Blade Runner 1982 Team 7

The Conflict Between Humans and Their Creation

By Sydney Cotroneo, Justin Haunstetter, William Walklate and Jason Moors

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The film Blade Runner, is a 1h and 57 minute long movie and was released on June 25th 1982. It was directed by Ridley Scott, along with Screenwriters Hampton Francher and David Webb Peoples. The lead actors are Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. (Shmoop 2008)

Film Summary

The film begins with an inside view of an organization that creates replicants, known as Tyrell Corp. Replicants are artificial intelligence that are used as slaves on off-world missions with the army. There are people called blade runners that are hired to terminate the rogue replicants. Towards the beginning of the film, the audience sees a blade runner interrogating a man known as Leon who we discover is a replicant. This replicant kills a blade runner at the start of the test which causes the police to search for the best-known blade runner; Rick Deckard. After finding Rick, he is set to hunt down four rogue replicants.         

During his investigation, he discovers where one of the four replicants work and he will then go to hunt her down. After having chased this replicant women he managed to kill her. In doing so, he gets ambushed by Leon who nearly killed him. There was woman he met at Tyrell Corp. named Rachel whom happened to find Rick being strangled by Leon and she shot and killed him thus saving Rick’s life.

     At this point, there are two replicants left for Rick to terminate. The two replicants stumbled upon a man named Sebastian and befriended him, to their luck, he used to work for the Tyrell corp. which lead them to the owner of Tyrell Corp. and they had asked him how to prolong their short predetermined duration of their lives. The answer that they received was not at all what they wanted to hear because it was impossible to prolong their lives and, therefore, they killed him. In the meantime, Rick was searching for the two replicants and discovered their location which is at Sebastian’s. Rick kills the girl and there is one the last remaining replicant. They fought each other but Rick knows that he cannot overpower the replicant and Rick gets severely injured.After exchanging blows and being close to death, the replicant’s time ran out which allowed Rick to survive.

Interesting Film Techniques

Lighting

The first lighting techniques used throughout the film was low-key lighting where they had integrated the effect of always having dark lighting which gave this film its “noir” theme as well as a mysterious feeling. This dark lighting was also impacting on the way we view the main character because he seems depressed and facing his inner demons which seeing him in this lighting gives us a more depressed view of his world whereas if it was always bright and sunny we wouldn’t relate as much.

The second lighting technique used in this film which is known as filters was used during certain scenes. This was shown when we see Rick looking through old photos we see a shift in color making the pictures appear to have a filter on them. This allows the audience to understand the change in time periods as Rick is experiencing a flashback to his past memory.

 Sets

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Two important sets in Blade Runner are,  the penthouse of the owner of the Tyrell Corp., and Rick’s apartment. The contrast between these two sets demonstrate the differences between the two characters.  It creates contrast showing how their lives are drastically different. Tyrell's penthouse was almost like a view of heaven, with the open balcony and the sun setting. This gave the idea of  being on top of the world, because of penthouse being higher than everything below. When compared to Rick’s living space, we see his apartment as a small crummy place with random stuff everywhere. His apartment seems to have very little light with only small rays of sun breaking through. This suggests how different the power between the Tyrell corp and others actually is.  

Props

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Another prop used throughout the film, was cigarettes which is something commonly seen in Noir films. Cigarettes are used to develop characters traits. For example, when the Rachel is asked to perform the Replicant test, she asks Rick if it is okay if she smoked a cigarette. This creates a persona for Rachel giving her an edgy vibe.

The ad blimp is a reoccurring prop that acts like a sort of news feed, showing viewers what is going on in this world. For example one advertisement talks about colonies on other planets. The blimp is also to show viewers truly how grim this future is. The fact that companies are now able to advertise high up in the sky. This also demonstrates how corporations and advertising have completely taken over the world.

Framing

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Framing was an interesting technique used in this film. Two noticeable scenes where framing plays a big role in the film are the opening scene with Weldon interviewing Leon. When Weldon is interviewing Leon, the close-ups on his face show the viewer Leon’s emotionless expression and a blank stare. You can see him shaking, you can see he is likely scared of this test as it will reveal him. The test is used to provoke an emotional response and the close-up on his face shows viewers his response to the questions is one without emotions.

