Blade Runner: Designing the Future Panel Discussion (US)

Typically we focus on UK events but this one's a doozy and if any of our US readers get to go we're quite envious.

Bonhams & Butterfields’ prestigious Sunset Boulevard galleries in Los Angeles will play host to a panel discussion on April 15 centering around the cult classic film, Blade Runner.

Around 150 celebrities and industry power players are expected to attend the panel discussion, entitled “Blade Runner: Designing the Future.” The panel will dish on everything Blade Runner, from its environmental and social themes to the brilliant visual design that left audiences in 1982 reeling, and audiences today still just as appreciative of the classic science fiction film.

The Academy-award winning producer, Michael Deeley (The Italian Job, The Man Who Fell to Earth) will participate in the panel, along with legendary conceptual and industrial designer, Syd Mead (Star Trek, Aliens, 2010). Frances Anderton will moderate, and the Oscar-winning director of Blade Runner, Ridley Scott will attend, schedule permitting.

The event is to coincide with the opening of the auction preview for the 20th Century Decorative Arts sale, scheduled for April 20. Blade Runner fans will not want to miss out on this opportunity to pick up one-of-a-kind memorabilia from the iconic movie.

Featured auction highlights on preview include a signed promotional poster from the Blade Runner’s “Final Cut” release from the personal collection of Michael Deeley, a copy of a reissue of Philip K. Dick’s 1968 science fiction classic book on which Blade Runner is based, and a signed copy of Oblagon: Concepts of Syd Mead, 1985, which contains 17 pages of Mead’s art, created for Blade Runner from the designer’s personal library.

Blade Runner: Designing the Future Panel Discussion (US)

Where
Bonhams
7601 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046

When
7:30pm, Thurs 15 April, 2010

For more info head over to Bonhams

Blade Runner LED Umbrella

Ever since seeing the neon lite streets of Los Angeles circa 2019 via Blade Runner. I've wanted one of these bad boys. My need for one of these was increased when reading Bladezone.com (a Blade Runner fan site) and finding out that at the launch of the Blade Runner Final Cut 25th Anniversary Edition After Party. Guests were given a gift pack that included a Blade Runner branded LED umbrella.

Now via the miracle of the "future" and the Internet we can all own buy one for £17 ($24.99) from ThinkGeek.com . The umbrellas come Jedi Blue and Sith Red.



Early in the 21st Century, the Tyrell Corporation advanced robot evolution into the Nexus phase - a being virtually identical to a human - known as a Replicant. They're all around you, even now. That guy next to you? He's a Replicant. How do we know? He's walking the streets in the rain with no umbrella. That, and he failed the Voight-Kampff.

In the pre-apocalyptic future, the air will be so thick, it will be dark in the middle of the day. Coupled with the almost constant rain, you'll need to find a way to stay dry, and light your way to the noodle shop down the street.

Even if you don't live in a quasi-futuristic Los Angeles, and aren't a Blade Runner, you can still have the coolest umbrella on the street. With a push of a button, the shaft lights up, illuminating you and your path. Now, even in the darkest of nights, you're a lot more visible to the cars on the street, making your long walk home through the rain a lot safer.

Want a Blade Runner LED Umbrella?

More info over at ThinkGeek.com

Ridley & Tony Scott's new Blade Runner?

This week we have heard two pieces of Blade Runner news that may be related. Let's start with the most recent "flash".

A few weeks ago Henry Jenkins (a Professor of Communication, Journalism, and Cinematic Arts as well as all round Convergence Culture player) sat down with with Steven Lisberger (director of the original Tron) to discuss Tron; its social relevance of, his experience of making Tron and how Tron: Legacy fits.

The discussion is currently made up of 9 clips, with more to come. In the first clip, in reference to people connecting with ground breaking Sci Fi from a certain period - Henry Jenkins says at around 4:22 :

“with the Scott Brothers returning to Blade Runner, with a new project right now which is roughly the same vintage.”

The full post and interview clips can be seen over here on Henry Jenkins website. It's insightful a well worth a browse.

We suspect that Jenkins is referring to "Purefold" a web series to be developed by Ag8, Ridley and Tony Scott’s RSA Films and Baby Cow Productions. The series was to consist of five- to 10-minute webisodes set shortly before 2019, when Blade Runner took place and aimed initially at the Web moving to television.

Which brings me to the second news flash this week , yesterday we were given the heads up that the Purefold project had been cancelled! You can read the full statement on the Ag8 website here.

We still live in hope of Blade Runner being revisited.

