Blade Runner -- Noir on steroids or maybe genetic engineering is the more appropriate metaphor -- either way this film is DARK. And noisy and smoky and wet. And creepy and violent. And full of images that get stuck in the head (or at least in my head). But let's get started by thinking about how Frank Deckard compares with this noir predecessors.
1. How does the inner life of Deckard -- the piano music, the old photographs, the dream of the unicorn in the forest -- compare with that of the other male protagonists?
2. How does his relationship with Rachael compare with the romantic pairings we've seen thus far?
3. Is this a thriller or something more?
I think that Deckard is very different than characters like Marlowe from The Big Sleep and other early noir film characters. I have noticed that the more recently the films were made, the more action packed they were. In the first few films we watched, there were not nearly as many shootouts or fistfights between the main character and the antagonist. I feel that films like Blade Runner, The Long Goodbye, and Kiss Me Deadly focus more on action and thrilling scenes than on the details of the plot. The fact that the protagonist's mission in this movie is to kill four "people," whereas the protagonist's mission in the early noir films was to solve the case, shows how more recent films are more focused on action. I think that this movie is a thriller with the visual effects of a noir film.
ReplyDeleteI think that Rachel is a femme fatal character. We do not see much of her, however when we do, she is usually being comforted or protected by Deckard. I was a little confused as to whether or not she was a replicant. The significance of the last scene, where she drops something and he goes back to pick it up, also slightly puzzled me.
Right from the start the viewer is given a more “ well rounded ” view of Deckard. We see him before he is drawn back into his previous job. The inner life of Deckard is really only similar to the other male protagonist in the way that their aren’t many other people involved. Deckard has no significant other until Rachael comes along. He is different from many of the other male characters in a few ways. One significant way is that he did not want to return to his job while many of the other characters their jobs were what their life centered around. The romantic pairing of Deckard and Rachael is some what doomed from the beginning such as it is many film noir movies. Although death might not always be the reason of the pending separation! I would definitely qualify “ Blade Runner ” as a thriller movie, but their are many other elements to the film too, “ Blade Runner ” can easily fall into other genres.
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It's all very clogged and mysterious for Deckard, who is the definition of a man of few words. We don't see a whole lot of outward emotion from Deckard in this film; interestingly enough, most of the emotion comes from the republicants. I can't really peg Deckard as anything but someone who just wants to be left alone with his own demons.
ReplyDeleteI think Rachael is a lot more innocent and ignorant than the classic "femme fatale" stereotypes we've been observing. It seems like Deckard is always in the driver's seat when it comes to their tricky relationship--perhaps that has something to do with the fact that Rachael isn't technically human. There's a lot more compassion, help, and even love shown by Rachael than we've ever seen from any other main female characters.
I think this film is a thriller--but, as always, it's definitely saying something more. I think it's very complex and layered and meant to say something about society, but I just haven't figured what that is yet. I mean, the film is absolutely layered with meaningful symbols and deep themes. I think that's very clear, and I look forward to deciphering it in class.
Declared is more complex than our other "Noir men". He actually values and remembers his past. He is similar to our other protagonists through his simple living standards and his non- existent social life. Unlike the others he works for someone else and is a bit reluctant to come back for a job. He also works for the government (?!). His romantic relationship with Rachel is also, more complex than other Noir characters. There is obviously a commitment between eachother, they are exclusive to eachother, and are in love. While other protagonists are a bit sleazy and jump from lady to lady. Deckard shows a true emotional reaction when Rachel doesn't reply to him. "Blade Runner" is a thriller. There is action and sit on the edge of your seat scenes. Although "Blade Runner" is set in a very urban and futuristic city there is a sense of sci- fi, and maybe a bit of just plain disturbance.
