Blade Runner [1982] [The Final Cut: 2007] Genre: Science Fiction Director: Ridley Scott Actors: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young Focus: Cinematography One of the highest praises you can give to a film is that it sticks with an audience for days, months or even years to come. Films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Inception or Citizen Kane all come to mind for various reasons, whether it be an ambiguous narrative, an ending that leaves more questions than answers or a film where nearly every scene is perfect. Even thirty-five years after the original release of Scott's Blade Runner, the question of 'Is Deckard a replicant?' is still brought up interviews, articles and discussion. However, in the endless debate about the narrative of a film, sometimes the technical aspects can sometimes be missed out in praise. The primary focus of this blog post will be on the work of Jordan Cronenweth, the cinematographer of Blade Runner, and how his work alongside Ridley Scott helps to bring to life the dystopian city of 2019 Los Angeles. It is important to note that before posting this, I watched the Final Cut of Blade Runner so some of the shots I talk about may be exclusive to that cut of the film. In my opinion one of the most crucial elements to nearly every shot in Blade Runner is the lighting. The usage of light in only select parts of a shot help to create a dark and dingy view in the exterior shots, with the light only seemingly coming from artificial sources, such as the large advertisement screens, the lights from the Spinners (the flying police cars in the film) or the lights from the Tyrell Corporation's buildings. These objects are usually in the background of the shot, leaving light to shine in from the side or back of the shot, rather than being right at the front. The backlighting of Blade Runner is used in many of the most discussed shots. For example, in just one of the first shots of the film [Shot 1], we see a shot of Holden smoking a cigarette before he performs the Voight-Kampff test on Leon, a test subject, to see if he is a replicant or human. The foreground of this shot is intentionally dark, with only the light of the computer screen providing any light at the front. However, from the background of the shot, the light shines through the windows, lighting up the room slight amounts. Cronenweth likely worked with Scott on this shot to allow the viewer to focus on certain elements. While the only character in the shot is that of Holden, he is mostly shrouded in darkness, perhaps allowing the viewer to note other elements of the scene further. Directly in the centre of the screen is the equipment used for the test. This allows the viewer to focus on this equipment, helped by the light from the computer screen, and to query what it all may be used for. This shot creates mystery and intrigue in the viewer's head and creates interest to what may be about to happen. Cronenworth does this really successfully and helps to build the concept of the film. Another use of cinematography in Blade Runner is to focus the viewers on the symbolism. One of the shots [Shot 2] where this is used is an extreme close up near the beginning of the film of an eye, which reflects the landscape it looks upon, with the lights from the spinners, the fire and the lights from the building. This, even without the idea of symbolism, is a beautiful shot, giving the viewer an idea of the industrial landscape of Los Angeles. Some have also noted that this shot makes the landscape look almost hell-like, with the fire and lights really standing out in the shot. I personally agree with this interpretation of the shot, which links to other symbols in the film. However, the eye as a whole, as many have noted, seems to be a recurring theme in the film, being analysed in the Voight-Kampff test to decide if they are a human or not, here at the beginning in the film and with the tint in the replicant's eyes. Many critics have speculated that the eyes are being used as being able to see into the soul, which would explain why it is used in the test to look for emotion, as it is almost being used to see whether the soul is there (which would, in their view, make them a human). If Ridley Scott did want to put across this message, Cronenworth's shot really helps to back up this point. Near the end of the film, we see another shot that puts across some really interesting symbolism [Shot 3] which shows the antagonist, Roy Batty, bloody, holding a white dove. Again, this shot also provides backlighting from artificial sources providing some light to the scene, and also places the character close to the camera, making him and the dove the centre of attention. I personally believe that the dove is meant to be a religious symbol here, linked with the idea of the soul and hell mentioned earlier, that this is to represent his soul going to heaven (as a dove is used in the Bible to show the holy spirit). I strongly believe that the religious symbolism in Blade Runner is very important to the meaning of the film, but perhaps the beauty of Blade Runner is that you can get many other interpretations watching a different way. Whatever the meaning of the shot, the placing of the dove is very interesting, Batty placing it close to his body, and the appearance of it at this point of the film intrigues the viewer, and promotes discussion. The lighting in this shot combined with the placing of the character and bird is thought-provoking for viewers. Overall, I love Blade Runner. From a pure cinematography element, Cronenworth excels himself, providing some beautiful shots, even with the narrative meaning removed. The visuals are exceptional for a film of the time, astonishing and surprising me on the viewing. Cinematography is used in the film fantastically for both symbolism and narrative. Looking at the film as a whole, the direction and narrative is thought-provoking and creative, giving us a real insight into this dystopian universe. Performances are generally good, with Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty being a particular standout for me, and personally, the monologue from Batty near the end of the film is one of my favourites of all time. Blade Runner is phenomenal and its influence can be seen in sci-fi films decades after from an animated film like Ghost in the Shell and even in other genres, like Batman Begins. The influences from Blade Runner can be seen now, and will likely be seen for decades to come. Rating: 10/10 Shot 1 Shot 2 Shot 3
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