Build your own Blade Runner.
#1
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Build your own Blade Runner DVD.
In light of all the attention Blade Runner is getting this week, deserved attention I might add, I thought it would be fun to see how people would configure the movie, had they been given the option to "build their own Blade Runner".
Below is an inconclusive list of variations that you can either add to your version of Blade Runner or omit from your version of Blade Runner. Because many of the changes/variations are trivial, I chose only to include the most substantial changes/variations for your consideration.
Ok, now, build your own Blade Runner DVD:
1. Harrison Ford's narration/voice over.
1.5 Leaving out the narration/voice over.
2. Opening "crawl" of text.
3. No opening "crawl" of text, and just a static, brief dictionary-style explanation of what a replicant is.
4. Vangelis music.
5. No Vangelis music.
6. Inclusion of the unicorn dream.
7. Exclusion of the unicorn dream.
8. Roy saying "Give me more life, fucker."
9. Roy saying "Give me more life, father."
10. Inclusion of Roy pushing the nail through his hand.
11. Exclusion of Roy pushing the nail through his hand.
12. Pris holding Deckard up by his nostrils.
13. Exclusion of Pris holding Deckard up by his nostrils.
14. Inclusion of the extra gore when Roy presses Tyrell's eyes in.
15. Exclusion of the extra gore when Roy presses Tyrell's eyes in.
16. Happy ending, flying off through Going to the Sun Road.
17. No Happy ending.
My Blade Runner:
I include: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17
1. Narration: Personally, I like the narration. Sure, it sounds kind of depressing, weary, whatever. But I think it fits the mood of the movie. Its raining constantly. The city is busy, crowded, and filthy. Deckard is a retired cop, not wanting to go after Replicants anymore. I've always felt it was fitting and I always felt it added to the movie, adding to its noir-esque quality. I like it, and would want it in my version.
2. I like the opening "crawl" of text. It gives more information than just giving the definition of a Replicant.
4. Vangelis Music. Excellent sound for this futuristic movie.
6. I think the unicorn dream sequence is key to understanding the movie, expecially since Gaff produces a paper unicorn at the end of the movie. This is key to understanding that Deckard is or most likely is a replicant.
8. "Give me more life, fucker." I like this quote better than "Give me more life, father." "Fucker" is much more dark, sinister, and cold. I like that, and it fits the overall feeling of the movie, as I see it. I concede that "father" might be more appropriate in the big scheme of things, when considering the entire story. But I like "fucker", especially since during the conversation with Tyrell, Roy gradually gets more frustrated with the conversation, and ends it with such a painful, violent act. I just think "fucker" is more appropriate. This is the one change in the newer versions I hate the most.
10. Nail through the hand. I like it. I don't thrive on gore, but I think it is key to show that 1) Roy is dying 2) Roy is desperate to stay alive 3) Roys desperation is so urgent that he is willing to drive a nail through his hand to keep going 4) Replicants feel pain too, as he reacts to the pain as he drives the nail through his hand...this adds to the "More Human than Human" motto. In other movies, such as Alien, the robot/replicant type thing doesn't feel pain.
12. Pris holding Deckard by the nostrils. Was in the original, like it in my perfect version of Blade Runner. Adds to the beating Deckard takes before the end, and adds to his learning to live in fear.
14. Extra gore during the Tyrell murder scene. I include it. They are up in Tyrell's warm, sterile, cozy palace, candles lit, warm, up above the cold, rainy street where the rest of the movie played out. Roy comes in and contaminates it with a gruesome act of violence while killing his maker. This is a must have in the perfect version of Blade Runner.
17. No Happy Ending. This is the one place I really abandon the original version, the version I've always said I liked the most. I don't like the happy ending sequence. I think it is unnecessary, and takes away from the movie in a major way. I'd leave this out.
__________________________
My exact version doesn't exist on any of these DVDs, but its close. I'm torn between which version I like the most mainly because of the "Fucker/Father" variations. Otherwise, I'd probably be totally satisfied with the 2007 Final Cut version.
Well, hopefully some of you find this thread/idea behind the thread interesting and care to share what you would include/exclude if you were given the chance to build your own Blade Runner, and why you would include/exclude it.
Below is an inconclusive list of variations that you can either add to your version of Blade Runner or omit from your version of Blade Runner. Because many of the changes/variations are trivial, I chose only to include the most substantial changes/variations for your consideration.