ReplyDeleteThough in some ways we were more immersed in Deckard’s past and better understood his identity outside of his work persona, I felt Deckard’s inner life was flat in comparison with those of previous noir characters. For a protagonist, he appeared very little: by the end, I felt I knew Roy better than I knew Deckard, and Roy seemed to have more depth as a character, exposing more and more layers to his personality and motivation as the movie neared its end. Deckard offered random flashes of his personal life, which came across as disjointed and confusing, and did not lend themselves to a cohesive, believable personage. Mostly what struck me about Deckard was that I didn’t find him relatable: he seemed more stiff than the robots he was hunting, had no apparent sense of humor, and only reluctantly entered into the role previous noir protagonists have risked jail and even death to enter into. He is not romantic, demanding Rachel invite him to kiss her, and he lacks proficiency at his job when the entire plot centers around his supposed excellence at performing at it: heck, he doesn’t even win! Roy saves him; the bad guy saves the good guy. I don’t really understand Deckard’s purpose.
ReplyDeleteIn previous films, many of the women have feigned submission, while underneath their flirtatious and vapid exteriors they are cunning, wily, and vicious. Rachel hardly seemed the femme fatale: I thought she looked lost. Deckard is controlling and authoritative around her, and she does what he asks, though halfheartedly, as if she can’t understand why she’s listening to him, but sees no reason not to. It seems to me she’s a fate-driven character, allowing herself to be carried along by the plot and its more assertive characters without making much effort to involve herself or stand up for her opinions.
At surface level, I see it more as a thriller, though a failed one--I felt very little suspense until the final moments on the rooftop. However, I think it shares more than just its scenery with the noir genre: the deepest connection between the two is fate, and not only as it applies to Rachel’s attitude. The Replicants have a lifespan limited by genetics: their fate is to die within a few years. These Replicants have decided to challenge that fate, and one by one they die even sooner than they would have had they accepted their lot. At the end, it seems to me Roy recognizes the uselessness of fighting what’s decided, telling Deckard: “all those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. Time to die.” This line reminded me of Shelley’s “Ozymandias,” and I interpreted it as Roy’s acknowledgement that his time, in the scheme of things, would appear brief whether he lived four years or seventy-four years--his life will always be comparatively insignificant. So he gave in to the fate programmed into his genes: he died, as he was supposed to.
The previous noir characters we have watched seemed much more dull than Deckard. Deckard’s character is more complex and has more personality and inner weaknesses compared to the other noir characters that wear hats, smoke, and walk around with a gun in their hand. The only other film where we really saw the protagonist outside of their job was in The Long Goodbye in which Marlowe worried about his cat at home. Overall, Deckard’s character is much more complex and a bit more realistic to me than some of the other character. Clearly, he has many flaws and weaknesses that show in his performance and job. The relationship Deckard has with Rachael is by far the most caring and passionate relationship we’ve seen out of the noir films. The previous noir characters would either have small flings with the women or just be romantically involved with each other, but it wouldn’t make complete sense. In this movie especially, as a viewer you feel more towards Rachael and Deckard’s relationship/love for each other. It’s almost like “star crossed lovers” in which they shouldn’t be together, but they love each other too much not to.
ReplyDeleteThis film wasn’t really a thriller until the end of the movie. The first chunk of the film was all sci fi and containing a lot of dialogue in the dark. I saw the most thrillers towards the end when he’s finally on the hunt for the replicants in the house with the robots. Other than that, I wouldn’t classify the film as a “thriller”, but more a strange noir with a sci fi twist.
Compared to most other film noir main characters Deckard is much more secretive and secluded. In most of the movie you know a basic background and what they are like however in Blade Runner you can never truly get an understanding of who Deckard is. His relationship with Rachel was strange to say the least. They never seemed comfortable in each others presence and there relationship went down hill from that. I think that this is a thriller that makes a comment on life and where the world is heading. It might be warning against robots or to much governmental control. Whatever is the case it was clearly a noir type movie with the dark setting and the question of fate against choice.
ReplyDeleteThe unicorn sequence hints that Deckard has an active and wandering imagination that is not entirely channeled into his work. The other male protagonists who had extensive imaginations used them exclusively to creatively solve crimes or, in Neff's case, commit them. The photographs indicate a family history that is significant to Deckard, possibly because his family history is one thing that differentiates him(if he is human) from the Replicants. Eduard is the only other protagonist whose family the viewer learns about, and he is also the only other one who cares about cultural artifacts like the piano. For Eduard, playing the piano was a livelihood rather than the supplemental, sentimental hobby it is for Deckard. These signs of his inner thoughts and outside life add another layer to Deckard's otherwise pretty callous and focused character.