Update #1: 29 March
After a bit of digging we found a video presentation from Ag8 that pitches/explains Purefold, the people involved and touches on how it is related to Blade Runner. Wow! It really was an ambitious project that seems a little ahead of its time. I'm hoping that it's reincarnated at some point.

b.TWEEN 09 - Ag8 talk about Purefold from info btween on Vimeo.

Ridley & Tony Scott's new Blade Runner?

Duncan Jones's next film Mute & the fate of Sam Bell

By know you know that Director Duncan Jones's next film will not be an adaptation of "Escape from the Deep" as anticipated.

It sounds like "Escape from the Deep" the true story of a WW2 submarine crew that go to hell and back will be tackled after another forage into the Sci Fi with "Mute". More information about the Alex Kershaw book "Escape from the Deep" can be
found here http://www.escapefromthedeep.com/.

Mute
The Mute concept art released via Jone's Liberty Films website looks pretty damn spiffy and tantalising enough to keep Sci Fi fans wanting more. The artwork is very reminiscent of Syd Mead's conceptual art for Blade Runner. Interesting to note that the signage in the street scene says Fremde which is German for strange, but could also mean foreign or Alien. Jones has said that Mute is not about Aliens as such. I'm guessing that this scene is some high class clientele leaving a bar/club that caters for strange tastes. This is possibly the club that the lead's girlfriend works at before disappearing. Then again it could just be a street scene.

Duncan Jones talking about Mute and Sam Bell's future from Craig Grobler on Vimeo.

Mute is basically the other side of the coin from Moon. Moon is about isolation, loneliness, living on your own and having to find a way to deal with that.

Mute is based in a future Berlin, so it's a big city film, a thriller in a city that so full and so unfriendly in a way. It's going to be a very different kind of film - but a good companion piece.

Mute is a much busier, nosier kind of film. It’s a thriller based in a future Berlin…. If Moon is inspired by films like Outland and Silent Running, then Mute, is inspired by Blade Runner.

For twitter updates on everything Duncan Jones's including Mute follow: @manmademovies

You can follow Duncan Jones here: @manmademoon

You can follow Moon Producer Stuart Fenegan (One of Variety's 10 Producers to Watch) here: @LibertyStu (Warning! Does not update much - yet)

The most media rich news can be found on the Liberty Films blog here: http://blog.manmademovies.co.uk/

Follow the Moon Facebook Group here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/manmademovies/151750620947

Own a piece of film history - Authentic Blade Runner memorabilia

The Prop Store of London (http://www.propstore.com/), one of the world's leading vendors of movie props and costumes as memorabilia). Has 2 awesome items of cinematic history for sale.






Two pieces of the futuristic skyline used in the Ridley Scott masterpiece Blade Runner. This highly detailed brass section was used along with other similar pieces of varying sizes on a table top set to form a forced perspective miniature for the opening scene of the movie. Each panel was laid out to give a multi layered effect and had a fibre optic light glued to the back. They were saved after filming by Mark Stetson's crew and have been in storage ever since. The section has been custom framed with laser cut mount board featuring the film’s title and stills from the movie. The display also has three LED's built in which help silhouette the "building" perfectly. The lights are activated by a small concealed switch on the inside of the frame. The overall display measures 49.5cm x 43cm (19.5" x 17"). The skyline image along with Vangelis' haunting music is perhaps the most memorable scene in the movie and one of the great movie openings of all time.

For more info click here!

Sir Ridley Scott in Conversation

As part of the BFI's Blade Runner Day which includes special screenings and events relating to the BFI's 75th anniversary poll.The BFI welcome one of Britain's most celebrated directors to the BFI Southbank stage.

The Times film critic James Christopher's description of Blade Runner as 'magnificent cinema... a big and broody sci-fi thriller that is impossible to swallow in one gulp' - in response to the question 'Which film would you want to share with future generations and why?' - helped to win the film first place in the BFI's 75th anniversary poll. As the highlight of our day-long celebration of the film, we are thrilled to be able to welcome one of Britain's most celebrated directors - Sir Ridley Scott - to the BFI Southbank stage.



Director of films such as Thelma & Louise and Gladiator, his career famously began in advertising alongside other future film-makers such as Sir Alan Parker. This led to his debut feature film The Duellists (1977), which won him a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, while he received universal acclaim two years later with Alien, another classic in the sci-fi genre. The BFI look forward to welcoming him to discuss the legacy of Blade Runner and his career so far.

The BFI welcome Sir Ridley Scott to BFI Southbank for an on-stage interview to discuss the legacy of Blade Runner and his career so far.

