Insight Text Guide Therese O’Haire Blade Runner Dir. Ridley Scott ITG_BladeRunner_prelims-1pp.indd 1 20/03/13 4:53 PM Copyright © Insight Publications First published in 2001, reprinted with revisions in 2013. Insight Publications Pty Ltd 89 Wellington Street St Kilda VIC 3182 Australia Tel: +61 3 9523 0044 Fax: +61 3 9523 2044 Email: books@insightpublications.com.au www.insightpublications.com.au Copying for educational purposes The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of this book, whichever is the greater, to be copied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact: Copyright Agency Limited Level 15, 233 Castlereagh Street Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: +61 2 9394 7600 Fax: +61 2 9394 7601 Email: info@copyright.com.au Copying for other purposes Except as permitted under the Act (for example, any fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review) no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above. ISBN: 9781875882304 Insight Publications is committed to environmentally responsible production practices. This book has been printed on sustainably manufactured paper in Australia to minimise our carbon footprint and support local industries and expertise. Printed in Australia. ITG_BladeRunner_prelims-1pp.indd 2 20/03/13 4:53 PM contents Character map Overview iv 1 About the director 1 Synopsis 2 Background & context 5 Genre & setting 7 Scene-by-scene analysis 11 Characters & relationships 27 Themes, ideas & values 35 Comparison of different versions 49 Questions & answers 52 Sample answer 61 References & reading 63 ITG_BladeRunner_prelims-1pp.indd 3 20/03/13 4:53 PM iv In s i g h t T e x t G u i d e character map Doctor Eldon Tyrell Owner of the Tyrell Corporation, creators of replicants. creates in image of his deceased niece Rachael Tyrell Replicant experiment. Initially doesn’t know she isn’t human. creates kills Roy Batty Nexus-6 replicant. The leader of a band of mutinous replicants. Pris Nexus-6 and ‘pleasure model’ replicant. Leon Replicant designed for combat and the hazardous task of working with nuclear weapons. at first hunts but later falls in love with hunts Rick Deckard Retired Blade Runner; conscripted back to duty to ‘retire’ a group of rebel replicants. hunts and kills leaves origami figures for Gaff Blade Runner assigned to assist Deckard. Zhora Replicant designed as political assassin. ITG_BladeRunner_prelims-1pp.indd 4 20/03/13 4:53 PM