ReplyDeleteFor Deckard and Rachel, the sexual attraction seems unusually one-sided. When she tries to leave his apartment, he initiates and almost forces her into the one kiss shown. Whatever her level of attraction, she seems to like and be interested in him for his character or experience. The two share the mutual dependence common to the other noir duos who have covered up crimes together. She saves his life, yet she needs him to keep secret her planned escape and not pursue her.
This movie is undeniably a thriller, but it also has some complex themes. It begs the question of what emotionally and mentally defines a human as opposed to a Replicant. At one point, Rachel asks Deckard whether he has performed the pupil-dilation empathy test on himself, raising the possibility that he might be a Replicant. There's some murky symbolism in the unicorn and the chess game. It also raises questions about the morality of condemning any group to a different lifestyle and different rules.
I think that Deckard varies greatly from the main characters we've seen before in these noir films (like Marlowe). A great example of this is the fact that Deckard was retired, and our other noir leads were all greatly invested in their life's work. I also noticed that Deckard may have been a little bit more aggressive and violent than some of the other characters that we've seen. Like in the beginning when he is eating noodles, he resists being taken captive. I would count this movie as a thriller because there are just so many action packed scenes mixed with beautiful scenery, and to justify this statement I would say that the movie would still be interesting even with no dialogue. While this is still a thriller, the complex story adds many more layers to the movie as a whole and the information that it contains.
ReplyDeleteDeckard seems old fashioned compared to those around him - carrying black and white pictures in a vibrant, electric world. The dream about the unicorn is more whimsical and innocent than one would picture someone of his character dreaming of - certainly not something that Marlowe would dream. Rather than hardboiled, he is jaded - tired and worn emotionally by years of killing things that look, sound, and act like humans. The only way he's able to keep himself going with the job is the fact that he knows they don't have feelings - then, as Rachel begins crying, he is beyond uncomfortable, desperately trying to both adjust to and ignore her emotional response simultaneously. Deckard is reluctant to give up the easy black and white morality, but when Rachel expresses human feelings, he starts to fill in that there is a grey area that he's been missing. The other protagonists have seemed to already know of this strange grey morality, and they have already adjusted accordingly - shooting some, incarcerating others, and having affairs with women with questionable motives.
ReplyDeleteDeckard's relationship with Rachel was fast and out of place - I didn't see it coming. She moves in with him rather abruptly, abandoning her creator and home for a random man who's entire job consists of killing her kind. This puts her in an unusually vulnerable position compared to the dastardly and deadly women in previous films. She places utter trust in him, and him in her - their involvement seems more emotional and much less about physical attraction than with those we have seen before, with their violent and mindless passion.
It certainly seems to be a commentary, though on precisely what, I couldn't quite say. There's an emphasis on the idea that morality is so easily drawn into clean-cut lines (humans, and replicants) but as Deckard continues on his path he discovers strangely human characteristics in those he hunts, as well as strange coldness - mechanical, one could say - in his fellow humans. It has all the same themes, and similar characters and feelings of a typical noir, just with flashy adds and bio-technology.
I think showing all the personal things in Deckards life makes him more of a relatable and empathetic character. Most of the movies we have watched, we don't get to see a more soft side of the male protagonist. I think this makes him a more stronger character and a more realistic character. I think that his relationship with Rachel is different than any other character. Declared seemed more like a lonely man and Rachel was the only other person and woman in his life. I think he just wanted someone to love so he found here.
ReplyDeleteDeckard is a more complex character for film noir, but he some of the decisions he commits make him seem simple. He does seem stranger than other characters but that's probably because he is in the future. To me his relationship with Rachel wasn't very important. I think it is a thriller that raises many ethical questions. Some of these questions are gaining importance in recent times.
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