On the Edge of Blade Runner + Panel Discussion

On the Edge of Blade Runner + Panel Discussion

Ridley Scott's 1982 classic defined the neo-noir genre, and this recently released Final Cut remains a visually stunning and highly influential film. Harrison Ford is exemplary as the world-weary detective searching for replicants amidst a neon-lit, rain splattered, darkly gothic Los Angeles of the future.

An in-depth examination of one of the most iconic sci-fi films of all time – written and presented by Mark Kermode, and featuring interviews with Rutger Hauer, Ridley Scott and Daryl Hannah among others – this provides a fascinating insight into the film’s production and is famed for finally settling the fierce debate that surrounded the plot twist for almost 20 years. Following the screening we host a panel discussion with special guests, including the producer of Blade Runner, Michael Deeley, and writers Will Brooker and Paul M Sammon.

On the Edge of Blade Runner + Panel Discussion

Saturday March 21, 2009 at 1:50pm
BFI Southbank
Belvedere Road
London,
SE1 8XT

Blade Runner: The Final Cut + Q&A with Rutger Hauer

The BFI are delighted to welcome Rutger Hauer, who brought a rare intensity to his iconic performance as lead replicant Roy Batty, to the BFI Southbank stage following this screening.

Ridley Scott's 1982 classic defined the neo-noir genre, and this recently released Final Cut remains a visually stunning and highly influential film. Harrison Ford is exemplary as the world-weary detective searching for replicants amidst a neon-lit, rain splattered, darkly gothic Los Angeles of the future.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut + Q&A with Rutger Hauer

Saturday March 21, 2009 at 5:00pm
BFI Southbank
Belvedere Road
London, England SE1 8XT

Michael Deeley in Conversation

Michael Deeley in Conversation

The producer of Blade Runner and The Italian Job joins us in conversation.

Tue 30 Sep 20:30 NFT1

We are delighted to welcome producer Michael Deeley to BFI Southbank to celebrate the release of his book Blade Runners, Deer Hunters & Blowing the Bloody Doors Off - My Life In Cult Movies. An Oscar winner for his production of The Deer Hunter, Michael Deeley's other credits include The Italian Job, Nicolas Roeg's visionary The Man Who Fell To Earth, starring David Bowie, and Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic Blade Runner.

Please join us for what is sure to be an absolutely fascinating and entertaining evening. The interview will be followed by a book-signing in the BFI Filmstore.

Blade Runner the books

In an effort to continue the exploration of Blade Runner media my final post covers Blade Runner literature. The film spawned 2 book sequels which continue the adventures of Rick Deckard.

Blade Runner, by Philip K. Dick
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a book that most people think they remember and almost always get more or less wrong. Ridley Scott's film Blade Runner took a lot from it, and threw a lot away. Wonderful in itself, the film is a flash thriller, whereas Dick's novel is a sober meditation. As we all know, bounty hunter Rick Deckard is stalking a group of androids who have returned from space with short life spans and murder on their minds--where Scott's Deckard was Harrison Ford, Dick's is a financially strapped municipal employee with bills to pay and a depressed wife. In a world where most animals have died, and pet keeping is a social duty, he can only afford a robot imitation, unless he gets a big financial break. - Amazon.com

Blade Runner 2 : The Edge of Human, by K.W. Jeter
The book continues the story of Rick Deckard. Beginning several months after the end of Blade Runner, the author attempts to resolve many of the differences between the movie and the novel. He also addresses at least one inconsistency to be found in the movie itself -- the question of the sixth replicant. Is Deckard a replicant after all?

The book is, however, extremely poorly researched, showing little indication that Jeter had read more than a synopsis of Dick's original novel or seen the movie more than once. He includes appearances from both JF Sebastian and JR Isidore despite Sebastian and Isidore being the same person (the character was renamed for the movie and given a different disorder, but he serves precisely the same function in the plot of each). This alone would be sloppy enough, but to make matters worse both Sebastian and Isidore were killed in the movie and book respectively. - wikepedia

Blade Runner 3 - Replicant Night, by K.W. Jeter
Is it real or is it a replicant? Nothing is what it seems in Jeter's second sequel to Ridley Scott's classic SF film, Blade Runner, itself based on Philip K. Dick's classic novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Here, Jeter casts doubt on the identity of just about every character who appeared in either the film or the previous sequel, The Edge of Human (1995). The action opens in the orbital studio Outer Hollywood, where a video is being made of Rick Deckard's original pursuit of the rogue replicants, with Deckard acting as technical advisor. After both a replicant and Deckard's former partner are murdered, Deckard storms off the set to head back to Mars, where he lives in squalor with Sarah Tyrell, former heir to the defunct Tyrell company, the original creators of all replicants. Sarah, however, out of her mind with bitterness and boredom, plans to murder Deckard upon his return. Fortunately for Deckard, she is whisked back to Earth by two disciples of her dead uncle, the evil genius Eldon Tyrell. There, she is convinced to reenter the time-warping derelict starship on which she was born, in search of information about her past. If this sounds confusing, it is. Reality could not be trusted in either Scott's film or the Dick novel, and matters have gotten only more complex since Jeter took over the franchise.

