detail below.a        O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------r5 7. WHAT DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF BLADE RUNNER ARE THERE?s    8 - US sneak preview, (1982, very limited release in 1991) - US theatrical release (1982)! - European/LD cut (more violence)e - Director's Cut (BRDC) (1992)  G Ridley Scott re-released the sneak preview at select movie festivals inpL 1991.  There were rumours that THIS version was the director's cut, but that did not appear until 1992.  K Hampton Fancher did eight drafts of the screenplay.  These drafts concludedaK with Deckard taking Rachael out of the city, letting her see nature for the N first time, and then, because she has only a few days to live, shooting her inN the snow.  David Peoples was brought in to polish the script, and Ridley ScottN asked him to make the plot include more clues.  Peoples worked on the humanityK of Deckard's adversaries, and in fact his daughter mentioned the biologicaltM term "replicate", which led to "replicant".  Peoples also told Scott that thep8 screenplay was virtually perfect before he worked on it.A [Source: Los Angeles Times Magazine, September 13, 1992 (p. 20).]t       Theatrical vs Sneak preview: ----------------------------A - Webster's 2012 definition of a replicant replaced with preambled - voiceovers added( - voiceover after Roy's death lengthened2   - removed eulogy and appreciation for replicants   - added philosophical musingse   LD vs Theatrical:  -----------------d - added footageeD   - Batty sticks his thumbs in Tyrell's eyes, which bleed copiously.@   - Pris lifts Deckard up by his nostrils when she beats him up.&   - Deckard shoots Pris an extra time.C   - More of Pris kicking and screaming when she is shot by Deckard.TI   - More of Roy putting the nail through his hand, in particular the handu3     with the nail popping through and then flexing.s,   - Total added footage is about 15 seconds.     BRDC vs Theatrical:- -------------------  - Dubbed footageL   - Bryant tells Deckard that there are "five skin jobs walking the street",     not six.   - Added footageaK   - Added dialog from blimp to cover missing voice-over while Deckard waitsi!     for a seat at the noodle bar.pN   - Unicorn scene when Deckard plays piano and falls asleep (about 12 seconds)   - Removed footage :   - No happy ending, movie ends with closing elevator door   - no extra violence.  F Soundtrack completely redone digitally for BRDC and is more prominent.     Cable TV --------  L When BR first appeared on American cable TV, there was an additional line ofI dialog when Bryant gives Deckard the description, names, and addresses ofrJ Tyrell and Sebastian over the radio.  In the cable TV version, Bryant addsC "...and check 'em out" after he says "I want you to go down there."c     VIDEOTAPES:t -----------   G All video tapes as of 1 January 1993 are the Not Rated version with the G extra violence that was removed from the 117 minute American theatricalm release.   [Different versions anyone?]     LASERDISCS:) -----------e  K In the NTSC markets (M/NTSC 3.58 525/60:  US and Japan), there have been up9H to four versions of Blade Runner continuously available on laserdisc for the last several years.p  * Ignoring the Japanese edition(s), we have:E * Criterion Collection CC1120L, $90, CAV, 2.2:1 letterboxed, 4 sides, F   digital stereo, CX/analog stereo, 3M pressing, extensive still-frame   supplements.  E * Criterion Collection CC1169L, $50, CLV, 2.2:1 letterboxed, 2 sides,aG   digital stereo, CX/analog stereo, Pioneer pressing, (no supplements).P  G * Embassy (Nelson Ent.) 13806, $35, CLV, 1.3:1 panned&scanned, 2 sides,fH   CX/analog stereo, Pioneer pressing, (no digital sound, no supplements)  J The Embassy LD is also available as an identical VHS release, and both are  inferior to the Criterion discs.  M The Criterion and Japanese laserdiscs correspond to this version of the film. N All other laserdiscs (Embassy & Nelson), regardless of what the jacket claims,1 are identical to the American theatrical release.y      
 PUBLICATIONS:d
 -------------   
   SCRIPTS:           Script Citys         8033 Sunset Blvd.l         PO Box 1500h         Hollywood, CA 90046          U.S.A.0         US Phone:    213-871-0707    (inquiries)2                    1-800-676-2522    (orders only)  J         - Blade Runner script early draft--7/24/80.  $24.95 plus $4.50 for           First Class shipping.   K         - Blade Runner script early draft--12/22/80.  $24.95 plus $4.50 forr           First Class shipping.n  J         - Blade Runner final script--5/10/81.  $17.00 plus $4.50 for FirstN           Class shipping.  Note that date on the cover is 23 February 1981 butK           it contains numerous changes dated as late as 16 June 1981.  This 2           is considered the final shooting script.  F         - Blade Runner Storyboards.  $16.95 plus $4.50 for First ClassL           shipping.  Note this is only the storyboards for the first half of,           the film, the set is not complete.  B If you order three or all four items, the total postage is $10.50.             Cinema Cityi         P.O. Box 1012          Muskegon, MI 49443!         US Phone:    616-722-7760N.         