Ok, now, build your own Blade Runner DVD:
1. Harrison Ford's narration/voice over.
1.5 Leaving out the narration/voice over.
2. Opening "crawl" of text.
3. No opening "crawl" of text, and just a static, brief dictionary-style explanation of what a replicant is.
4. Vangelis music.
5. No Vangelis music.
6. Inclusion of the unicorn dream.
7. Exclusion of the unicorn dream.
8. Roy saying "Give me more life, fucker."
9. Roy saying "Give me more life, father."
10. Inclusion of Roy pushing the nail through his hand.
11. Exclusion of Roy pushing the nail through his hand.
12. Pris holding Deckard up by his nostrils.
13. Exclusion of Pris holding Deckard up by his nostrils.
14. Inclusion of the extra gore when Roy presses Tyrell's eyes in.
15. Exclusion of the extra gore when Roy presses Tyrell's eyes in.
16. Happy ending, flying off through Going to the Sun Road.
17. No Happy ending.
My Blade Runner:
I include: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 17
1. Narration: Personally, I like the narration. Sure, it sounds kind of depressing, weary, whatever. But I think it fits the mood of the movie. Its raining constantly. The city is busy, crowded, and filthy. Deckard is a retired cop, not wanting to go after Replicants anymore. I've always felt it was fitting and I always felt it added to the movie, adding to its noir-esque quality. I like it, and would want it in my version.
2. I like the opening "crawl" of text. It gives more information than just giving the definition of a Replicant.
4. Vangelis Music. Excellent sound for this futuristic movie.
6. I think the unicorn dream sequence is key to understanding the movie, expecially since Gaff produces a paper unicorn at the end of the movie. This is key to understanding that Deckard is or most likely is a replicant.
8. "Give me more life, fucker." I like this quote better than "Give me more life, father." "Fucker" is much more dark, sinister, and cold. I like that, and it fits the overall feeling of the movie, as I see it. I concede that "father" might be more appropriate in the big scheme of things, when considering the entire story. But I like "fucker", especially since during the conversation with Tyrell, Roy gradually gets more frustrated with the conversation, and ends it with such a painful, violent act. I just think "fucker" is more appropriate. This is the one change in the newer versions I hate the most.
10. Nail through the hand. I like it. I don't thrive on gore, but I think it is key to show that 1) Roy is dying 2) Roy is desperate to stay alive 3) Roys desperation is so urgent that he is willing to drive a nail through his hand to keep going 4) Replicants feel pain too, as he reacts to the pain as he drives the nail through his hand...this adds to the "More Human than Human" motto. In other movies, such as Alien, the robot/replicant type thing doesn't feel pain.
12. Pris holding Deckard by the nostrils. Was in the original, like it in my perfect version of Blade Runner. Adds to the beating Deckard takes before the end, and adds to his learning to live in fear.
14. Extra gore during the Tyrell murder scene. I include it. They are up in Tyrell's warm, sterile, cozy palace, candles lit, warm, up above the cold, rainy street where the rest of the movie played out. Roy comes in and contaminates it with a gruesome act of violence while killing his maker. This is a must have in the perfect version of Blade Runner.
17. No Happy Ending. This is the one place I really abandon the original version, the version I've always said I liked the most. I don't like the happy ending sequence. I think it is unnecessary, and takes away from the movie in a major way. I'd leave this out.
__________________________
My exact version doesn't exist on any of these DVDs, but its close. I'm torn between which version I like the most mainly because of the "Fucker/Father" variations. Otherwise, I'd probably be totally satisfied with the 2007 Final Cut version.
Well, hopefully some of you find this thread/idea behind the thread interesting and care to share what you would include/exclude if you were given the chance to build your own Blade Runner, and why you would include/exclude it.
Last edited by ukywyldcat; 12-21-07 at 10:19 AM.
#3
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by PatrickMcCart
Usually, a person called a "director" makes these decisions.
Personally, I'd keep everything about the Final Cut in place, but I'd put back in Ford's "They don't advertise for killers..." opening voice-over...but ONLY that voice-over. I don't care for the other ones in the movie, just that one because it's a cool introduction to the character.
#5
DVD Talk Legend
I think I have to completely agree with ukywyldcat. I originally taped Blade Runner off HBO back in the 80's and must have watched it 100+ times. Ford's bone weary narration is how I will always remember it. Regardless of the "director's preferred vision" that is the version I prefer. I admit there were many improvements in the movie after the various cuts, but the narration is enough for me to give the slight edge to the theatrical cut.