Readers unfamiliar with the story's previous incarnations will have a hard time figuring out many twists and turns, suddenly revealed secrets and cameo appearances by characters who died in earlier instalments of the series. - Publishers Weekly

Blade Runner IV, Eye and Talon, by K.W. Jeter
Fully authorised by the estate of Philip K. Dick and written by the author they felt best equipped to take forward the vision of one of the great what's going on here. Blade Runner aficionados, however, will enjoy the names in SF, BLADE RUNNER 4: BEYOND ORION combines the dark imagery, paranoia, tension and pace of Dick's original novel and the cinematic genius of Ridley Scott in a novel that takes the Blade Runner series into a new millennium. Blade Runner has become one of the most recognisable and well loved brands in SF and K.W. Jeter has only added to its reputation and impact.

The Music of Bladerunner

In my last post I discussed the visual history of Blade Runner I thought I would follow up with an exploration of one of the most loved film soundtracks.

The film had a checked history and the sound track was not spared controversy either. Delays in bringing out an official soundtrack brought on a spate of bootleg versions. Naturally having such a tech based fan base the bootlegs and variations continued after the official soundtrack release. Which was deemed to be unsatisfactory by many.

1982 - The first official release was a reinterpretation by the New American Orchestra. Billed as an "orchestral adaptation of music composed for the motion picture by Vangelis" this release consisted of jazz-inspired, orchestrated renditions of the major tracks from the film, but not the original score tracks.

1989 - The Vangelis "Themes" Collection LP was released. This compilation featured compositions from a variety of Vangelis film scores, including three tracks from Blade Runner.

1994 - Vangelis released the Official Blade Runner Soundtrack for the first time. Vangelis' notes accompanying the album say:

"Most of the music contained in this album originates from recordings I made in London in 1982, whilst working on the score for the film BLADE RUNNER. Finding myself unable to release these recordings at the time, it is with great pleasure that I am able to do so now. Some of the pieces contained will be known to you from the Original Soundtrack of the film, whilst others are appearing here for the first time. Looking back at RIDLEY SCOTT's powerful and evocative pictures left me as stimulated as before, and made the recompiling of this music, today, an enjoyable experience." - VANGELIS Athens, April 19941982 - Bootleg studio tape
1993 - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Blade Runner (Off World Music)
1994 - Gongo Records Bootleg (The Gongo release is considered the best presentation of the music)
2003 - Esper Edition double disc
2003 - Los Angeles - November 2019

The quick and definitive history of Blade Runner

Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced Robot evolution into the NEXUS phase -- a being virtually identical to a human -- known as a replicant। The NEXUS 6 Replicants were superior in strength and agility, and at least equal in intelligence, to the genetic engineers who created them. Replicants were used Off-world as slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets. After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS 6 combat team in an Off-world colony, Replicants were declared illegal on earth -- under penalty of death. Special police squads -- BLADE RUNNER UNITS -- had orders to shoot to kill, upon detection, any trespassing Replicants.

This was not called execution. It was called retirement.

LOS ANGELES
NOVEMBER, 2019
OK!! the other day I got into a discussion with a friend, lets call him Alex about the new release of Blade Runner he was under the impression that a version had just been released. We have had a running discussion about BR over the last 4 years. I'm a big fan and he doesn't understand what more there is to see, say or know about BR. I should mention that Alex actually owns a copy of "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" by Paul M. Sammon as well as has a recorded from TV version of "On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' ". Both of which he loaned to me awhile back. Alex doth protest too much, methinks.

Anyhoo!! I thought I'd create the definitive list of the visual & soundtrack versions of the film that exists. I have steered clear of the content of Blade Runner for now. Allthough the following timeline is in chronological order I have indented the timeline where it was reto fitted.

