On June 25, 1982, the science fiction film Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott premiered.
The plot is based on Philip Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The audience did not immediately accept the film adaptation, but only after a while - after the version with an open ending was released.
Later, Blade Runner gained the status of a cult film, becoming one of the founders of cyberpunk on the big screen.
In the tape, viewers see a high-tech future (Los Angeles 2019), in which people use artificially created androids (replicants) for dangerous or humiliating work.
Almost all replicants are superior to humans in a number of ways - they are stronger, faster, and some even smarter.
However, their life span is only four years and, not wanting to put up with such a fate, a group of androids raises a riot.
A special squad of bladerunners (blade runners) led by Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, should find and pacify them.
At first glance, a simple plot provides ground for deep reflection on the theme of life and death, compassion and the limits of humanity.
Filming day and night
Ridley Scott came up with the idea to make such a futuristic film with philosophical overtones after his brother Frank died of cancer.
The director decided that he urgently needed to keep himself busy so as not to fall into despair.
He took the name from the script by William Burroughs, based on the work of Alan Nurse, where the "blade runner" was an illegal drug dealer.
Scott bought the title from Burroughs - he was not interested in the plot itself.
Initially, when reading the script of the future film, the author of the novel, Philip Dick, was not sure that the picture would at least somehow resemble what was happening in the book, because the scriptwriters and the author had different ideas about some characters and images.
“He (script. -
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) had nothing to do with the book ... What my story will turn into is a titanic scale terrible collision involving androids torn to pieces, androids killing people, with general confusion and murders, and all this is a very exciting sight.
It's called a "moving picture" for a reason.
I have no complaints, ”said the writer.
However, after seeing a clip of the tape in post-production, Dick was delighted with what Ridley Scott's team had managed to create.
“You literally would have to watch it five times before you could wrap your head around everything that is thrown at you,” Dick said in an interview.
The human brain craves stimulation.
And this film will stimulate the brain, will not allow it to fall asleep ... There is no confrontation between the book and the film - they complement each other.
Interestingly, Scott never read the book.
He created the visual style, inspired by the streets of Hong Kong and New York.
Many actors were considered for the lead role of Deckard: Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Clint Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, Peter Falk, Al Pacino, Nick Nolte and Burt Reynolds.
However, as a result, Scott and producer Michael Deeley agreed that Harrison Ford should play the key character in Blade Runner.
Shot from the movie "Blade Runner"
© Shot from the film Blade Runner (1982)
Filming took place mainly in the studio (less often on the streets of Los Angeles) and was very intense.
Being a perfectionist, Scott focused attention on every little thing, because of which a lot had to be redone.
The team and actors worked on the film not only during the day, but also at night.
Once, when grueling filming and the director's inflexibility had worn the team down, the filmmakers donned T-shirts that said: "Will Rogers never met Ridley Scott" - a reference to the words of the famous Hollywood actor of the 1930s that he had never met Ridley Scott. a person he doesn't like.
Harrison Ford was rumored to call the film "Blade Crawler" during filming, while the exhausted crew preferred to call it "Blood Runner".
However, work continued.
Scott avoided empty spaces in the frame and tried to fill any space with details.
With the help of the lack of "air", he managed to convey the atmosphere of hopelessness and suffocation that the characters experience in a world with overpopulation and a low standard of living.
At the end of filming, the team worked on special effects, for which the Entertainment Effects Group of artist Douglas Trumbull was responsible (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 2001: A Space Odyssey).
The special effects budget was small, so props from other films such as Star Wars and Close Encounters were used.
Smoke machines created smog, and the city itself consisted of miniatures.
Shot from the movie "Blade Runner"
© Shot from the film Blade Runner (1982)
First failure
Despite all efforts, Blade Runner failed at the box office.
There is an opinion that this is due to the fact that the picture had to compete with Steven Spielberg's "Alien", which became the highest grossing box office in 1982.
At the same time, Sylvester Stallone's Rocky 3 and John Carpenter's The Thing were also playing in American cinemas.
According to another version, the failure of the tape is associated with the finale: the original open ending was replaced with a happy ending.
Harrison Ford was against this version - he believed that it went against the original idea.
Upon its premiere, Blade Runner received mixed reviews from viewers and critics.
Ridley Scott was very upset.
The film cost $30 million to produce and only earned $27.6 million at the North American box office.
Janet Maslin, in her review for The New York Times, called the film "convoluted but fascinating", while critic Gene Siskel said after viewing that he "simply wasted my time".
Many critics praised the film for its visual style and its dark future atmosphere, but the lack of dynamics alienated audiences.
“Because of this imbalance between the stellar characters, as well as the uneven development of the plot of a radically recut film, for viewers hoping for thrills and daring antics, Blade Runner is likely to disappoint.