Blade Runner script ($55.00 + postage)       The Blade Runner Sketchbook L         - early monochrome production drawings, conceptual sketches of items$           to be found in LA in 2019.         - Parking meters         - Stop light trees         - Door keysS         - Magazine racks         - Blade Runner pistol          - VK machine  M         - sketches of Tyrell's "coffin", a cryogenic unit holding his body iniN           suspended animation until future technology can revitalize him.  HisJ           casket looked similar to cryo units onboard Discovery in Stanley*           Kubrik's _2001: A Space Odyssey_  N         - A Virtual Reality mask.  Worn over your face, a person used softwareM           disks to enjoy various moods of pleasure.  Supposedly erotic stuff.i         K         - A stage where the dancers performed.  (Like a small amphitheater)t         +         - out of print, a collector's item.a            Retrofitting Blade Runner:4   Issues in Ridley Scott's _Blade Runner_ and Philip2   K. Dick's _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_+   Judith B. Kerman, editor, 1991, 291 pages A   Bowling Green State University Press, Bowling Green, Ohio 43403d,         - detailed, scene-by-scene analysis.  G   "The Blade Cuts", Starburst (UK) no. 51, November 1982. Phil Edwards.   =   "Back To The Future", Empire (UK) issue 42 (December 1992).i            O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------e 8. MEMORABLE QUOTES.     RACHAEL:  L         "Is this testing whether I'm a replicant, or a lesbian, Mr Deckard?"     DECKARD:  H         "I've had people walk out on me before, but not when I was being          so charming."  F         "Shakes?  Me too.  I get them bad, it goes with the business/"     RACHAEL:7         "I'm not in the business... I am the business."      CHEW:w           "I design your eyes"  
 ROY BATTY:  D         "Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes!"  4         "It's not an easy thing to meet your maker."  #         "I want more life, father!"iG                 (some versions sound like: "I want more life, fucker!")b  H         "I've done . . . questionable things . . . but nothing that the ?          God of biomechanics wouldn't let you into heaven for."a  2         "Six, seven!  Go to hell or go to heaven!"  @         "You'd better get it up, or I'm gonna have to kill you!"  F         "That was irrational of you.  Not to mention unsportsmanlike."  6         "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.8          Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.H          I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.D          All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.          Time to die."     TYRELL:e+         "Milk and coockies kept you awake?"l  C         "The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long...e=          ...and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy."-     LEON:-7         "My mother... let me tell you about my mother!"N  D         "Nothing's worse than having an itch you can never scratch!"            "Wake up!  Time to die!"    
 SEBASTIAN:           "I MAKE friends."m     GAFF:e  (         "You've done a manm's job, sir!"  A         "It's too bad she won't live!  But then again, who does?"9        O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------r+ 9. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE UNICORN?f  J When Deckard leaves his apartment with Rachael at the end of the film, she< knocks over an origami unicorn, probably left there by Gaff.  L The voiceover speculates that the unicorn was simply a message to Deckard to7 say "I know you've got Rachael, but I'll let her live."y  N The unicorn is the last of a series of origami figures that Gaff uses to tauntK Deckard. In Bryant's office when Deckard insists he's retired, Gaff folds aiI chicken: "You're afraid to do it". Later he makes a man with an erection:tN "You've got the hots for her". And finally, the unicorn: "You're dreaming, youO can run away with her, but she won't live" (he says basically the same thing to  Deckard on the rooftop).  O A unicorn has long been the symbol of virginity and purity (being white), which N ties in with Rachel's status. Legend states that only a VIRGIN could capture aN unicorn.  Unicorns are extinct, and Gaff may think the same of Rachael, as she" definitely has a limited lifespan.  L A unicorn was used in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" to symbolizeH that the girl was "different to other horses".  The horn on this unicornK represented her physical handicap, which prevented her from meeting people.hJ When she finally did meet a man, they danced and knocked over the unicorn,M breaking its horn off.  "It's just like all the other horses now.", she said, F which symbolizes that she has overcome her shyness/lost her virginity.  / The unicorn may symbolize one of the following:l  L         - Rachael is (and always will be) a replicant among humans, and willO           be different, like a unicorn among horses, because of her terminationeO           date.  (In the tacked-on ending, Deckard says that she doesn't have ap           termination date)a  M         - Rachael leaving and knocking over the unicorn symbolizes her escapeiO           from the Tyrell corporation, which only looked at her as a replicant.yO           Deckard fell in love with her as a human, and by doing so, she becamed           human.  K BRDC includes a scene not in the original release.  It is a dream sequence,rK showing Deckard's dream of a white unicorn.  Given this, one can argue thateN Gaff left the unicorn outside Deckard's apartment because he knew that DeckardI dreamt of a unicorn.  If Gaff knew what Deckard was dreaming, then we canoO assume that Deckard was a replicant himself, and Gaff knew he would be dreamingo