The scene in the rain near the end where Rick is hanging off the building. Attempting to escape Roy, Rick leaps from one rooftop to another falling short. This leaves Rick grasping onto the the side of the building for his dear life. While hanging, a hang angle is used to make Rick look small and show that he is completely powerless to Roy.  

Costumes

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     A variation of costumes was seen throughout the film, yet one very distinct costume used was Pris. She was a Replicant who at the end of the film was seen with her face covered with white makeup and blue toned circles  around her eyes. She wore all black Gothic looking clothing, with a lot of fishnet. This costume provoked the audience to question her human appearance, placing her in the Uncanny Valley. While seeing Pris in costume, it would make others uncomfortable creating a rather unsettling feeling.

Another character who's costume created a statement was Rick. He was always in a trench coat and usually drinking liquor. This costume gave Rick his mysterious Noir themed detective look. It also gave the impression that he was dealing with inner problems in this dark futuristic world where he was the only one capable of searching for the Replicants. This greatly improved the films main characters persona because it questioned the idea of whether Rick was a Replicant or a human, even though we never find out it leaves a suspenseful ending questioning him.

Major Questions Raised throughout the Film 

 A. I. in Society

A major question raised in the film was whether or not A. I. could be good or bad for humanity if created and left to independently live in society resembling humans entirely. This connects to the film because society created special artificial intelligence robots to conquer off-world colonies and work as slaves. Although most of them would be sent in off-world expeditions, those who went insane would kill their masters and flee to earth to hide and seek refuge and in certain cases kill humans. If humans were to create artificial intelligence to assist in military affairs and those created went rogue, then it could cause death such as these ones have done in Blade Runner.

A.I. Morality 

The second question raised as well as an issue in the film is if it is morally correct to create self-conscious robots without giving them emotions, but they were given memories giving them emotions and the ability to slowly gain emotions from their newly given lives but only giving them a 4-year lifespan because of that. They may have had emotions in the film, however, we question if it is correct to have a self-conscious being to be prevented from having emotions. This connects to the film because this is how they decided to develop the replicants as a safeguard. In society, we do not have any laws or rules preventing a situation as such to happen when we develop the capability to create highly advanced technology in which we can create a similar situation.

Memories and Knowledge of Ones Inner Self

Lastly, this film raised a question of whether or not we can truly trust our knowledge and memories. Whether or not we are actually our own person or a design of another.  This idea is dragged on throughout the film as we witness people being tested to verify if they are human. We also see major doubt on whether Rick is a human or a Replica.

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Quality of the film

The quality of this film was quite good , however, it had a few weaknesses. To begin, this movie is rich with symbolism one of these symbols display in the movie focuses a lot on eyes in which symbolise the window to the soul where the only way to verify the difference of a human and replica i through their eyes. The philosophical dilemmas in this film were well incorporated with the plot which made it a very interesting movie to watch. For example, Gaff says “It’s too bad she won’t live. But then again, who does?" a philosophical question that makes the viewers pause and reflect. On the other hand, the movie seemed to drag on as Deckard slowly searched for clues of the replicants. After nearly half the movie  the pace picked up quite a bit as he killed the rest quickly in the final scenes. This made the movie long and quite boring for awhile until it finally picked up although once it did it went by very quickly. The ending itself is quite strong with many foreshadowing throughout the film as when we discover Rick may or may not be a Replicant, this gives the movie an in depth view of questioning the mysterious main character. Because of this we give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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Course Connections

1.The Uncanny Valley

Throughout the film, the concept of the uncanny valley is developed. The uncanny valley is the thought that an object is so similar to humans it almost seems real, yet something about it is slightly off in which create uncertainty and unsettling feelings towards that object. This concept can be related to the Replicants having human like features, however they are not fully human. This ideology is seen right from the beginning, we discover that the Replicants will play a big role in the film who are exactly like humans. For example, we don't know whether Rachel is a Replicant or human at the beginning only until later we discover who she really is. During nearly every scene involving Pris, we experience an unsettling emotion due to her almost human appearance but alien movements.