1927 - German expressionist Fritz Lang creates Metropolis which feeds Ridley Scotts vision
1942 - Edward Hopper paints Nighthawks again this feeds Scotts bleek vision. Building on the dark atmosphere created by the death of Scott's just before the making of Blade Runner
1968 - Philip K. Dick writes "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". This forms the backbone of Blade Runner. Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks were both interested but they don't option it.
1973 - Herb Jaffe options
1973 - Robert Jaffe does a screenplay
1975 or 76 - Dan O'Bannon and Moebius give us the conceptual visual stylings from their "The Long Tomorrow" graphic novel.
1975-77 - Hampton Fancher gets involved. Failing to option William Burroughs’ Naked Lunch. Brian Kelly & Hampton Fancher finalise a deal.
1979 - Alan E. Nourse gives us the title Blade Runner from one of his books about smugglers of medical supplies.
1979 - William S. Burroughs writes "Blade Runner, a movie" loosely based on Nourse's story. Only the title was kept for the film.
1979 - Hampton Fancher completes his screenplay for Blade Runner called "Android" later changed to "Dangerous Days".
1980 - David Peoples rewrites it
March 9, 1981 - Photography starts
June 25, 1982 - Blade Runner is released

Thank you http://scribble.com for the following detail of each print.

1982 - US Denver/Dallas Sneak Preview/Workprint
1982 - US San Diego Sneak Preview
1982 - US Theatrical Release
1982 - European Theatrical and Laserdisc Release
1992 - Blade Runner The Director's Cut
2006 - Restored and remastered DVD version of the 1992 Director’s Cut
2007 - Blade Runner: The Final Cut
Cable TV Version
Video Version

US Denver/Dallas Sneak Preview/Workprint--70mm (113 min):
- Webster's 2012 definition of a replicant used in lieu of opening crawl
- voiceovers deleted except at Batty's death
- Bryant says TWO replicants were fried running through an electric field
- conversation between snake-maker and Deckard is different and matches their lips
- includes shot of nearly nude dancers in hockey masks outside Taffey's bar
- Batty says, "I want more life, father."
- Pris lifts Deckard up by his nostrils when she beats him up
- different voiceover used after Batty's death
- ends with the elevator doors closing
- shorter than other versions

This version was shown at the Fairfax Theater in 1990 and UCLA's Los Angeles Perspectives multimedia festival in 1991. This was also the print shown at a London sneak preview in March of 1982. A 35mm reduction of this version was later shown at the Nuart and Castro Theaters in 1991. There were rumours that THIS version was the original director's cut, but the official 1992 Director's Cut is not the same.

US San Diego Sneak Preview (115 min):
- shows Batty making a telephone call to see if Chew is there
- shows Deckard reloading his weapon after firing at Batty
- Deckard and Rachael ride into the sunset

[Source: Video Watchdog no. 20, November-December 1993.]

European Theatrical Release/Criterion Laserdisc/Videocassette (117 min):
- Batty sticks his thumbs in Tyrell's eyes, which bleed copiously.
- Pris lifts Deckard up by his nostrils when she beats him up.
- Deckard shoots Pris a third time.
- more of Pris kicking and screaming when she is shot by Deckard.
- shows Roy actually pushing the nail through his hand
- Deckard and Rachael ride into the sunset

The added violence makes this version about 15 seconds longer than the US theatrical release. The 10th Anniversary video edition is the same as this release.

The Director's Cut (BRDC) (117 min):
- voice-overs completely eliminated
- added dialog from blimp to cover missing voice-over while Deckard waits for a seat at the noodle bar.
- 12-second unicorn scene added when Deckard plays the piano
- happy ending deleted (movie ends with elevator doors closing)
- extra violence seen on videocassette deleted
- digital soundtrack was remixed for BRDC.

Cable TV [? min]:
When BR first appeared on American cable TV, there was an additional line of dialog when Bryant gives Deckard the description, names, and addresses of Tyrell and Sebastian over the radio. In the cable TV version, Bryant adds "...and check 'em out" after he says "I want you to go down there."

VIDEOTAPE (117 min):
All video tapes before January 1993 are the "Not Rated" version and contain the extra violence in the Euro-release that's not seen in the 117 minute American theatrical release.

Restored and remastered DVD version of the 1992 Director’s Cut:
Restored and remastered DVD version of the 1992 Director’s Cutwill debut in September in the U.S. and October in the UK for a special four-month limited release, after which it will be placed on moratorium by WHV.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut:
Later in 2007, to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary, the studio will unveil Blade Runner: The Final Cut, Scott’s definitive new version of his science-fiction masterpiece. The film will be released theatrically in select major U.S. cities, followed by a multi-disc Special Edition DVD release which will also contain three alternate versions of Blade Runner: the Original U.S. Theatrical Cut, the Expanded International Theatrical Cut and the 1992 Director’s Cut. Ample, ground-breaking bonus features will also be included.