 of a unicorn.7    ) Quoted without permission from Starburst:e) ------------------------------------------  D Scott:  ...did you see the version [of the script] with the unicorn?   McKenzie:  No...  > S:      I think the idea of the unicorn was a terrific idea...  E M:      The obvious inference is that Deckard is a replicant himself.h  L S:      Sure. To me it's entirely logical, particularly when you are doing aM         film noire, you may as well go right through with that theme, and thee@         central character could in fact be what he is chasing...  J M:      Did you actually shoot the sequence in the glade with the unicorn?  G S:      Absolutely.  It was cut into the picture, and I think it worked2I         wonderfully.  Deckard was sitting, playing the piano rather badlyeI         because he was drunk, and there's a moment where he gets absorbed K         and goes off a little at a tangent and we went into the shot of therL         unicorn plunging out of the forest.  It's not subliminal, but it's aK         brief shot.  Cut back to Deckard and there's absolutely no reactionaI         to that, and he just carries on with the scene.  That's where the L         whole idea of the character of Gaff with his origami figures -- the M         chicken and the little stick-figure man, so the origami figure of the(M         unicorn tells you that Gaff has been there.  One of the layers of thedI         film has been talking about private thoughts and memories, so howsI         would Gaff have known that a private thought of Deckard was of a  K         unicorn?  That's why Deckard shook his head like that [referring touF         Deckard nodding his head after picking up the paper unicorn]."         O Scott goes on to talk about how he decided to make the photograph of the littleeL girl with her mother come alive for a second, then later in the interview we have:   M M:      Are you disappointed that the references to Deckard being a replicantr         are no longer there?  H S:      The innuendo is still there.  Ther French get it immediately!  I0         think it's interesting that he could be.        O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------x/ 10. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CHESS GAME?o  J Sebastian's chess pieces are birds (he makes animals), Tyrell's are people (he makes "people").  I The chess game between Tyrell and Sebastian uses the conclusion of a gameiO played between Anderssen and Kieseritzky, in London in 1851. This is one of thetH most famous and brilliant games ever played, and is universally known as "The Immortal Game".  B The concept of immortality has obvious associations in the ensuing' confrontation between Tyrell and Batty.   8 The Immortal Game, in algebraic notation, is as follows:   Anderssen - Kieseritzkyt London 1851aM 1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Bc4 Qh4+ 4 Kf1 b5 5 Bxb5 Nf6 6 Nf3 Qh6 7 d3 Nh5 8 Nh4 Qg5 I 9 Nf5 c6 10 Rg1 cxb5 11 g4 Nf6 12 h4 Qg6 13 h5 Qg5 14 Qf3 Ng8 15 Bxf4 Qf6nF 16 Nc3 Bc5 17 Nd5 Qxb2 18 Bd6 Qxa1+ 19 Ke2 Bxg1 20 e5 Na6 21 Nxg7+ Kd8 22 Qf6+ Nxf6 23 Be7 Checkmate.  K Note that the chess boards in the film are not arranged as they would be if J they were following the Immortal Game, and that Sebastian's board does not match Tyrell's.:      O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------o 11. PROBLEMS IN BLADE RUNNER   Plot ----  O Why did Holden need to VK Leon, if the police already knew what he looked like?3  L Bryant first tells Deckard that there were six replicants, three male, threeM female.  Obviously, Roy and Leon are two of the males, and Pris and Zhora areeK two of the females.  Bryant also says that "one of them got fried trying to-L get into the Tyrell building", but doesn't specify the sex.  That leaves one! replicant, either male or female.w  K It has been hypothesized that Deckard was the sixth replicant, but there isv) ample evidence that this is not the case:   N Some versions of the script include "Mary" as the sixth replicant, which meansO that the one that got fried was male, and Deckard can't be the sixth replicant..  L Why is it so difficult to tell a replicant from a human, when replicants canL put their hands in boiling/freezing liquids without damage?  Surely a tissue sample would suffice?   N How did word of Rachael's escape get out so quickly, and how could Tyrell tellD that she had gone for good?  Remember that Deckard called Rachael atM home while he was still at the nightclub.  It could not have been more than aoJ couple hours before he gave chase to Zhora.  (How long could she "take theN pleasure from the serpent"?)  Was that enough time for Rachael to run away, beM gone long enough for Tyrell to call the police about a missing replicant, andt- have them tell Bryant to put Deckard onto it?p  K How did Roy get into Tyrell's office so easily?  