2. Sentience

Do these Replicants actually experience emotion? I would have to say no. Rick falls in love with one, Rachel, to him, she is a person so I can only assume that he assumes she truly feels things. For sure she can act out emotions as we would, when she discovers her memories aren’t even hers, she shows that she is sad. Being sad is something you feel, you can pretend to be sad. But if you are not you cannot just become sad for no reason. So, my reasoning behind Rachel not being able to experience emotion is that she was programmed to learn emotion, therefore, she can learn what being sad looks and sounds like so that she can replicate the actions to appear sad. It also makes you think if Rachel actually loves Rick back or not, yet again, I would have to say no. I say no for the same reasons but yet another reason as well. When Rick first kisses her, she ends up trying to leave and he doesn’t let her. After that he goes in to kiss her again and he has to tell her what to say and she will obey. She repeats what he says and then learns what to say after as she is indeed a computer that is able to learn. So basically, she is being told that she loves him and she learns how to act out that she loves him leading herself to appear as her loving him.

3. Axiology

This concept leads the audience to question both aesthetic and moral values. It is significant in the film, because the Replicants are at risk of being killed. Despite the Replicants killing many different people, does that make it okay for them to be killed? The Replicants are so similar to humans, that it is hard to tell them apart because they look like us but they also have emotions and moralistic values to a certain extent. Therefore, this reminds us of our rights and moral values and if the Replicants too should be treated the same way we are.

Question on the Film and Film's Concepts

1. If Rachel never took the Voight-Kampff test, would Rick have discovered that she is, in fact, a Replicant?
2. The Replicants in the film know their expiration dates--would you like to know yours? Explain.
   
3. If society develops the technology to create advanced artificial intelligence would there be negative consequences? Explain.

Articles that Discuss Certain Topics of the Film

Designing a Moral Machine by Jonathan Keats

This Article discusses the issues of morality in Artificial intelligence once they are integrated into society to replace task once done by us. It explains how artificial intelligence does not have the luxury of childhood to learn the proper norms and laws of society which they are trying to develop a method to create these understandings in robots. 

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Without Humans, A.I. Can Wreak Havoc by Katherine Maher

This article discusses how Artificial Intelligence can wreak havoc without being overlooked by Humans. A prime example was when A. I. technology was used to diagnose the best job candidates resumes for positions in the warehouses instead it became biased to choosing mainly men. It also reflects on how technology could be censored from the general population as is done in China where it could create issues.

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Bibliography

“Blade Runner | Movies.” WarnerBros.com, www.warnerbros.com/movies/blade-runner/.

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Google Search, Google, www.google.com/search?q=penthouse blade runner&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA773CA773&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWtfvzrPThAhWMneAKHWL0D08Q_AUIDigB&cshid=1556508298944671&biw=1280&bih=578#imgrc=WklJZNnu8v45PM:

Google Search, Google, www.google.com/search?q=leon blade runner&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA773CA773&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiaheHKrfThAhVkkeAKHVWdAA0Q_AUIDigB&biw=1280&bih=578#imgdii=JMsdtvXUtNt5cM:&imgrc=w8pxrJFVCKQqlM:

Google Search, Google, www.google.com/search?q=pris blade runner&rlz=1C1CHBF_enCA773CA773&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj20JzrrfThAhVvZN8KHWnUCZ0Q_AUIDigB&biw=1280&bih=578#imgrc=BVWDfM0V4ZOrrM:

Keats, Jonathon. “Designing a Moral Machine.” Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2017, discovermagazine.com/2017/may-2017/caring-computers.

Maher, Katherine. “Without Humans, A.I. Can Wreak Havoc.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/12/opinion/artificial-intelligence-wikipedia.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Artificial Intelligence&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=8&pgtype=collection.

McKinney, Kelly. Knowing the Inner Self. John Abbott, 2019.


Shmoop Editorial Team. “Blade Runner: Screenwriter.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/blade-runner/writer.html.