Blade Runner Scene Analysis: (1:28:38-1:40:00)

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1984) takes place in a future Los Angeles in the 21st century- some time after the colonization of the solar system by humanity. In this time period, artificial constructs resembling organisms are fairly common- though human “replicants” are outlawed on Earth, and Blade Runner Deckard is charged with exterminating four that have illegally immigrated to Earth in an effort to extend their artificially shortened lifespan. This scene takes place after Deckard has “retired” two of the replicants, and has discovered the location the last two, Roy Beatty and Pris. This takes place as Deckard hunts down Pris, right before the climactic final encounter with Roy, and his musings on the nature of mortality.

Blade Runner is considered a great piece of science fiction for a variety of reasons, but chiefly among them are its attention to detail and interesting visual style, which combines recognizable elements of modern day Los Angeles, with an unreal neon aesthetic, which has gone on to inspire all recent narratives in the style of “cyberpunk.” Throughout the film, the carefully crafted mise-en-scène helps make the world around it seem more real and immediate- with the inner workings of the unfamiliar setting shown in a recognizable manner. As the scene begins (1:28:38), the establishing shot

cues the audience into the location (Pris’ hiding spot). Here, a large classical European style apartment complex takes up the foreground of the shot, while the background is dominated by an imposing Neon cityscape. This shot shows the divide between the classic “familiar” human society, and the brave new world of the story. While the two building are far apart, a trick of perspective appears to place them side by side- with Deckard straddling the line between the darkened past, and the mysterious future. Throughout this shot, Deckard is grounded, and the audience is with him due to the camera’s eye-level shot. After a moment, the divide is breached when a car flies over the camera, breaking the otherwise still scene, metaphorically bringing the inevitable change of the future into the frame of mind. Inside the complex, the building is fairly recognizable (common architecture, and normal building materials), but the apartments are in a state of advance disrepair. The crumbling walls, constant puddles, and piles of trash cause this world to feel broken and abandoned- as indeed it is- the Earth’s inhabitants are slowly emigrating to other colonies.

The audience is further manipulated with Scott’s clever framing, which utilizes a sharp contrast between the high and low camera angles. For example, when Deckard first enters the complex (1:29:40), the entrance is filmed from a high angle- with Deckard relegated to a mere speck near the entrance. This casts Deckard in a position of vulnerability- somewhat rarely for the character. The frame then suddenly cuts to an extreme close-up on Deckard’s face, bringing his isolation to a more human scale, when juxtaposed with the “vulnerability” of the previous frame. After a moment, Deckard orients himself (with the close-up, eye level bridging the unknown with his point of view), indicating that he has taken a look around, and now know where he is. From then on, Deckard is filmed from below, emphasizes his power over this new area. At (1:30:00) Deckard is filmed from a long shot, and from a very low angle, which places Deckard on a stairwell framed between two pathways, forming a metaphorical “bridge” between this unknown and familiar elements of this world- a bridge which Deckard alone is able to cross. Later, after Pris has been killed, there is a sudden cut to this same shot (the stairs framed between the levels), reemphasizing that Deckard has crossed this bridge between the civilized world and this unknown future.

This dichotomy between the two the familiar and the unknown is further emphasized by Scott’s use of sound. When Deckard enters the building, the film’s synthetic soundtrack is abandoned in favor of an unnerving rush of wind, and snatches of a low, but almost cheerful tune. During this scene, there is no dialogue, and only the ambient sound of trickling water to meet the audience. After a few tense moments, an eerie chant begins- a Japanese tune being sung seemingly from nowhere. In fact, the sound is extradiagetic, coming from a passing advertising balloon overhead (1:29:51). This juxtaposition of the silent complex, with the garish colors and smiling spokesperson bring the bustling New World into sudden focus- causing a jarring contrast between the abandoned relics of the past- and the glittering hope for the future. Further, the traditional sounding tune in the form of this new technology continues to emphasize the juxtaposition of the classical and the futuristic. Subconsciously, the tune is also reminiscent of samurai movies- with similar songs being played to raise the tension before a duel, foreshadowing the confrontation between Deckard and Roy. Throughout this scene, the “unreality” of the replicants is strongly emphasized through the distortion and amplification of their natural sounds – continuing the trend of division between humans and replicants. Pris’ death is marked by a shrill unearthly scream, which reverberates within the complex. Meanwhile, Roy’s appearance is marked by the cry of a wolf- a cry that also takes the place of his sorrowful “whine” when learning of Pris’ fate.

The lighting and use of color in this scene help to reinforce the notion of isolation and mystery during the tense set-up. The main source of light comes in the form of spotlights from the advertising blimp. The high contrast lighting further emphasizes the continuous thematic divide between the two worlds. This also serves as a method to keep large sections of the screen in darkness- creating an atmosphere of mystery and paranoia. Color-wise, Deckard is surrounded by various shades of grays, browns, and blues throughout the scene, which serve to emphasize his gritty “masculinity” and take-charge nature. Further, this constant scheme provides consistency to the bleak, washed-out “old world.” There are few moments in which “the outside world” intrudes upon the scene- noted with the addition of brilliant new colors, which are startling when juxtaposed with the muted standard color scheme. As Deckard advances into the complex, shots of Pris are inserted as counterpoint– with a distinctive pink color palette to contrast Deckard’s masculine shades of blue and gray. Besides the contrasting colors, Pris’ scenes are filmed in a soft focus, with and even dim light backlighting the action. This gives her more of an “unreal” quality when compared with Deckard’s gritty scenes. This unreality is further emphasized when Deckard finds Pris surrounded by strange “toys” (1:32:00). While she fits it, Deckard sticks out very strongly (despite now being bathed in the same light). This further emphasizes Pris’ artificial nature- she fits right in to this strange plastic land. After Pris’ death, this Pink soft-light scene is never seen again, even when Deckard and Roy meet the dominant color returns to blue- again emphasizing the masculinity of these two characters without female intrusion. This further serves to emphasize that this unreal “feminine” scene was entirely a production by Pris; when she is gone, her theme disappears as well.

With a keen eye for detail, and a creative visual design, Scott creates a fascinating futuristic society- and throughout this scene, he uses cinematic conventions to explore a society of isolation and paranoia. This society is at once approachable, and completely alien, which reinforces the fear of an unrecognizable future, one where humanity is no longer certain of it’s own importance. While Blade Runner’s narrative is actually very simple (a crime thriller about hunting four individuals), it uses the framework to create a living, approachable world that it’s characters inhabit. This scene showcases this meticulous attention to detail, and how it serves to advance the narrative, even when very little action is presented onscreen.

WC 1300

Works Cited

Scott, Ridley. Blade Runner. 1984.