Did Tyrell trust Sebastian I enough to give him the option of bringing anyone/anything up in the lift?   F Supposedly an earlier version of the script had the Tyrell we see as aI replicant, and Roy picking up on this because of the lift letting him in.lI (Supposedly the lift was programmed to accept only people that it knew... N meaning that it couldn't detect Roy.  This, however leads to a problem in thatB the lift would be a better replicant identifier than the VK test.)J In that version the real Tyrell was dead in a "cryocrypt", for sketches ofO which see "The Blade Runner Sketchbook". Supposedly (after Roy kills Sebastian) F he finds the crypt and kills Tyrell; this would also allude to "UBIK".    	 Technicalg	 ---------e  N Norwegian subtites translate "Sushi... my ex-wife used to call me that... cold9 fish" into "Sushi, my wife, used to call me a cold fish."   M Danish subtitles translate "off-world colonies" into "subterranean colonies".c  H Swedish subtitles spell Roy's name "Beatty", translate Deckard's license5 number from 260354 to 26354, "C-beams" to "seabeams".r  J In the very first shot of Batty, we see his hand clenching up. If you lookH carefully as he turns his hand just before the shot changes, you can seeJ the nail sticking through the back of his hand. He doesn't actually insertN that nail until later in the film (The nail is easily spotted on the Criterion CAV laserdisc).h  M [Lots of people having problems spotting this.  Can we have frame numbers???]s  J Also, in the same scene, though Roy is supposedly alone (in a phone booth)L you see someone's hand on his shoulder.  This is actually a later scene with Tyrell, shown in mirror image.  M During the VK test, Leon says "My mother... let me tell you about my mother",tI but when Deckard runs over this on his way to his apartment, Leon's voicetL says "I'll tell you about my mother!".  This may just be Scott trifling withK the audience's memory, they way that Tyrell may be trifling with Deckard's.h  J The snake tattoo on Zhora only appears after the Esper machine has stoppedO zooming, and when it produces a hard copy, Zhora's face is at a different anglecN to that on the screen.  This scene was filmed twice.  [Source: "Cinefex" No 9, 1982]h  K The serial number that the Cambodian woman gives Deckard is not the same ascK the one in the electron microscope image.  Additionally, the image is not aw) snake scale, but a female marijuana leaf.   L When Deckard goes to Ben Hassan's (the snake dealer), their lip movements doL not match the dialog.  This scene remains the same in BRDC, which means thatO Scott intended it to be there, or it was one of the sacrifices he was forced to " make in meeting the BRDC deadline.  L When Zhora goes crashing through those plate-glass windows, the stunt doubleK looks nothing like the actress, and her wounds disappear and appear severalcO times.  The sounds of the bullets hitting her doesn't correspond to when she isiM visibly hit.  Also, you can see her holding the trigger-ball and tube for theo bloodbags she is carrying.  L When Leon throws Deckard into the car window, the window was already broken.% Not necessarily a goof, but could be.   J In all versions of the film, events occur in this sequence:  Deckard killsJ Zhora, and then buys a bottle of Tsing Tao.  Gaff grabs him, and takes himD to Bryant.  Deckard then chases Rachael, but gets beaten up by Leon.  M When the film included Mary, the story ran as follows:  Deckard killed Zhora,.N and then saw Rachael.  He chased Rachael, only to be beaten up by Leon.  AfterN Rachael killed Leon, Deckard THEN bought his bottle of Tsing Tao, and met withG Bryant, who told him that there were "four to go" (Roy, Pris, Mary, andi	 Rachael).o  M When they cut Mary from the film, they had a problem:  Bryant should say thateN there were "three to go" (Roy, Pris, and Rachael).  Instead of reshooting thisM scene, they moved it (and the scene of Deckard buying Tsing Tao, because GafftO walks up to him and says "Bryant") to before Leon's death, so that the "four toaK go" would be Roy, Pris, LEON (not Mary), and Rachael.  They nearly got awaye& with this, but are now a few problems:  L         1) When Deckard is talking to Bryant, he shows wounds from his fight;            with Leon, although he hasn't had the fight yet.aK         2) Since he now buys his bottle before he fights Leon, it should beaN            there while he's chasing Rachael and fighting Leon (it's not).  TheG            bottle mysteriously reappears when he gets back to his flat. D         3) Bryant's dialog as he steps out of the spinner is dubbed.  F This error is also evident when Bryant tells Deckard at the beginning:L "I've got four skin jobs walking the streets", and then proceeds to tell himL that SIX replicants came to earth, and ONE had been fried (leaving five, not four).  O The song Rachael plays on the piano does not match the music she is looking at.   J When Pris steps out of Sebastian's elevator, her hair is dry, but when she+ is in the apartment proper, it's wet again.d  < The cuckoo clock in Sebastian's apartment strikes six twice.  