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While I'll concede that a voice over is completely appropriate for a film noir, it just doesn't work with Blade Runner and it never has. It comes across as ham fisted and takes you immediately out of the film instead of working for it. Sure, the voice over is interesting enough to watch as an experiment, but I feel that both the director's cut and final cut are the way it should be seen. You can practically hear the resentment in Ford's voice.
I don't have a problem with the "father" line as I think it lends to a more romantic and thematically richer take on the film. "Fucker" sounds cheap and carries a humorous subtext that I am not sure was intentional or not. I can't say that I dig the much more implicit unicorn scene that chips away much of what made the director's cut so ambiguous. It's much more apparent in the final cut that Deckard is a replicant and I think that might have been better if Scott decided to have left the subject open to more interpretation.
I don't have a problem with the "father" line as I think it lends to a more romantic and thematically richer take on the film. "Fucker" sounds cheap and carries a humorous subtext that I am not sure was intentional or not. I can't say that I dig the much more implicit unicorn scene that chips away much of what made the director's cut so ambiguous. It's much more apparent in the final cut that Deckard is a replicant and I think that might have been better if Scott decided to have left the subject open to more interpretation.
Last edited by jwnulife; 12-21-07 at 02:10 PM.
#8
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
you could always rip it to your comp and make your own cut, like what I did with the Re-Animator (now it has all the gore and all the plot and I am finally happy )
I was thinking about doing something similar with Alien 3 as there are parts of both versions that I like better (I mean really how could the kinda dcut not have that epic ending falling scene?)
I was thinking about doing something similar with Alien 3 as there are parts of both versions that I like better (I mean really how could the kinda dcut not have that epic ending falling scene?)
#9
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I quite like the new cut of Alien 3--I even liked the original theatrical version. Which falling scene do you speak of? I think maybe you are talking about how they cut out the chest burster bit when Ripley falls to her death? I kinda wish they had left that bit in myself.
#11
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Originally Posted by jwnulife
I quite like the new cut of Alien 3--I even liked the original theatrical version. Which falling scene do you speak of? I think maybe you are talking about how they cut out the chest burster bit when Ripley falls to her death? I kinda wish they had left that bit in myself.
#13
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by jwnulife
While I'll concede that a voice over is completely appropriate for a film noir, it just doesn't work with Blade Runner and it never has. It comes across as ham fisted and takes you immediately out of the film instead of working for it. Sure, the voice over is interesting enough to watch as an experiment, but I feel that both the director's cut and final cut are the way it should be seen. You can practically hear the resentment in Ford's voice.
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I'd like a version with the narration, but no happy ending.
#14
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Where's the option to keep just some of the narration? I think some parts of the narration are good, but other parts are rather pointless and should've been cut out of the soundtrack.
#15
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Fun idea:
btw, the producer of the new DVD tried to have a build your own version option on the DVD but his technical people were worried about disc problems so they scrapped the idea.
I think I'm going to do it. All you need is a simple set of editing tools which I've already got.
My version:
Mostly the new Final Cut, with the beautiful job on the sound and image quality (such as correcting a few things like the bird being released into a blue sky next to a joke of a background).
But I would include the voice over (I might leave a couple off) but I like the classic noir element.
Static Message versus crawl ... don't care either way.
Music stays
Unicorn Dream
Roy saying "Give me more life, father." When he says father I find it much more gripping than the other way ... not even close.
More blood when Tyrell is murdered
Pris holding Deckard up by his nostrils.
Nail through the hand.
No Happy Ending.
Oh, and Han Solo shoots first.
Oops. My bad, wrong film.
btw, the producer of the new DVD tried to have a build your own version option on the DVD but his technical people were worried about disc problems so they scrapped the idea.
I think I'm going to do it. All you need is a simple set of editing tools which I've already got.
My version:
Mostly the new Final Cut, with the beautiful job on the sound and image quality (such as correcting a few things like the bird being released into a blue sky next to a joke of a background).
But I would include the voice over (I might leave a couple off) but I like the classic noir element.
Static Message versus crawl ... don't care either way.
Music stays
Unicorn Dream
Roy saying "Give me more life, father." When he says father I find it much more gripping than the other way ... not even close.
More blood when Tyrell is murdered
Pris holding Deckard up by his nostrils.
Nail through the hand.
No Happy Ending.
Oh, and Han Solo shoots first.
Oops. My bad, wrong film.