Notes on Blade Runner
The time: November 2019
The place: Los Angeles
The climate in (formerly) sunny California seems to have radically changed; evidently
some ecological disaster has occurred. Is it because of pollution? Or the aftermath of a
nuclear war? Or a combination of the two, perhaps? Whichever it is, the opening scene
suggests heavy industrial pollution is at least part of the cause.
Note: in BR's source novel, a nuclear war was responsible for the ecological devastation
on earth.
Also, whatever the cause, it seems to have made most animal life all but extinct. (A
situation that is only hinted at, at best, in the movie, but that was much more integral to
the story in the book on which BR was based.)
REPLICANT -- A genetically engineered creature composed entirely of organic
substance. Animal replicants (animoids) were developed first for use as pets and beasts of
burden after most real animals became extinct. Later, humanoid replicants were created
for military purposes and for the exploration and colonization of space. The Tyrell Corp.
recently introduced the Nexus 6, the supreme replicant -- much stronger and faster than,
and virtually indistinguishable from, real human beings. Earth law forbids replicants on
the planet, except in the huge industrial complex where they are created. The law does
not consider replicants human and therefore accords them no rights or protection.
VOIGHT-KAMPFF MACHINE -- A very advanced form of lie detector that measures
contractions of the iris muscle and the presence of invisible airborne particles emitted
from the body. The bellows were designed for the latter function and give the machine
the menacing air of a sinister insect. The V-K is used primarily by blade runners to
determine if a suspect is truly human by measuring the degree of his empathic response
through carefully worded questions and statements.
Themes:
What does it mean to be human?
(Also raises similar questions about the ethics of cloning, ie. should Man “play
God?”
What constitutes the self?
How do our memories help us know ourselves?
What effect does environment have on us?
The film also raises issues similar to those raised by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
What scares us about the “other”: Frankenstein’s creation and Roy.
What do the replicants want that Frankenstein’s creation want?
What is heroic about both Frankenstein’s creation and Roy?
In what way can you say Roy is the hero of the film?
How do we form our concepts of self? How does Fankenstein’s creation?
How doe Rachel in Blade Runner?
What happens when our concept of self is shaken?
Roy Batty: Batty is a replicant in his construction but human in his wants and desires. His
sense of self-preservation, his love for Pris, his seeking out Tyrell (his "father") are all
demonstrative of his humanity. In the end, Batty displays perhaps what could be
described as one of the most telling emotions of humans -- compassion, by helping
Deckard. With the nail through the palm of his hand -- Batty becomes almost a Christlike figure. Born not of this world but to this world, stronger, purer, but still retaining an
essential humanity through which they relate to the world.