K Support cables are visible whenever you see a closeup of a spinner floating J above a city street.  The cable is really visible when Gaff takes-off withM Deckard in the beginning of the movie.  There is a close-up left profile shotmM (front of spinner on left side of the screen) of a spinner rising through the-L rain, and the line is very visible.  Later when a cop floats down to DeckardK sitting in his car and asks his business, you can see the cable if you lookb closely.  2 Sebastian's and Tyrell's chess boards don't match.  M In the Deckard/Batty confrontation, after Deckard has been given his gun back N and stalks off, you can see (in letterboxed/widescreen versions) the shadow of% the cameraman and camera on the wall.p  O When Deckard has attempted to jump the chasm between the buildings, then beginsiO to fall, and Roy grabs his wrist. There is no nail through Roy's hand.  A splity9 second later, as Roy hauls him up, the nail has returned.w        O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------55 12. TRIVIA / WHAT MAKES BLADE RUNNER POPULAR/SPECIAL?5     Trivia ------  * The following characters smoke cigarettes:4 Holden, Bryant, Rachael, Pris, lady on video screen.   Deckard kills only women.h  % Pris' incept date is Valentine's Day.   K Some people claim that Holden's eyes glow after explaining to Leon that thel$ questions were written down for him.  K Gaff's origami taunts Deckard:  when Deckard tries to leave Bryant's office-K without taking the job, Gaff makes a chicken.  Gaff makes a man with a huge M erection to tease Deckard about either being attracted to Rachael, or getting3K so involved/excited by the job (when he didn't want it in the first place).rO Gaff might have felt that Deckard searching Leon's room was just "jacking off".e  > The origami evolves:  Chicken --> Man --> Unicorn (replicant?)   Eye symbolism is rampant:r"     - The eye in the opening shots     - Replicants' eyes glowl5     - Tyrell has huge glasses to make his eyes biggerzJ         - glasses like Tyrell's were used in DADoES for fallout protection"     - Eyes are used in the VK test     - Chew's Eye WorldB     - "Chew, if only you could see what I've seen with your eyes!"N     - Leon goes to stick his fingers in Deckard's eyes, just before he is shotF     - Batty plays with the glass-encased eyes in Sebastian's apartment.     - Batty sticks his thumbs in Tyrell's eyesJ     - surrounding the top of the Bradbury building are large, bright blue,-       lighted half-orbs, which resemble eyes. 4     - "I've SEEN things you people wouldn't believe"     [more?]t  H The Japanese woman taking pills on the giant screen might be a homage to Philip K Dick's book "UBIK".  M Rachael's picture comes to life momentarily, and the soundtrack has the sound  of children playing.  M Rachael's hairstyle:  as a replicant, it is perfect, rigid, machine like, anda3 cold.  As a human, it's soft, curly, and messed up.t  K The term "Blade Runner" suggests running along a thin edge (blade) one sidelL being human, the other replicant; it's a fine line between being human and a
 replicant.  F Blade Runner won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1983K (beating out E.T.).  In a poll of members of the 1992 World Science FictionnL Convention, Blade Runner was named as the third most favorite SF film of all2 time (behind Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey).  N Blade Runner was released the same month as _ET: The Extra Terrestrial_, which& might account for it's poor reception.  L Gary Numan's album "Outland" includes samples from both BR and _Aliens_.  BRK quotes include: ""...and you have burned so very brightly..", and "Quite ank experience to live in fear...".d       >From:6 BLADE RUNNER Production Notes (from the 1982 Presskit)G -----------------------------------------------------------------------mC Actors Rutger Hauer, Brion James and James Hong worked for two days"/ amid icicles at U.S. Growers Cold Storage, Inc.c  < The "Blade Runner" company also filmed at two of L.A.'s most@ beautiful architectural landmarks.  The front of the Ennis Brown? house in the Los Feliz area was designed in 1924 by Frank LloyduD Wright in a Mayan block motif.  The building, the most monumental of> Wright's western experimental work, is seen in the film as theB entrance to Harrison Ford's apartment building, a huge condominium" complex, hundreds of stories high.  A The Bradbury Building, built in 1893 and recently threatened witht? architectural corruption by municipal safety modifications, wastD preserved on film by "Blade Runner." In one scene, Ford traces HauerE to the ornate edifice for the final showdown.  In another, industrial E designer J. F. Sebastian (William J. Sanderson) discovers street waift5 Pris (Daryl Hannah) and takes her into his apartment.t   [...]s  D Other locations included the downtown Pan Am Building, where Deckard, and Gaff search Leon's hotel room for clues.G -----------------------------------------------------------------------h  O Sebastian's apartment is full of bastardised creatures, part man, part machine,m and part animal.  O There is a stuffed unicorn on Sebastian's work table (screen right, as the mice < scurry over scattered paraphernalia while Sebastian sleeps).  , Each character is associated with an animal:                   Leon = Turtle                  Roy = Dove                 Zhora = Snakee                  Rachael = Spider                 Tyrell = Owl                  Sebastian = Bear                 Pris = Raccoon5                 Deckard = Sushi (raw fish) or Unicornh  E "Ethyl methanesulfonate as an alkylating agent" is a mutagen, and thesJ subsequent debate between Batty and Tyrell correctly explores the problems& associated with changing a cell's DNA.  J When Gaff picks up Deckard, the launch sequence on the computer is exactlyK the same as in Scott's _Alien_, when the Nostromo seperates from the MotheriN ship.  When Deckard enters his apartment at the end, the background hum is the, same distinctive hum as in parts of _Alien_.  D Notice that both _Alien_ and BR have "artificial persons", and thereI is ambiguity as to who is/was a real human.  _Alien_ and BR are perfectly L compatible, the only problem being that Ash should have been a replicant, as opposed to a robot.a    " RELIGIOUS/PHILOSOPHICAL PARALLELS:" ----------------------------------  N The replicants are fallen angels (fell from the heavens/outer space), with Roy as Lucifer.   N Tyrell lives in a giant pyramid (like a Pharaoh), which looks like a cathedralM inside, whereas Sebastian lives in an abandoned apartment with a "toilet bowlt plunger" on his head.e  H Tyrell creates. He builds his creations imperfect. Once of his creationsL resents the inbuilt imperfection (since the creator had no reason apart fromG fear to inhibit his creations), and returns to the creator to undo him.   L Tyrell's huge bed, pedestaled and canopied, is modeled after the bed of Pope
 John Paul II.c   Roy:           "Fiery the angels fell,t1          Deep thunder roll'd around their shores,o(          Burning with the fires of Orc."  > This is a paraphrase of William Blake's _America: A Prophesy_:  D         "Fiery the angels rose, and as they rose deep thunder roll'dG          Around their shores: indignant burning with the fires of Orc."t    L When Roy finally confronts Tyrell, he calls him his "maker," and "the god ofI biomechanics."  In the light of the parallels this film draws between theTJ plight of the replicants and that of all human being -- four years againstK fourscore -- this scene has strange reverberations.  If Roy can condemn hissK creator for determining his life span at four years, why can we not condemn I our Creator (if we choose to believe in one) for placing us under a deathX2 sentence at birth.  Can we sit in judgment of God?  N In so far as he creates artificial life and is killed by it, Tyrell is anotherH Dr. Frankenstein; but there the similarity ends.  He is punished not forM breaking God's law, but for wronging his creations.  And Roy -- robot, child, M monster, demigod -- is not an obscenity to be returned to oblivion as soon asa  D Roy puts a nail through his palm, a symbol of Christian crucifixion.  K When Batty dies, he is released from torment as he releases the dove.  OnlyeN shot of blue sky.  (The laserdisc notes say that they couldn't get the dove to fly off into the rain.)c  N Deckard's voiceover after Roy's death muses "He wanted the answers that all ofO us wanted.  Where did we come from?  Where are we going?  How long do I have?". O According to an essay in _Retrofitting Blade Runner_, these three questions are O very similar, if ont almost exactly like those scribbled by the painter GauguinhK on the back of one of his paintings during one of his more suicidal phases.)      O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------  13. MORE QUESTIONS/ANSWERS    L This section contains some questions which cannot be answered by consideringL solely the film.  In these cases, either auxilliary material is quoted, or a  rational explanation is offered.      - Q: Whose eye is it at the start of the movie?-* A: The storyboard says that it is Holden's    9 Q: Why would the Tyrell building have ceiling fans in it?e1 A: Ceiling fans are very efficient, even in 2019.,    M Q: How did Leon smuggle his gun into room where Holden VK'd him?  And how didiO    he escape from the building, given that the whole incident was on videotape,t/    and occurred high up in the Tyrell building? H A: The 700 story Tyrell complex probably accommodates a hundred thousandL    people, many of which never leave the premises.  It should be easy to getL    lost in a crowd that size.  Add in the fact there may be other replicantsK    that look like Leon and you've got an impossible job.  Also we know thatcL    Tyrell Corp. security is not perfect because, 1) Bryant tells Deckard oneM    was fried trying to break in and the others got away, and 2) Batty gets iny    and kills Tyrell.    * Q: What does the voice from the blimp say?O A: "A new life awaits you in the Off-World colonies.  The chance to begin again L    in a golden land of opportunity and adventure. New climate, recreational I    facilities.....absolutely free.  Use your new fried as a personal bodyyO    servant or a tireless field hand--the custom tailored genetically engineeredsN    humanoid replicant designed especially for your needs.  So come on America,$    let's put our team up there...."     & Q: Why can't Tyrell afford a real owl?! A: The screenplay was written as:B      Deckard:  "It's artificial?"b      Rachael:  "Of course not."i  N    I believe this is how it was shot.  