But as a reflection of the skill of production designers Lawrence Poll, Douglas Trumbull and Syd Meade, the film succeeded.
Rarely do you get to enjoy such an alluring picture, ”wrote journalist Richard Corliss in Time.
Renowned film critic Roger Ebert, in his review, also noted the visual component of the tape, including the harmonious detailing that creates the effect of the environment of the future.
“It is a great pleasure to behold the visual environment he creates for this film.
Details are also worked out: we do not just see skyways, monolithic skyscrapers and flying taxis, but also get an idea of \u200b\u200bhow restaurants, clothing and home interiors will look in 2020 (not that there are strong differences (from our time. -
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),” wrote the critic.
According to Ebert, it's worth watching the tape just for this, although the plot, in his opinion, loses to the picture.
“The weak point of the film, however, is that it allows the special effects to overshadow the plot ... The film has the same problem as the replicants: the dreams here are not about what is made of flesh and blood, but about the mechanical,” noted he.
Shot from the movie "Blade Runner"
© Shot from the film Blade Runner (1982)
Film critic Robert Osborne, unlike his colleagues, positively assessed not only the visual of the picture, but also its other components.
In general, he made a good advertisement for the tape, reflecting its best qualities.
Blade Runner is a film that is not easy to watch without feeling uncomfortable and not easy to categorize.
It is distinguished by its astounding scope, sound and visual accompaniment that excites the senses, and a pessimistic attitude that is quite befitting of the creepy worlds that Josef von Sternberg explored in his German project and projects for Paramount in the early 1930s, ”said Osborne.
Late recognition
Despite the failure at the box office and a lukewarm response from film critics, Blade Runner still received several prestigious awards.
So, in 1983, the tape was awarded the prizes of the British Film Academy in three categories: "Best Cinematography", "Best Production Design" and "Best Costumes".
In addition, Scott's picture was twice nominated for an Oscar, but other filmmakers took away the statuettes from the award.
The music for the film, written by composer Vangelis, was nominated for the Golden Globe Awards, but lost to the film "Alien".
Later, in 2008, the film was awarded the Saturn Award in the Best DVD Special Edition category.
Subsequently, Blade Runner became a cultural phenomenon of its time and gained immense popularity.
After the release of the director's cut in 1992, critics took a fresh look at the tape.
To date, the film has a high rating and a large audience of fans - Blade Runner has been rated by more than 250 thousand viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
The average score is 91%.
Ideas and images from the film inspired the authors of such films as The Matrix, The Sixth Day, Artificial Intelligence, Dark City.
Shot from the movie "Blade Runner"
© Shot from the film Blade Runner (1982)
Single movie versions
There are several official versions of the Blade Runner movie, in addition to the working one.
The first is international, released in 1982.
It is also called the Criterion Edition.
Additional scenes of violence were added to it, including the famous episode with Roy Betty gouging out Tyrell's eyes.
The US release version includes a happy ending and studio narration by Harrison Ford.
On CBS in 1986, another version of Blade Runner was released.
It cut out all the scenes containing violence and nudity.
In addition, the initial text was changed and voiced in a different voice.
Among other things, there is a remade working version of the film, found in 1991 by a Warner Bros. employee.
Michael Arik.
This version of the tape was shown at festivals as a director's cut not approved by Scott.
It does not feature Vangelis' music, but does have an initial happy ending and Ford's voice-over.
It was from this copy that the official director's cut of the original film was made in 1992, in which there is no voice-over, and a number of scenes were redone for a better understanding and possible new reading of the plot.
The 2007 version is considered the latest and most successful.
This is a digital copy with restored special effects and sound.
Scenes of violence and other small details that are important for the overall atmosphere were also returned to the film.
Sequel and other projects
In 2017, the sequel to the film, Blade Runner 2049, was released.
Directed by Denis Villeneuve.
The story takes place 30 years after the events of the original.
Police officer Kay, played by Ryan Gosling, goes looking for the missing Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford).
It is he who can help save humanity from destruction.
Shot from the movie "Blade Runner 2049"
© Shot from the movie Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
With a budget of $150 million, the sequel grossed more than $259 million in theaters.
Blade Runner 2049 received two Oscars and was awarded the British Academy Film Awards for its cinematography and visual effects.
In addition, in 2018, the film was recognized as the "Best Science Fiction Film" at the Saturn Awards.
Also, three prequel shorts were shot for this film, revealing the details of what happened in the world of Blade Runner between the two films of the franchise - Blade Runner: Blackout 2022, 2036: Nexus Restoration and 2048: Nowhere run."
Later, the animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus was also filmed.
Blade Runner 2099 is currently being produced by Amazon Studios and is being executive produced by Ridley Scott.