Exactly—and the later director’s cuts by Ridley that add the unicorn stuff makes me ponder the nature of a being that hunts and “retires” his own kind because he’s following orders. In the first film, it could be argued that Deckard was doing this unknowingly. In the sequel, Ryan Gosling’s Agent K is a replicant who hunts other replicants from the start of the film. He knows what he is and what his job is, as do we the audience. The sequel is a beautiful exploration of K eventually exerting his own free will as he helps Deckard and “the resistance”. I also love how Hampton Fancher updated the concept of artificial intelligence (and companionship) in the sequel for our Siri / Alexa age with Anna De Armas’ character Joi. 2049 is overall a stunning and powerful film—very worthy of Ridley’s original vision and even a bit of PKD’s.
Whilst I think The Final Cut is the best of the lot, my personal favourite is The Theatrical Cut, simply because that’s the first version I ever saw, when it was premiered in the UK around the mid 80s, and which I taped into a C120 cassette (we didn’t get a VCR until ‘89!) and played to death! Wish I’d kept that cassette, as I’d love to know if it was the International Theatrical (with possible edits for TV) that was shown, or the US, bearing in mind censorship on TV in that era. Pretty sure it was ITV or Channel Four. Maybe another UK fan here might know the answer? I’m actually cool with Deckard being a replicant - The realisation when I first watched it that he’s been hunting his own kind I think is very powerful, and shows at the end Batty is ultimately the more heroic/human of the two. To me with the unicorn left by Gaff (also indicating he’d let her live and was in on it all) and the moment when you see Deckard’s eyes looking red I’d always assumed were pointers. Was quite amazed at the levels of ‘robust discussion’ about this in later years! Either way, and whatever version one prefers, a superb film in every respect!
I think that many of the changes to the film over the years made it better but I really like the noir atmosphere of the original film. I like watching the original from time to time.
Is there a cut that condenses it to about 10 minutes? That would be my favorite. I'm not a fan of the film. It's a good example (of which there are far too many for me) of films considered classics/films that are cinephile darlings that are instead pretty crappy in my opinion. I do agree that the production design is impressive (though some things and many of the effects look very dated now) and I like the score, but that's about it. The story, script, direction, editing, and most of the acting are a mess in my opinion. I just gave it another rewatch yesterday, by the way. I always hope it will finally click with me, but no. I suppose I should give up at this point, since yesterday was the fourth of fifth chance I've given it starting when I first saw it in the theater on its initial release.
The UK TV version is effectively the US Broadcast Cut, and sometimes it has the line "I want more life, father." (I distinctly remember it in a 80's UK ITV broadcast), and sometimes it doesn't have the "Father", or the other F word.
A bit of a tangent here, but since you worked on the sound, would you have any insight into how the Japanese music was named/referenced in various places? As a mad little project a couple of years ago I reconstructed the score as it was used in the film (from a bazillion bootlegs) and I discovered that the relatively well-known "Ogi No Mato" is only one of three different pieces of Japanese traditional music used in the film. I reached out to Terry Rawlings about this when I was working on the project but he died not long after I sent the email, unfortunately.
Just to be contrary, I'm gonna vote for the inevitable "nightcore" version which will eventually pop-on on YoobieTubie...with the narration just pitched-up like a chipmunk under techno beats, for no reason whatsoever. Seriously, I haven't watched them all yet...primarily because I want my wife to finally see it...but, she won't "make time" for it, as long as she's too busy binging sitcoms on Netflix, to relinquish the remote. If I hear that "womp-womp" theme from Schitt's Creek in the other room one more time, while I'm in the kitchen fixing her dinner, I may just plotz...
Agreed. I like the international unrated version. It's the first one I saw when it came out on VHS all those years ago. On Blu-ray, every time I try the newest "final" version, I'm taken out of it by the greener color palette that was added to it. The theatrical and international versions still have the original, natural color palette. I'm happy that all versions are out there though.
I distinctly remember Pris pulling Dekard up by the nostrils, and I’m reasonably sure the killing of Tyrell was the bloodier version. So I guess that points towards it being the International Version, with little snips here and there perhaps. Would love to find out the original UK airdate for this. I’m sure it was around 86/87.
The director’s cut IS the final cut. The versi0n that was 0n cable was the International Cut. The only versi0n missing from the list is the Work Print versi0m.
Your right. I had forgotten that the Director’s Cut was updated to The Final Cut with fixes such as Joanna Cassidy’s killing.
I had owned the Four-Disc Collector's Edition on DVD - which had four versions of the film. Then I upgraded to Blu-ray and got the 5-Disc Complete Collector's Edition. That one has the four full versions, plus the "rarely seen workprint". It's correct when it says "rarely seen". I've never watched it!
This reminds me, as unsettled as many are about what their "ultimate" or "accurate" version of the film is...the soundtrack itself is also quite in disarray, some of it being released, some of it being unused, some of it being used but not released. Good thread to start trying to disentangle the soundtrack itself, starts here: Does a full Blade Runner (Not 2049) soundtrack exist? Would that Vangelis himself, put a little more focus on this before he gets too far beyond the whole thing. One would have thought he might have done so in light of the release of 2049. I just hate that there are those out there profiting off doing his own work for him. But I admit, I'd be curious enough to spring for some more of it from an unauthorized source.
I commented in that thread about my reconstruction, but went back and added another post just to remind people who might be looking for it. I still get emails about downloading that project (for free, I might add), even two years later!
And on this same topic, I caught this internet meme today, and though there's a lot I don't like about Blade Runner, I do like the meme and had a good laugh:
I own Blade Runner on VHS, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray and UHD 4K. This movie and Star Wars were the only times I walked out of a theater feeling kind of dizzy after what I had seen (2001 didn't even make me feel like that). They made me really appreciate what a film could do. But I completely understand the people who don't like it as I have friends who don't like it at all. My theory is that if you don't get drawn into the mood and the imagery pretty quickly you're going to be disappointed by the wooden characters and the fairly linear plot.
I have decided that I need to own Blade Runner (the original movie) on blu-ray. (no, I don't have 4K capability) I profusely apologize that for years, I have hung around the "Video Arts" forum, pretending like I owned this movie when I didn't. Mea culpa. So it is only with great reluctance that I step forward now and seek your help. I don't care to watch seventeen different versions of the movie, in a certain specific order. Just give me the consensus of Blade Runner aficionados concerning an affordable blu-ray. How about one of these? 1) https://www.amazon.com/Blade-Runner..._title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1634346704&sr=8-5 2) Blade Runner: The Final Cut [New Blu-ray] 883929146697 | eBay