If you watch Rachael's lips when she isK    saying this, it looks like an overdub.  Hard to see except in a theater.   H    Tyrell may want to keep a replicant owl in his penthouse, the same as9    most companies have showpiece models in their offices..  I    Note further that in DADoES, the "Tyrell corporation" lied to Deckard  9    (that is, told him it was real) as an attempted bribe.     O Q: Who is the guy lying down in the photo Deckard uses in his image processor?   A: Roy?e    L Q: How did Rachael get away with killing Leon in public, when she was wantedK    dead by the police?  The police arrived pretty soon after Deckard killedt<    Zhora, so why didn't they swoop when Rachael killed Leon?G A: Deckard kills Zhora in the midst of a crowded street.  Leon picked a "    deserted alley to maul Deckard.    K Q: How can Tyrell tell Roy that "We made you to the best of our abilities",t6    when he deliberately gave him a four year lifespan?N A: What Tyrell means is: You were made as well as we dared make you because weH    can only control you for so long.  This explanation assumes Bryant isO    correct in saying the 4-year lifespan is built-in.  But it's possible TyrelloM    simply turned a problem into a benefit by claiming advantages for a 4-year-N    lifespan rather than limitations.  When Sebastian says, "There's some of meB    in you," he might well be referring to the Methuselah Syndrome.    I Q: Why are real animals so expensive if there are lots of birds living int    Sebastian's building?M A: DADoES offers an explanation: some animals are rarer than others.  Pigeonsn    will always be cheap.    L Q: Batty calls Deckard by name during the chase at the end.  How did he know    Deckard's name?L A: This is either a technical error in the film, or an indication that BattyH    knew Deckard, and Deckard doesn't remember Batty.  One theory is thatM    Deckard (and possibly Rachael) were replicants, and part of the rebellion.eL    They were caught alive entering the Tyrell building, and as an experimentI    they were retrained as an ex-Blade Runner, and a replicant who think'siO    she's a human.  The experiment was to see if a replicant could turn on othertK    replicants that he/she used to know.  This explanation is a bit weak andoM    far fetched, as it relies on the Tyrell corporation retraining Deckard buteF    not changing his name.  (Imagine if Roy had called him "Mr Smith"!)N    This makes the Deckard/Zhora confrontation more interesting: she would haveO    recognized him, and would be wondering if he was having a joke or not.  WhenoN    she realized that he was for real, she clobbered him.  This could also giveG    Bryant an excuse for getting the number of escaped replicants wrong.nN    Different versions of the script have Deckard as a well-known Blade Runner,A    so in that case it would be reasonable for Batty to know him..     I Q: Batty's incept date of January 2016 means that he should have lived toc1    January 2020. Why did he die in November 2019? M A: The margin of error on a replicant's lifetime is probably the same as thath%    of any human with a fatal disease.     : Q: How did Gaff get Deckard's gun?  Was he following them?N A: Deckard sits on the roof for a long time.  Gaff probably followed Deckard'sK    groundcar, or checked out the radio reports of Sebastian's death, walkedmD    around to piece together what happened, then found Deckard's gun.    = Q: Which companies/products have their logos appearing in BR?.M A: ANACO, Atari, Atriton, Budweiser, Bulova, Citizen, Coca-Cola, Cuisine Art,bN    Dentyne, Hilton, Jovan, JVC, Koss, Lark, Marlboro, Million Dollar Discount,I    Mon Hart, Pan Am, Polaroid, RCA, Remy, Schiltz, Shakey's Toshiba, Star :    Jewelers, TDK, The Million Dollar Movie, TWA, Wakamoto.    % Q: What is this "Blade Runner Curse"?nB A: Someone once noticed that a number of the companies whose logosI    appeared in BR had financial difficulties after the film was released.kH    Atari had 70% of the home console market in 1982, but faced losses ofM    over $2 million in the first quarter of 1991.  RCA was dismantled in 1986.iN    Bell lost it's monopoly in 1982.  Pan-Am filed for bankruptcy protection inK    1991.  It is interesting to note that the Coca-Cola company has seen thenJ    biggest growth in the last 10 years of any American company in history.9    Cusinart filed for bankruptcy protection in July 1989.     1 Q: Is there going to be a sequel to Blade Runner?eH A: Ridley Scott has said that he is interested in doing a sequel.  It isH    rumoured that he is considering Gerard Depardieu (whom he directed in     _1492_) as one of the actors.I    The general opinion on the net is that this is a bad idea:  it is rarenI    for sequels to live up to the original.  Sequels that have worked havehH    been: Aliens, The Godfather Part II/III, Terminator 2: Judgement Day,I    and The Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi.  Sequels that have nota;    worked are:  Highlander II: The Quickening, and Alien^3. M    It's interesting to note that except for _Aliens_, all of the good sequelsnN    have been made by the people who made the original, whereas the bad sequelsM    were made by a different group.  