‘Blade Runner’ gets DVD makeover
SAN DIEGO, Calif. ñ How does Harrison Ford remember the making of Blade Runner?
ìIt was a bitch.î
Thatís one of the observations fans can expect when Blade Runner: The Final Cut ñ including an exhaustive three-hour-plus documentary – arrives in December on DVD. Details of the project were revealed at this weekendís Comic-Con entertainment expo.
Although it was a flop upon its release in 1982, the thriller, starring Ford as an executioner of next-gen androids called replicants, is now regarded as a pre-cyberpunk classic.
Itís also been revisited before.
In 1991, Scott issued a directorís cut that dropped the tacked-on voiceover narration and added a dream sequence that implies Fordís hunter is himself a replicant.
By comparison, The Final Cutís most significant changes are minor touch-ups ñ such as Joanna Cassidy re-shooting a few seconds of her death sequence because Scott felt it was too obviously a stunt double in the original version.
Did Scott ever consider going further, refurbishing his science-fiction masterpiece ñ much as George Lucas did with Star Wars – with digital effects?
ìI donít have that much money,î he laughs.
ìBut I wouldnít dream of that.î
In geekspeak that means, yes, Deckard still shoots first.
The Final Cut will be available in three editions, including a five-disc set that comes in a futuristic briefcase and includes five different cuts of the movie (including a ìwork printî thatís become an online favourite of fans). There is also, as mentioned above, the documentary Dangerous Days, which recalls the filmís notoriously tumultuous production.
Given Blade Runnerís enduring popularity, though ñ and the fact Scottís seemingly definitive cut is receiving a brief theatrical run in October in New York and Los Angeles – one assumes someone, somewhere, might be interested in revisiting the realm of the replicants.
Scott, surprisingly, says heís not opposed to a Blade Runner 2, although he stresses nothing is planned.
ìThere could be a sequel, but Iím not going to say Iíd do it.î
But if he did, how would it begin? Scott references one of the final lines in the movie, uttered by Edward James Olmos about the beautiful replicant (Sean Young) Ford has fallen for: ìShe wonít live, but who does?î
Furthermore, there is Scottís conviction ñ although itís not one shared by Ford ñ that Deckard is a replicant.
ìSo thatís a good place to start.î
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