If Scott could assemble a similar crew toeA    the one he used for the original, we could have a good sequel.         O -------------------------------------------------------------------------------  14. IS DECKARD A REPLICANT?i    K This question causes the most debate among BR fans.  The different versions,L of BR support this notion to differing degrees.  One might argue that in theJ theatrical release (1982), Deckard is not a replicant, but in BRDC, he is.  M There is no definitive answer: Ridley Scott himself has stated that, althougheK he deliberately made the ending ambiguous, he also intentionally introducednO enough evidence to support the notion, and (as far as he is concerned), Deckarde is a replicant.s [Starburst]r     The "for" case --------------  K - Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford have stated that Deckard was meant to be ae   replicant:  L     Noise-free post from October 1992 Details (Discussions on Blade Runner);!     reprinted without permission:o  G         FORD: "Blade Runner was not one of my favorite films. I tangled-K         with Ridley. The biggest problem was that at the end, he wanted the H         audience to find out that Deckard was a replicant. I fought thatB         because I felt the audience needed somebody to cheer for."    M - Gaff knew that Deckard dreamt of a unicorn, therefore Gaff knew what dreams:3   that Deckard had been implanted with. (BRDC only)s  L - Replicants have a penchant for photographs, because it gives them a tie toM   their non-existent past.  Deckard's flat is packed with photos, and none ofHO   them are recent or in color.  Despite her memories, Rachael needed a photo as I   an emotional cushion.  Likewise, Deckard would need photos, despite his    memory implants.  J - Only a replicant could survive the beatings that Deckard takes, and then0   pull itself up onto the roof with two fingers.  I - Bryant's threat "..if you're not a cop, you're little people" might be  =   a allusion to Deckard being created solely for police work.o  O - Deckard's eyes glow (yellow-orange) when he tells Rachael that he wouldn't go L   after her, "but someone would".  This is hard to spot: Deckard is standing(   behind Rachael, and he's out of focus.  , - Deckard's character is much like Holden's.  O - If you listen closely in the audio dissolve during Rachael's VK test, you canrL   hear Deckard say "orange body, green legs".  How did he know that this was   significant to Rachael?r  4 - Roy knew Deckard's name, yet he was never told it.  I - Bryant got the number of escaped replicants wrong becuase he mistakenlys   counted Deckard.  N - Gaff tells him "You've done a man's job, sir!".  In the script he adds: "ButI   are you sure you are man?  It's hard to be sure who's who around here."l  I - Gaff seems to follow Deckard everywhere - he is at the scene of all thesK   Replicant retirings almost immediately.  Gaff is always with Deckard wheniH   the chief is around.  This suggests that Gaff is the real BR, and that8   Deckard is only a tool Gaff uses to do the dirty work.       The "against" case ------------------  D - A major point of the film was to show Deckard (The Common Man) theN   value of life. "What's it like to live in fear?"  If all the main charactersH   become replicants, the contrast between humans and replicants is lost.  L - Rachael was the one with an implanted unicorn dream, Deckard dreamt of the?   unicorn (BRDC) as both he and Gaff viewed Rachael's implants.o  O - Deckard's unicorn dream happened after his "incept", so there is no guarantee     that Gaff would know about it.  K - Why send a replicant to kill other replicants?  What was Deckard doing oniI   Earth, if replicants are outlawed there?  Why did the police trust him?   M - If Deckard was a replicant designed to be a Blade Runner, why did they givelL   him bad memories of the police force?  It would have suited them much more!   if he had been loyal and happy.a      O ===============================================================================a'                                   NOTESe  K This file has been primarily compiled from my own viewings of Blade Runner,oI debates on the net, and private email messages.  The contributors are toorK numerous to mention, and likewise this task would never have been completedm, had I replied to everyone that sent me mail.   Special thanks to:1                 William M. Kolb (bkolb@arinc.com) 5                 Peter Merel (pete@extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU)a;                 Geoff Wright (gmw4432@bcstec.ca.boeing.com) <                 Michael Kaufman (kaufman@delta.eecs.nwu.edu)=                 Steve Griffiths (etlsngs@etlxd20.ericsson.se)?3                 Juhana Kouhia (kouhia@nic.funet.fi)     O I regularly read the movie newsgroups, but I am more likely to get your messageh if you email it directly to me.s  L At present, I have no plans to form a mailing list, however this may change,O depending on how many people are interested.  My policy stands like this at theaK moment:  If you don't have access to net news, I'll mail it to you.  If youpN still don'T get it, that means the mail has bounced, and you should try again,) possibly with a different return address.w  